The excessive world of modern pop is so soulless and pretentious, it's ripe picking for drama. The mental breakings of stars like Mariah Carey, Britney Spears, Michael Jackson and others show an inherent flaw in how human beings are turned into oblivious money-making commodities, and then unceremoniously spit-out when their glimmer dies. Popstar, the brain child of the YouTube-turned-SNL stars The Lonely Island, touches on these things enough, but mostly it's just fantastic jokes. A timely and lightning-fast musical mockumentary, I could barely catch my breath from laughing. The story works as a parallel to the careers of the three Lonely Island guys themselves. Conner4Real (Samberg) is an international popstar who has grown beyond the popularity of his two Style Boyz partners (Taccone, Schaffer). While it uses that parallel effectively, it never becomes overbearing. Instead what shines are the original songs, a staple of these guys past endeavors, including their groundbreaking "SNL Digital Shorts" segments. Each one is an instant classic (i.e. "I'm So Humble", "Things in My Jeep"), played ridiculously as if they have influenced real musicians, many of whom make hilarious cameos. For those of you old enough to remember the comedy classic "Spinal Tap", this format may seem somewhat familiar. However, a distractingly blatant rip-off this is not. It uses its 30-year separation as a way to point out the modern massive difference between actual artistic influence and silly cultural nostalgia that permeates the musical landscape. And while it doesn't quite reach Spinal-Tap-heights of greatness, if you're looking for a perfect friends-night-out, this is a comedy you will be happy to visit and revisit over and again.
147 Reviews
He just never stopped
coreyjdenford25 August 2016
This is my review of Popstar Never Stop Never Stopping (spoiler free)
**** (4/5)
Cast: Andy Samberg, Jorma Taccone, Akiva Schaffer, Sarah Silverman, Tim Meadows
Plot: The life of superstar musician Conner4Real (Samberg) appears to be a charmed one, filled with groupies, screaming crowds and sacks of cash. But trouble is on the horizon in the form of a scheming rapper (Chris Redd), a disastrous merchandise deal and a swarm of killer bees.
The spirit of This is Spinal Tap looms large over the latest comedy from the Lonely Island Crew. Like Rob Reiner's masterpiece, it's a mockumentary and a fun one at that with laughs coming out of the whazoo. It follows three likable idiots as they navigate the choppy waters of the music biz. There is even an update of Tap's 'Sh*t Sandwich' scene, as Conner4Real (Andy Samberg in possibly his funniest role ever) checks out reviews of his new album: rather than showing a star rating, Rolling Stone awards it the poop emoticon. Happily, rather than coming off as a pale imitation, Popstar: Never Sop Never Stopping squeezes laughs out of its tale like juice from a plum. However if the music industry was silly in the 1980s this certainly shows how silly it was but it's even daft now, and Andy Samberg, Jorma Taccone and Akiva Schaffer gleefully go to town sending up its absurdities. Conner4Real is an ear studded jackass, whose humongous entourage includes an eyebrow specialist, a scarf caddy (that's a real thing) and a guy who punches him in the nuts to remind where he came from.
Weirdly he has an army of personalized holograms that caper around the stage. Conner is a narcissist who uploads daily videos to Youtube, and who his best friend Owen (Taccone) to wear a deadmau5-like helmet that emits a terrifying light beacon and makes an ominous sound that is likely to deafen anybody that passes by. However Conner, is an attention seeker and there is nothing that he won't do to get attention – a trait that is consistently hilarious – and, given Miley's twerking and Kanye's tweet-based rants, it is all too plausible today. Hot Rod, which is the Lonely Island's film about a wannabe Evel Knievel, was at times hysterical, but lumbered with a weak narrative that really let it down. Popstar's set-up is simpler and more effective and won't fail to make you laugh. It turns out Conner4Real used to be just Conner, a decent guy who formed a boy band with Owen and his other buddy Lawrence (Schaffer) just because he wanted to see what it was like to be famous. When he got a taste for fame, he became a monster: Owen became his Dj-slave and Lawrence retired to a farm to whittle woodcarvings but unfortunately he hates that job but anything to get away from the monster.
