This review contains spoilers in the sense that I reveal jokes and plot gags that occur throughout the film. If you want a blank slate, don't read the review.
As part of the comedy-musical act The Lonely Island, Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer, and Jorma Taccone have been successfully creating music that is both hilarious and actually pretty catchy for over a decade. From "Lazy Sunday" to "Dick in a Box" to "I'm On a Boat", The Lonely Island aren't just three goofballs singing about fucking mermaids and getting high--they're talented musicians who understand the rhythms of various subgenres of pop (for example, "Dick in a Box"' is a tribute to 90's era R&B). They create music that both perfectly captures pop while also lovingly mocking it.
So it's fitting that Samberg, Schaffer, and Taccone would be the ones to write and star in the funniest "Rock-mockumentary" since This Is Spinal Tap. That's not to say Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping is *as good as* This Is Spinal Tap, which is undoubtedly an unrivaled classic in both the comedy genre and mockumentary genre, but it's pretty freakin' funny.
In Popstar, Samberg plays Conner 4 Real, a solo act who was once part of boy band The Style Boyz with buddies Lawrence (Schaffer) and Owen (Taccone). After splitting up, Conner's star exploded, with Owen serving as his DJ and sycophant while estranged Lawrence went off the grid to live on a farm and do (very poor) woodworking projects.
The film opens right before Conner's latest album, ConnQuest, drops. Mocking the real life U2 fiasco where the band foolishly decided to foist its 2014 album Songs of Innocence upon everyone with an iTunes account whether they wanted it or not (they didn't), Conner decides to have his album automatically upload to all Aquaspin (a fake company) appliances the day it drops so that people will open their refrigerator doors and be "graced" with Conner's music. Causing mass blackouts across the United States, the album release is an unmitigated failure (a TV screen shows President Obama calling Conner a "dumbfuck").
Additionally, the album is a critical failure, receiving a negative score on Pitchfork and no stars, but simply the shit emoji, in Rolling Stone.
With ticket sales to his concerts plummeting, Conner's manager Harry (Tim Meadows) suggests touring with an opening act--Hunter the Hungry (Chris Redd), a Tyler, the Creator-esque hip hop artist who ends up battling Conner for dominance when it becomes clear that the only reason people are coming to see Conner's shows is to see Hunter perform.
Combine this with an epic wardrobe malfunction (ironically, too little of Conner's private parts are revealed, prompting tabloids and gossip sites to inquire "Conner 4 Real has no dick?"), a marriage proposal to his girlfriend Ashley (Imogen Poots) gone awry, and miscellaneous drunken shenanigans, and Conner is in danger of becoming a complete has-been.
Meanwhile, Owen is desperately scheming to get The Style Boyz back together by encouraging Conner and Lawrence to end their estrangement and apologize to one another for former wrongs. Owen is convinced that getting the Boyz back together is what the public actually wants and will result in money and acclaim for all of them.
Popstar is filled to the brim with celebrity and musician cameos who are interviewed documentary style about their experiences with The Style Boyz and Conner 4 Real. The film is also interspersed with music videos and performances of Conner's music, which is--no surprise--goddamn hilarious. Conner releases a song called "Equal Rights" (clearly riffing on Macklemore's "Same Love") where he expresses his acceptance for gay marriage while repeating over and over that he himself is not gay. Another song, "Finest Girl (The Bin Laden Song)", which actually premiered in digital short format on Saturday Night Live a week before the movie came out, is about a woman who asks Conner to fuck her like the US military "fucked Bin Laden". The song is incredibly catchy (and profane) and was in my brain for a week after I heard it.
Finally, the Style Boyz release a new song, "Incredible Thoughts", which sounds like a send up of Insane Clown Posse's ridiculous song "Miracles". "Incredible Thoughts" contains lyrical gems such as:
What if a garbage man was actually smart?
A common misconception that we're tearing apart
And to a dog, dog food is just food
And to a sock, a mansion's just a big shoe
A milk dud, sitting in the acid rain
A house cat addicted to the cocaine
No teeth, unlimited floss
These are just a few of our incredible thoughts
Popstar (which was written my Taccone and Schaffer) is full of both dumb humor and smart riffing on the pop music industry. Again, it's not quite at the level of This Is Spinal Tap, but it's a consistently funny and cheerful comedy. Samberg, as always, excels at playing a doofus with a heart of gold. Popstar is an enjoyable summer popcorn flick that will leave you smiling and singing:
She said "Invade my cave with your special unit"
I said "He wasn't in a cave", but there was no stopping
She demanded that I fuck her like we
Fucked Bin Laden
Fuck Bin Laden
Fuck Bin Laden
She wanted to fuck me harder then the US government
Fucked Bin Laden
Grade: B
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