Remember the summer of 2016? If you don’t, that’s probably because there wasn’t much to remember after Captain America: Civil War, The Conjuring 2 and maybe Finding Dory and Star Trek Beyond. Disappointments and bombs were the story of that summer, like Independence Day: Resurgence, Jason Bourne, The Legend of Tarzan, Now You See Me 2, X-Men: Apocalypse, and a rebooted Ghostbusters that made more news for its gender focus than the actual quality of the movie.
But there were two comedies that also bombed that were quite good and even great; one being The Nice Guys and the other Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping. The latter is a highly entertaining music mockumentary of the rise and fall and re-rise of a…well…popstar knows as Connor4Real (Andy Samberg), who’s filming a documentary on the heels of his next album that is set to be the biggest of all-time. What could go wrong? Still haven’t seen it? Here’s 5 reasons why it’s time you finally watched.
5 Realism
OK, any film that has a joke about Taylor Swift not appearing in a major awards show because she got arrested for murder isn’t exactly meant to be “real.” But, a good deal of why Popstar works well is how much it commits to its act of Connor being such a big deal in the industry. Real life stars and industry heads in Nas, Simon Cowell, Arcade Fire, Mariah Carey, 50 Cent, Danger Mouse, and Usher all make appearances in this documentary selling how important and transcendent Connor is—and that’s barely half (if that) of the talents that appear here! They are not above making a little fun of themselves, either. Collectively, they make it very easy to believe that Connor4Real is very real.
4 Satire/Metacommentary
Yes, Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping has its share of basic, lowest-common-denominator humor. However, the bulk of its humor is rather sharp and clever. Led by co-directors and Lonely Island members Jorma Taccone and Akiva Schaffer, it’s clear that the biggest inspiration is one Justin Bieber, from the title of the movie to even how awful Connor’s tattoos look. That’s only the tip of the iceberg, though. A hilarious TMZ parody with Will Arnett moonlighting as Harvey Levin sipping on oversized Big Gulps pokes fun at the celebrity-driven obsession of the 21st century, as does Connor’s six-month fling turned into a televised proposal (featuring the singer Seal) with a socialite played by Imogen Poots hitting at the aspect of favoring spectacle over substance. The music industry in general (as well as some of its sheepish fans) is lampooned for its stupidity in how the inanest lyrics and subject matter sell by exhibiting a Connor4Real verse that is nothing but catchphrases. Doink to doink! Patrick Stewart Money!
Although never really confirmed, Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping can also be viewed as a meta-story of The Lonely Island group. They, akin to “The Style Boyz” in this movie, all grew up together and found success as a group until one person became the star and the dynamics changed. Being that this happens to be written by all three members, one wonders if this was a little bit of a catharsis feature too.
3 Supporting Characters
Connor4Real/Samberg is the star of the show, yet he’s not the only memorable character of Popstar. A bevvy of talented actors and comedians make up delightful supporting characters, like the aforementioned Poots, Arnett, Taccone, and Schaffer. The biggest scene stealers are easily Tim Meadows as Connor’s manager and ex-musician, Sarah Silverman as Connor’s publicist, and Chris Redd as “Hunter the Hungry,” Connor’s tour mate that eventually becomes his nemesis. All have scenes shared with Samberg and every one of them has a chemistry with the lead. Watch for some uncredited cameos too.
2 Production
It’s not like Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping was made on a miniscule budget; 20 million isn’t small money, but, even for a studio comedy, it’s on the lesser end. You’d never really know though, because the film looks extremely slick. Sure, shooting documentary style saves on costs. With that said, Taccone and Schaffer go to great lengths to make the concerts feel larger than life, and the documentary approach plus overall aesthetic is on point with what it’s riffing; specifically, Behind the Music, Justin Bieber: Never Say Never, and Katy Perry: Part of Me. If Popstar were to be conducted like a standard shot comedy, there’s absolutely no way it works as well; those talking head scenes do more for character development than one might believe for something like this.
1 The Songs
Looking past the brilliant meanings (or lack thereof) of the tracks that appear in Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping, the music is great to listen to on simply a surface level basis, and on par with at least half of what consistently appears on the Billboard Top 100. All tracks written by The Lonely Island, they once again show their rhyming paired with producers who accentuate their flows and comedy. Whether its Equal Rights, I’m So Humble, Incredible Thoughts, Things in My Jeep, or (my favorite) Finest Girl, this soundtrack is the best reason to finally give this a watch … and a listen.