The story, as Owen attempts to reunite The Style Boyz which was the name of Conner's boy band, hat bit is surprisingly engaging. What they have added to the film are the inspired cameos peppered throughout the film mainly from the worlds of music (Arcade Fire, Justin Timberlake, Seal) and comedy (Will Forte, Bill Hader oddly with very long hair), and finally both (Weird Al Yankovic). On a weird note there is also a penis, which if reports are to be believed, belongs to an A-list director. This is Spinal Tap, of course was pinned around several gloriously bad songs, but they were enjoyable much like this the music is stupid but it's enjoyable even if some of it is offensive. But This is Spinal Tap lampooned around different genres of music. And Lonely Island certainly know their stuff because they know their way around a big juicy hook, which is what a song needs as anyone who has watched their Saturday Night Live videos can attest. Highlights here include Finest Girl, a sex jam with relentless references to the assassination of Osama Bin Laden, and Equal Rights, a paean to gay marriage filled with assurances that the singer is heterosexual. The tunes in this movie are whip-smart, quick-witted and stupendously dumb but that's a good because the hook makes them catchy that you'll be singing the hits well after the credits roll.
In conclusion this is a quick-witted and well written comedy that will make you laugh out loud and even produce tears from your eyes. This is certainly a Lonely Island movie and probably one of the best of their movies it's completely relentless even the greatest comedy kings and queens will love it.
Verdict: An absolute blast, with a frenetic strike-rate and songs that will worm their way into your ears for days. Like Conner, this comedy's for real.
8/10 incredibly funny
**** (4/5)
Cast: Andy Samberg, Jorma Taccone, Akiva Schaffer, Sarah Silverman, Tim Meadows
Plot: The life of superstar musician Conner4Real (Samberg) appears to be a charmed one, filled with groupies, screaming crowds and sacks of cash. But trouble is on the horizon in the form of a scheming rapper (Chris Redd), a disastrous merchandise deal and a swarm of killer bees.
The spirit of This is Spinal Tap looms large over the latest comedy from the Lonely Island Crew. Like Rob Reiner's masterpiece, it's a mockumentary and a fun one at that with laughs coming out of the whazoo. It follows three likable idiots as they navigate the choppy waters of the music biz. There is even an update of Tap's 'Sh*t Sandwich' scene, as Conner4Real (Andy Samberg in possibly his funniest role ever) checks out reviews of his new album: rather than showing a star rating, Rolling Stone awards it the poop emoticon. Happily, rather than coming off as a pale imitation, Popstar: Never Sop Never Stopping squeezes laughs out of its tale like juice from a plum. However if the music industry was silly in the 1980s this certainly shows how silly it was but it's even daft now, and Andy Samberg, Jorma Taccone and Akiva Schaffer gleefully go to town sending up its absurdities. Conner4Real is an ear studded jackass, whose humongous entourage includes an eyebrow specialist, a scarf caddy (that's a real thing) and a guy who punches him in the nuts to remind where he came from.
Weirdly he has an army of personalized holograms that caper around the stage. Conner is a narcissist who uploads daily videos to Youtube, and who his best friend Owen (Taccone) to wear a deadmau5-like helmet that emits a terrifying light beacon and makes an ominous sound that is likely to deafen anybody that passes by. However Conner, is an attention seeker and there is nothing that he won't do to get attention – a trait that is consistently hilarious – and, given Miley's twerking and Kanye's tweet-based rants, it is all too plausible today. Hot Rod, which is the Lonely Island's film about a wannabe Evel Knievel, was at times hysterical, but lumbered with a weak narrative that really let it down. Popstar's set-up is simpler and more effective and won't fail to make you laugh. It turns out Conner4Real used to be just Conner, a decent guy who formed a boy band with Owen and his other buddy Lawrence (Schaffer) just because he wanted to see what it was like to be famous. When he got a taste for fame, he became a monster: Owen became his Dj-slave and Lawrence retired to a farm to whittle woodcarvings but unfortunately he hates that job but anything to get away from the monster.
The story, as Owen attempts to reunite The Style Boyz which was the name of Conner's boy band, hat bit is surprisingly engaging. What they have added to the film are the inspired cameos peppered throughout the film mainly from the worlds of music (Arcade Fire, Justin Timberlake, Seal) and comedy (Will Forte, Bill Hader oddly with very long hair), and finally both (Weird Al Yankovic). On a weird note there is also a penis, which if reports are to be believed, belongs to an A-list director. This is Spinal Tap, of course was pinned around several gloriously bad songs, but they were enjoyable much like this the music is stupid but it's enjoyable even if some of it is offensive. But This is Spinal Tap lampooned around different genres of music. And Lonely Island certainly know their stuff because they know their way around a big juicy hook, which is what a song needs as anyone who has watched their Saturday Night Live videos can attest. Highlights here include Finest Girl, a sex jam with relentless references to the assassination of Osama Bin Laden, and Equal Rights, a paean to gay marriage filled with assurances that the singer is heterosexual. The tunes in this movie are whip-smart, quick-witted and stupendously dumb but that's a good because the hook makes them catchy that you'll be singing the hits well after the credits roll.
