Movie Reaction: Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping

Formula: Justin Bieber: Never Say Never * This Is Spinal Tap

Sometimes, with comedy movies it's pretty simple. Do the jokes make you laugh or not? In the case of The Lonely Island, they normally fail that test. They are a super talented group. I think "Dick in a Box" and "Lazy Sunday" are two of the best things to come out of SNL in the last decade. Andy Samberg  I love on Brooklyn Nine Nine. I've just always enjoyed The Lonely Island with a polite chuckle and that's about it. It just doesn't click with me. Ultimately, that's the only real problem I have with Popstar: Never Stop Stopping.

The story is pretty familiar (in a good way). It's about hip-hop superstar Connor4Real. He used to be part of a Beastie Boys-like rap trio called the Style Boyz with his childhood friends. They had a falling out after he went solo. One of the Boyz (Jarma Tacconne) is now Connor's DJ. The other (Akiva Shcaffer) is living a quiet life on a farm. Connor's debut album hit big. The movie begins shortly before the release of his highly anticipated 2nd album and world tour. Only, this don't go so well. The more Connor has pushed away from the other Style Boyz, the worse he's become, sending his career into free fall, which a documentary crew has full access to follow.

It's a pretty standard story of losing one's way and finding redemption. It works because the story doesn't try to do too much. That leaves a lot of time for jokes and songs, which, as it turns out, is exactly what The Lonely Island (Samberg, Shaffer, and Taccone, who wrote and directed the film) do best. The movie is overflowing with jokes about the effects of celebrity. They go after the yes-men in the popstar's entourage, the people that represent him, and the parents who latch onto the fame. They take particular aim at TMZ in the least subtle way possible. That's mixed in with a lot of random absurd humor as well. It's all very Lonely Island. I can't stress this enough. If you've liked their previous work, you'll like this.

If you're a fan of SNL, then you're in luck, because this is lousy with SNL veterans and favorites. Tim Meadows is Connor's long time manager. Maya Rudolph is a corporate partner of Connor's. Sarah Silverman (she was on a season of SNL) is Connor's publicist and gets a much more vital role than I expected. Joan Cusack has a small role as Connor's hard-partying mother. Bill Hader is a roadie. SNL hosting favorite Justin Timberlake is Connor's chef. Some non-SNL people like Imogen Poots (underused as Connor's girlfriend), Chris Redd (Connor's friend, then rival), and Will Arnett (playing a thinly disguised Harvey Levin) make an impression too. The 90 minute run time doesn't allow for much depth to any of these side characters, so most of them get their scene or two to make an impression and are out.

There's nothing revolutionary about Popstar. It isn't any longer than it needs to be. From the beginning, they decide to make the jokes come the first priority and commit to that for the vast majority of the movie. I just wished I liked the style of jokes more. If you are in doubt about this, lookup "The Lonely Island" on YouTube. If you like that, you'll like Popstar. If you don't care for it, skit it. It's pretty simple.

Verdict (?): Weakly Recommend