“Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping” (2016)

Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping

Grade: C+

Andy Samberg and his Lonely Island crew milk the one-joke mockumentary format for all its worth in Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping, a 2016 comedy that is the most 2016 comedy ever made. Dated references abound in this occasionally funny, 90-minute Saturday Night Live skit. A few more notes on Popstar:

Directing:

Best known for the comedic music videos “I Just Had Sex,” “Jizz in My Pants” and the holiday classic “Dick in a Box,” The Lonely Island troupe has had a lasting impact on 2010s humor. Yet Popstar is a Justin Bieber parody that comes five years too late. Directors Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone accomplish what they set out to do, which is combine the style of The Office with their SNL Digital Shorts, but the film is ultimately too disjointed to work as a cohesive feature-length presentation.

Acting:

Andy Samberg is great at portraying lovable dumbasses, and his turn as Conner4Real is basically a more vulgar composite of every character he’s every played. Ditto for the rest of the SNL alums that make up the cast (including Sarah Silverman, Tim Meadows, Maya Rudolph, Eric Andre, Chelsea Peretti, Bill Hader and many more). I’m sure they had fun making this movie, but it’s nothing you haven’t seen before.

Writing:

There are a few good jokes and hilarious moments in Popstar (all involving dicks), but most of them are featured within the first couple minutes. As mentioned, the now-dated references and disjointed skit-heavy format makes for a movie that loses its value on repeated viewings. For more compelling Samberg comedy, watch Brooklyn Nine-Nine or That’s My Boy.

Music:

Surprisingly, the songs are the least funny aspect of Popstar, which is a shame because The Lonely Island was probably the best musical comedy act since Spinal Tap. Nothing here matches up to “Lazy Sunday” or “Like a Boss,” the flagship music videos from The Lonely Island’s 2009 album Incredibad, though “Equal Rights” does generate a few chuckles. Popstar puts more effort into its stacked celebrity guest appearances than its songwriting.

Ending (SPOILERS):

Popstar tries to inject some emotion into the film’s conclusion and somewhat succeeds: Conner4Real puts his ego aside and reunites with his friends for a comeback performance. Unfortunately, the new song (“Incredible Thoughts” featuring Michael Bolton) lacks hooks and jokes — it would’ve been an afterthought on Incredibad. And because closing a comedy film is harder than closing a drama film, Conner4Real gets attacked by a wolf as the credits roll. Random jokes always provide an easy out.

“I’m not gay, but if I was, I would want equal rights/I’m not gay, but if I was, I would marry who I like.” — Conner4Real

Why Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping gets a C+:

This dated parody/mockumentary is weighed down by too many guest appearances and too many random sketches to live up to its full potential, though there are enough good laughs to warrant a “plus” grade.

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