In conclusion this is a quick-witted and well written comedy that will make you laugh out loud and even produce tears from your eyes. This is certainly a Lonely Island movie and probably one of the best of their movies it's completely relentless even the greatest comedy kings and queens will love it.
Verdict: An absolute blast, with a frenetic strike-rate and songs that will worm their way into your ears for days. Like Conner, this comedy's for real.
8/10 incredibly funny
Enough hilarious highlights in an otherwise okay movie
Movie_Muse_Reviews23 December 2016
The big question heading into "Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping" was whether The Lonely Island trio of Andy Samberg, Jorma Taccone and Akiva Schaffer could make their brand of pop music humor work in a format that lasts longer than three minutes. Not surprisingly, it's in different three-minute clips that "Popstar" works best.
"Popstar" is a music mockumentary following a pretty standard faux biography structure: Conner4Real (Samberg) is a huge star who made it on his own after many of years of success as a member of the Nasty Boyz, a trio with his childhood best friends, Owen (Taccone) and Lawrence (Schaffer). The story predictably follows his rise and fall, narrating it with a host of cameos from actual music celebrities playing themselves as well as supporting characters.
Conner is an over-the-top caricature of the dumbest celebrity you can imagine, and Lonely Island makes sure that there's no element of his music or rise to fame that you take seriously. Ripping into pop music culture, however, isn't the movie's focus. It's a film about a music group because its creators' gimmick is musical comedy. The goal, presumably, was to create outrageous characters and scenarios, not create stinging satire.
"Popstar" opts for the machine gun style of comedy, unloading jokes in rapid succession knowing that if at least a majority of them stick, they've done their job. Ostensibly, that strategy works. A number of gags land and feel like rather original jokes, too. From a wolf attack to a wardrobe malfunction to an argument in a limo that's besieged by naked body parts, the sequences constructed with the intention of being funny often are, it's the wedged-in jokes that aren't centerpieces that fall flat.
Surprisingly, the comedy songs used in this movie aren't the highlights. Conner's single about equality in which the lyrics are all about how he's not gay even though he's singing about LGBTQ rights is pretty standard for Lonely Island. Fans of their music will be pleased, but the comedy really comes from the joke-writing and the occasional quick-witted dialogue exchanges.
Nothing about the plot is surprising or particularly clever, however, and knowing exactly what direction they're going to take the story within the first 10 minutes weighs down the ceiling for what "Popstar" could be. If more jokes missed than hit, this flaw would be abundantly apparent and have caused the whole movie to collapse.
The Lonely Island brand of cleverly packaged immature humor won't be a hit with everyone, but it definitely salvages "Popstar," at least enough that I can highly recommend the clips.
~Steven C
Thanks for reading! Visit Movie Muse Reviews for more
"Popstar" is a music mockumentary following a pretty standard faux biography structure: Conner4Real (Samberg) is a huge star who made it on his own after many of years of success as a member of the Nasty Boyz, a trio with his childhood best friends, Owen (Taccone) and Lawrence (Schaffer). The story predictably follows his rise and fall, narrating it with a host of cameos from actual music celebrities playing themselves as well as supporting characters.
Conner is an over-the-top caricature of the dumbest celebrity you can imagine, and Lonely Island makes sure that there's no element of his music or rise to fame that you take seriously. Ripping into pop music culture, however, isn't the movie's focus. It's a film about a music group because its creators' gimmick is musical comedy. The goal, presumably, was to create outrageous characters and scenarios, not create stinging satire.
"Popstar" opts for the machine gun style of comedy, unloading jokes in rapid succession knowing that if at least a majority of them stick, they've done their job. Ostensibly, that strategy works. A number of gags land and feel like rather original jokes, too. From a wolf attack to a wardrobe malfunction to an argument in a limo that's besieged by naked body parts, the sequences constructed with the intention of being funny often are, it's the wedged-in jokes that aren't centerpieces that fall flat.
Surprisingly, the comedy songs used in this movie aren't the highlights. Conner's single about equality in which the lyrics are all about how he's not gay even though he's singing about LGBTQ rights is pretty standard for Lonely Island. Fans of their music will be pleased, but the comedy really comes from the joke-writing and the occasional quick-witted dialogue exchanges.
Nothing about the plot is surprising or particularly clever, however, and knowing exactly what direction they're going to take the story within the first 10 minutes weighs down the ceiling for what "Popstar" could be. If more jokes missed than hit, this flaw would be abundantly apparent and have caused the whole movie to collapse.
The Lonely Island brand of cleverly packaged immature humor won't be a hit with everyone, but it definitely salvages "Popstar," at least enough that I can highly recommend the clips.
