Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping
I've been trying to check out some parody/spoof films lately and I decided to give this one a re-watch. I liked it as much as I did the first time. It's a very funny sendup/mockumentary of the popular music scene and, perhaps even more so, celebrity culture in the twenty-first century. Samberg, Jorma, and Akiva have been a comedy trio for a long time, which I think really helps with a film like this because their ability to work well together really shines through. As is the case with a lot of parody type movies, the plot is really more of a flimsy excuse for a narrative on which to tack one joke after another. I suppose that the best way to assess most parody films is to think about the ratio of jokes that land to overall attempts at a laugh. Those early 2000s misstep spoofs like Superhero Movie and Meet the Spartans, I gotta imagine, have bad ratios. But Popstar, to its credit, has tons of funny verbal jokes, cameos, and hilarious music numbers.
Yes, the songs are among the funniest aspect of the film. That probably should not come as a surprise, as music was an integral part of what these guys routinely produced week after week while doing Digital Shorts on SNL for eight years. But, man, some of the stuff is just so ludicrous and uproarious that you have to play it again. There are tons of cameos from the music industry, too, which some might be apprehensive about (in the sense that it might be perceived as a device that The Lonely Island overutilizes over the course of the film's brief runtime). However, the vast majority of them are quite funny. Everybody who participated really sort of understood how to play things. Nas, particularly, had some really funny cutaway moments. And the hyping of Usher being in awe of their signature dance move and then getting to perform it on stage with them during their reunion was great.
I think that The Lonely Island consistently skewer the sense of entitlement and self-importance that perceptions of modern-day celebrity often conjure. Take, for example, the plot point that Conner 4 Real, purportedly out of love for his fans, but clearly more due to the fact that he feels every single thing he does over the course of the day warrants attention, overshares on social media. There are also windows into the character's completely tone deaf attempts to address timely social issues. The film does a great job of highlighting this tendency without having to beat your over the head with the jokes. So, for instance, when you have Style Boys' big reunion and the debut of their new song, it's played straight like a big upbeat moment; yet, the song is filled with inane, superficial observations being passed off as deep, existential thoughts, complete with self-satisfied pats on the back for Akiva having been able to come up with them. "Sometimes my mind blows my mind!" The sort of pretentious and hollow element comes across hilariously in the subtitle of the film, too. No matter how many times I read "Never stop never stopping" it brings a smile to my face. It's ridiculous fun.
Extra props to getting Michael Bolton, who co-starred with the guys in one of their most well-known Digital Shorts during the SNL years, as their special guest for said song. Just inspired.
There are certain things that don't really land and, while brevity is usually a good thing in these types of films, Popstar had me wishing that there was more of Tim Meadows and Chris Redd, both of whom were hilarious. This was pre-Redd's own SNL run and I think he ended up being terrific on the show. Much like Alex Moffat, he was a guy who could get tremendous laughs whether he was the centerpiece of the sketch or just someone with a couple of lines. His delivery was that good. I thought he was quite funny in this film and I think more could have been done with the character and his friendship/rivalry with Conner. Meadows is always clutch, a great comedic performer.
Surprised this one did not garner more of an audience.
7.3/10