~Steven C
Thanks for reading! Visit Movie Muse Reviews for more
Great movie if you love Lonely Island!
destinychronicles18 June 2016
If you understand Lonely Island you will love this movie. It may not be for everyone, however I thoroughly enjoyed the movie. If you don't know what Lonely Island is google them and watch them on youtube. This movie perfectly set the stage for a world were the lonely island crew had massive fans, but in reality their fanbase is rather small.
Still the movie has massive laughs, the references are on point, and some of the songs are actually pretty good parodies of other genres.
I give the movie a solid 9 out of 10. If I wasn't a Lonely Island fan I would still give it at least a solid 7. It's entertaining and fun, and a nice divergence from the Super Hero dominated world we have today.
Still the movie has massive laughs, the references are on point, and some of the songs are actually pretty good parodies of other genres.
I give the movie a solid 9 out of 10. If I wasn't a Lonely Island fan I would still give it at least a solid 7. It's entertaining and fun, and a nice divergence from the Super Hero dominated world we have today.
Different Comedy Experience
aaronillustratornh8 June 2016
The movie was set up with a familiar plot that shouldn't really blow anyone out of the water. it also had a unique reality TV type way of shooting the film, but this movie is really meant for one thing. The off the wall humor. However the problems with the film shouldn't discourage people who want laughs! The movie had quite a bit of off the wall humor. Although the movie doesn't have you busting your gut through the entire showing it has it's moments. So if you like The Lonely Island, or Andy Sandberg's humor, go see the movie! In addition I will say I found the music in the film quite entertaining. The "So Humble" song that's at the beginning of the movie and in the trailers is still stuck in my head, and I don't mind.
Very offensive....very funny and perceptive.
planktonrules24 June 2017
I am not in the target audience for "Popstar", as I am a guy in my 50s who has no interest in rap or anything written after about 1985. So, the fact that I enjoyed this is something...isn't it?!
In many ways, this film is very much like "Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story" as well as "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby"....along with a heaping helping of pop music and rap. Just like Ricky Bobby, Conner (Andy Samberg) goes from the top of the game to total loser very quickly...and only by learning humility and appreciating his friends can he once again be on top. And, like "Walk Hard", it's a mockumentary about the music industry...and it's very crude at times and has some genitalia. It is NOT a film for kids, that's for sure!
Overall, it's a clever an perceptive film...making fun of the stupid antics MANY modern musicians engage in as well as tickling your funny bone in the process. Enjoyable and worth seeing...provided you are an adult and have a relatively high threshold for the offensive.
In many ways, this film is very much like "Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story" as well as "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby"....along with a heaping helping of pop music and rap. Just like Ricky Bobby, Conner (Andy Samberg) goes from the top of the game to total loser very quickly...and only by learning humility and appreciating his friends can he once again be on top. And, like "Walk Hard", it's a mockumentary about the music industry...and it's very crude at times and has some genitalia. It is NOT a film for kids, that's for sure!
Overall, it's a clever an perceptive film...making fun of the stupid antics MANY modern musicians engage in as well as tickling your funny bone in the process. Enjoyable and worth seeing...provided you are an adult and have a relatively high threshold for the offensive.
It's ok
0w08 September 2019
It's a comedy movie, so you're supposed to laugh a lot right? Well I giggled (not laughed) maybe two or three times in the entire movie... so I'd say it pretty much failed as a comedy movie. Nothing against Lonely Island and their novelty music, but it simply didn't make me laugh, and thus failed for what it set out to do/be.
Good for a laugh or two
xmdbx2 May 2019
This is a good movie if you care for comedy music, I guess. It has its funny moments but a lot of it is also dull. It's not trying to be a great film, it's just going for laughs. Not all of the jokes land but a good amount do. It's not the funniest movie I've ever seen but it's definitely not not funny.
Excellent Satire
tvoth8819 June 2016
Great movie!! I absolutely love the way its a documentary with such famous musicians and rappers adding to the satire. The story is so true and attacks the song writing skills of today's music. If you have a good beat, throw in a bunch of catch phrases with a cool voice, add another famous singer to back up with a couple of lines and you got a new hip hop/rap song. I was completely entertained and recommend this movie for anyone to sit back and enjoy great comedy. Love the fact JT dominates the nerd entourage cook and has the ability to be humble and have fun with this movie. The swearing can be a little intense but the movie stays true to the creators. Hope everyone else enjoys as much as my laughter filled evening.
The Vidiot Reviews...
capone6665 September 2016
Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping
The reason Canadian singers move to the States to work is because they're sick of being paid in bags of loonies.
Mind you, the performer in this comedy is only parodying a Canuck crooner.
When his latest album drops like a lead balloon, b-boy turned pompous pop star Conner4Real (Andy Samberg) is left reeling.
Desperate to become relevant for his singing instead of embarrassing stage mishaps, Conner begrudgingly reconnects with the crew (Akiva Schaffer, Jorma Taccone) responsible for his early hits.
But can the reunion withstand the constant call for Conner to remain solo?
A rockumentary in every sense of the made-up word, Popstar's style, including endless celebrity interviews and raunchy road antics, lives up to its designation. But that doesn't mean that every joke in this hipster comedy works – in fact, very far from it.
And as always, when an old band reunites, casinos across the country get excited.
Yellow Light
vidiotreviews.blogspot.ca
The reason Canadian singers move to the States to work is because they're sick of being paid in bags of loonies.
Mind you, the performer in this comedy is only parodying a Canuck crooner.
When his latest album drops like a lead balloon, b-boy turned pompous pop star Conner4Real (Andy Samberg) is left reeling.
Desperate to become relevant for his singing instead of embarrassing stage mishaps, Conner begrudgingly reconnects with the crew (Akiva Schaffer, Jorma Taccone) responsible for his early hits.
But can the reunion withstand the constant call for Conner to remain solo?
A rockumentary in every sense of the made-up word, Popstar's style, including endless celebrity interviews and raunchy road antics, lives up to its designation. But that doesn't mean that every joke in this hipster comedy works – in fact, very far from it.
And as always, when an old band reunites, casinos across the country get excited.
Yellow Light
vidiotreviews.blogspot.ca
Not my flavour of comedy
SpoilerAlertReviews4 September 2016
Hmm, I think I'm missing something here or I'm late to the party because I don't get it. I'm only familiar with The Lonely Island's viral music videos like "I'm On A Boat" to which I'm not really a fan of either. I know this comedy trio isn't a complete write-off though because people like Jimmy Fallon and the Saturday Night Live crew were behind them and they've been about since the mid-2000s. However, it really isn't my kind of comedy.
It's a musical mockumentary which suddenly gave me flash-backs of David Brent but superbly involved music superstars like 50 Cent, Usher, DJ Khale, Naz and Ringo Star, either getting performances from Seal and Michael Bolton. P!nk, Akon, Adam Levine, Mariah Carey and even Simon Cowell, in fact there's so many it's quite impressive and hard to keep up.
We follow Connor4Real (Andy Samberg) who has to come to terms with the looming fact he's no longer the brand name of the pretentious music industry. The film documents his split from the original line-up of The Style Boyz and his relationship with remaining member DJ Owen (Jorma Taccone) and fallout with ex-member Lawrence (Akiva Schaffer, who both direct this movie.)
There's small parts galore which are borderline cameos excluding the musicians, Sarah Silverman, Joan Cusack, Maya Rudolph, Imogen Poots and even British Inbetweener James Buckley with the only other people worth mentioning is there manager Harry played by SNL regular Tim Meadows and Chris Redd who played the limelight stealing rapper, Hunter, echoing David Brent again.
It's a total parody of the current pop music world and while it has some great satire it failed to make me laugh out loud and I don't remember anyone else in screening did either. It's dragged for a short 87mins runtime but what I was impressed with was the silly songs and the set pieces that were were spot on.
I can only imagine fans of The Lonely Island will find this amusing I would recommend those to watch it and I'm interested to hear what they think. I can't knock their performances but for me, it was a waste of time and not something I would watch again. Just isn't my kind of comedy.
Running Time: 1 The Cast: 6 Performance: 6 Direction: 6 Story: 5 Script: 5 Creativity: 7 Soundtrack: 7 Job Description: 0 The Extra Bonus Points: 0
43% 4/10
It's a musical mockumentary which suddenly gave me flash-backs of David Brent but superbly involved music superstars like 50 Cent, Usher, DJ Khale, Naz and Ringo Star, either getting performances from Seal and Michael Bolton. P!nk, Akon, Adam Levine, Mariah Carey and even Simon Cowell, in fact there's so many it's quite impressive and hard to keep up.
We follow Connor4Real (Andy Samberg) who has to come to terms with the looming fact he's no longer the brand name of the pretentious music industry. The film documents his split from the original line-up of The Style Boyz and his relationship with remaining member DJ Owen (Jorma Taccone) and fallout with ex-member Lawrence (Akiva Schaffer, who both direct this movie.)
There's small parts galore which are borderline cameos excluding the musicians, Sarah Silverman, Joan Cusack, Maya Rudolph, Imogen Poots and even British Inbetweener James Buckley with the only other people worth mentioning is there manager Harry played by SNL regular Tim Meadows and Chris Redd who played the limelight stealing rapper, Hunter, echoing David Brent again.
It's a total parody of the current pop music world and while it has some great satire it failed to make me laugh out loud and I don't remember anyone else in screening did either. It's dragged for a short 87mins runtime but what I was impressed with was the silly songs and the set pieces that were were spot on.
I can only imagine fans of The Lonely Island will find this amusing I would recommend those to watch it and I'm interested to hear what they think. I can't knock their performances but for me, it was a waste of time and not something I would watch again. Just isn't my kind of comedy.
Running Time: 1 The Cast: 6 Performance: 6 Direction: 6 Story: 5 Script: 5 Creativity: 7 Soundtrack: 7 Job Description: 0 The Extra Bonus Points: 0
43% 4/10
Very entertaining
Red_Identity3 July 2016
For a satire like this to work, it needs to have its heart in the right place. I was hesitant when watching the trailers, but fortunately the film doesn't lose track of the bigger humanization with these characters and it wears its heart on its sleeve. But perhaps that's also why it didn't go as far as it could have gone, and when all is said and done, perhaps plays things a little too safely. Still, it's vastly entertaining and the performances are aces. Andy Samberg excels at the comedy but also on making the lead a very likable protagonist, no mater his flaws. It's very easy to root for him. As a whole, definitely go seek this out and recommend it to your friends. Very underrated film that deserved to be bigger.
It's alright
zakward-8181611 January 2017
It's an okay film Andy Samberg and the rest of the Lonely Island are just so dam charming that this film was always going to have some semblance of quality. The sheer number of celebrity appearances is a testament to how well regarded the band is.
There are a lot of points in the film where I feel they really rushed the jokes as the majority of them hit the mark, I feel they where trying to replicate Hot Rod in the sense that the film was cheap therefore the low brow jokes weren't out of place however with the amount of money that went into Pop star you kind of feel they could have written better. Plus the mockumentary style wasn't a good choice.
My favorite cameo is Justin Timberlake, whenever I see him act it is always well aware of his roots as a musician and he perfectly sells every scene he is in.
Watch with friends as you will have fun riffing of one another and enjoy the silly songs.
There are a lot of points in the film where I feel they really rushed the jokes as the majority of them hit the mark, I feel they where trying to replicate Hot Rod in the sense that the film was cheap therefore the low brow jokes weren't out of place however with the amount of money that went into Pop star you kind of feel they could have written better. Plus the mockumentary style wasn't a good choice.
My favorite cameo is Justin Timberlake, whenever I see him act it is always well aware of his roots as a musician and he perfectly sells every scene he is in.
Watch with friends as you will have fun riffing of one another and enjoy the silly songs.
Cameos, Cameos, Cameos!
tomfunke-249305 January 2017
I truly was expecting more out of this movie. Based on Andy Samberg's strong recent outputs in Brooklyn 99 his performance was a little light in this film. Although packed with cameos, it was a derivative and scripted. I do admit certain parts had me chuckling. The song parodies are still strong and a highlight of the movie, but the plot was easily discernible. I realize that heavy plot twists were not expected in an offering of this type, but a good story is still a good story and it lacked in this aspect. Any Lonely Island fans might enjoy the music and a few light guffaws. I still prefer Samberg in "Hot Rod" over this film.
Great movie about a lovable idiot and his friends
esgaril23 June 2016
Let me start with this: the movie is NOT, nor was it ever intended to be an SLN skit. I've seen a lot of reviews around the net comparing it to their digital shorts, but it's a huge mistake and if you went to the cinema expecting an extended digital short, you have only yourself to blame for the disappointment. Another type of complaint is that it's not critical enough of the pop industry, but it's also a false expectation, it was never intended to do that. If you know The Lonely Island even a little bit, you have to know that they are true fans of the music industry in general and they don't drag people. Hell, Andy didn't do it when he was supposed to, just watch his roast of James Franco. He said he wasn't comfortable with insulting people and Akiva and Jorma share this sentiment. As Kiv said in an interview: they don't throw shade, they throw sunshine.
So now that I cleared up that what this movie isn't, let's see what it is. It's a fake pop documentary about popstar Conner4Real, played by Andy Samberg. It's fake in the sense that obviously Conner is not a real person and the shenanigans he gets into are over the top TLI style, but other than that it's an actual documentary with famous people commenting on the events every so often. I don't want to spoil anything so I'm gonna be vague: the boys make fun of the ridiculous situations and circumstances that goes with being someone in the center of a lot of people's attention, they point out the absurdity in the popstar lifestyle, but that's only the comedy aspect of the movie. Underneath that, this movie is about a lovable, sometimes childishly oblivious and out of thouch with reality kinda guy, who never had a normal life, so he doesn't know how to deal with it when things don't go his way and we follow his journey to learn and grow as a person. Conner may be a fictional character, but he's not a caricature, neither is anyone else in the movie. The characters might be a bit over the top sometimes which provides the comedy elements in the movie, but the friendship between Conner (Andy), Owen (Jorma) and Lawrence (Akiva) is real and touching and THAT's what this movie is about. While obviously it's a comedy, there are a few real, emotional moments in there that made me tear up. I won't tell about the story more, but I have to mention the music briefly: the songs are amazing (though I'm not a big fan of Hunter's bits) and Conner performing "Finest girl" on stage is just hot damn!
In conclusion: I really liked the movie, I think the boys have every right to be proud of it, and if you don't go into this with false expectations you'll enjoy it very much too! Mark my words: it's gonna be cult classic!
So now that I cleared up that what this movie isn't, let's see what it is. It's a fake pop documentary about popstar Conner4Real, played by Andy Samberg. It's fake in the sense that obviously Conner is not a real person and the shenanigans he gets into are over the top TLI style, but other than that it's an actual documentary with famous people commenting on the events every so often. I don't want to spoil anything so I'm gonna be vague: the boys make fun of the ridiculous situations and circumstances that goes with being someone in the center of a lot of people's attention, they point out the absurdity in the popstar lifestyle, but that's only the comedy aspect of the movie. Underneath that, this movie is about a lovable, sometimes childishly oblivious and out of thouch with reality kinda guy, who never had a normal life, so he doesn't know how to deal with it when things don't go his way and we follow his journey to learn and grow as a person. Conner may be a fictional character, but he's not a caricature, neither is anyone else in the movie. The characters might be a bit over the top sometimes which provides the comedy elements in the movie, but the friendship between Conner (Andy), Owen (Jorma) and Lawrence (Akiva) is real and touching and THAT's what this movie is about. While obviously it's a comedy, there are a few real, emotional moments in there that made me tear up. I won't tell about the story more, but I have to mention the music briefly: the songs are amazing (though I'm not a big fan of Hunter's bits) and Conner performing "Finest girl" on stage is just hot damn!
In conclusion: I really liked the movie, I think the boys have every right to be proud of it, and if you don't go into this with false expectations you'll enjoy it very much too! Mark my words: it's gonna be cult classic!
Good, but drags it's feet at times
TheHoodOfSwords14 August 2019
Look, I love Andy Samberg. But, his comedy just didn't carry the movie far enough for it to be good. But, I will say this movie is good to just watch with friends and not pay much attention to. But sitting down to watch it is just eh.
Just not that funny
Smokey_T1 April 2018
Comedy is very personal. That said I didn't find this laugh out loud funny at any point.
I've enjoyed Brooklyn 9 9, the spoof videos of Andy Samberg, and Spinal Tap (which this is oft likened to). I saw a lot of similarities to All gone Pete Tong, but that was a much funnier film.
This felt like it ticked all the boxes, but will probably be found funnier by a younger audience as condescending as that sounds. There just wasn't a great deal there, and what there was felt pretty forced/lame/cliche.
Hell, give it a whirl. It wasn't terrible, but it could have been a lot lot better.
I've enjoyed Brooklyn 9 9, the spoof videos of Andy Samberg, and Spinal Tap (which this is oft likened to). I saw a lot of similarities to All gone Pete Tong, but that was a much funnier film.
This felt like it ticked all the boxes, but will probably be found funnier by a younger audience as condescending as that sounds. There just wasn't a great deal there, and what there was felt pretty forced/lame/cliche.
Hell, give it a whirl. It wasn't terrible, but it could have been a lot lot better.
A Little Formulaic, But Admittedly Funny.
tjgoalie138 June 2016
Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping never looked all that appealing to me, but I must say it was surprisingly better than I expected. Seeing the trailers I thought the film was another in a wave of ultra dumb comedies, but up front, it's really not. Popstar is a little formulaic, but is admittedly funny, and finds a way to even be witty. Even more impressive, although not all that surprising is that some of the songs in this movie are actually pretty catchy, albeit mock-ups.
For those who love This is Spinal Tap and other films of that nature, this film is a little derivative. That being said, it's not as if this is just a rehash of other better films, that entire genre does require modernizations every few years. Because this film is spoofing not only the musicians of today, but everybody in the entertainment world. That being said this film does list as another Judd Apatow film and does have some formulaic moments that appear in all of his films.
The most notable "Appatowism" in this film is the overdone comedy trope of today, where the film lingers on jokes far longer than they should, under the illusion that lingering over a joke makes it funnier. It's kinda like when a goofy kid makes a great joke everybody laughs, and then the kid gets confident and keeps pushing the joke until everybody around is just wishing he'd shut up and go away. That being said, the film doesn't live off the annoying lingering joke, and succeeds at being genuinely funny, all the time. It's not the funniest movie this year, and it may not even be hilarious, but the film is consistently littered with raunchy funny jokes, that often deliver.
The film was marketed poorly, in my opinion, because it came across as an ultra dumb comedy, and in reality isn't half as dumb as it comes across as. The film occasionally wanders into the dumb comedy area, but often finds it's way back into the land of witty comedies, making it somewhat of a mixed bag. For instance, the songs are catchy, they are witty reflections of our pop stars, but they are also a little too on the nose, making them come across as a little dumb. That being said, underneath the thin exterior of a dumb comedy is a really witty reflection of our current music industry, and the pressures, idiocracy, immaturity, selfishness, and chaos commonly associated with it.
Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping is filled with cameos from famous musicians and comedy actors, some of which even lend their singing talents to the musical pieces. At times it feels like the entire music industry is in this film, as they play along on a mockumentary making fun of them. However, the film is never really mean spirited, or all that damning it just grooves along, spoofing everybody from the musicians to the fans. For those who like the lonely island, you'll love this movie, and for those who are seeking a funny comedy, regardless of rating this is also a movie you'll love, but there should be a note, this movie really isn't for kids or the weak spined.
For those who love This is Spinal Tap and other films of that nature, this film is a little derivative. That being said, it's not as if this is just a rehash of other better films, that entire genre does require modernizations every few years. Because this film is spoofing not only the musicians of today, but everybody in the entertainment world. That being said this film does list as another Judd Apatow film and does have some formulaic moments that appear in all of his films.
The most notable "Appatowism" in this film is the overdone comedy trope of today, where the film lingers on jokes far longer than they should, under the illusion that lingering over a joke makes it funnier. It's kinda like when a goofy kid makes a great joke everybody laughs, and then the kid gets confident and keeps pushing the joke until everybody around is just wishing he'd shut up and go away. That being said, the film doesn't live off the annoying lingering joke, and succeeds at being genuinely funny, all the time. It's not the funniest movie this year, and it may not even be hilarious, but the film is consistently littered with raunchy funny jokes, that often deliver.
The film was marketed poorly, in my opinion, because it came across as an ultra dumb comedy, and in reality isn't half as dumb as it comes across as. The film occasionally wanders into the dumb comedy area, but often finds it's way back into the land of witty comedies, making it somewhat of a mixed bag. For instance, the songs are catchy, they are witty reflections of our pop stars, but they are also a little too on the nose, making them come across as a little dumb. That being said, underneath the thin exterior of a dumb comedy is a really witty reflection of our current music industry, and the pressures, idiocracy, immaturity, selfishness, and chaos commonly associated with it.
Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping is filled with cameos from famous musicians and comedy actors, some of which even lend their singing talents to the musical pieces. At times it feels like the entire music industry is in this film, as they play along on a mockumentary making fun of them. However, the film is never really mean spirited, or all that damning it just grooves along, spoofing everybody from the musicians to the fans. For those who like the lonely island, you'll love this movie, and for those who are seeking a funny comedy, regardless of rating this is also a movie you'll love, but there should be a note, this movie really isn't for kids or the weak spined.
I was expecting more
mistoppi22 October 2016
When I started watching it I was hoping for something hilarious yet something that I could write more than few sentences about. Well, it wasn't that funny and it wasn't that smart either. The cleverest thing was how the main character Conner is exactly what we think certain kind of celebrities are like.
I mostly wanted to watch this movie because I like The Lonely Island's music, and also Will Arnett was in it. Arnett's part was small, but I expected that. But there wasn't as much music as I would've hoped for. How many songs were fully played? Maybe four.
Mockumentary as a style of story telling is getting a little boring, but how else would they have done this though?
Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping was an okay movie. It was funny and all, but also very annoying, and I don't think I'll be watching it again.
I mostly wanted to watch this movie because I like The Lonely Island's music, and also Will Arnett was in it. Arnett's part was small, but I expected that. But there wasn't as much music as I would've hoped for. How many songs were fully played? Maybe four.
Mockumentary as a style of story telling is getting a little boring, but how else would they have done this though?
Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping was an okay movie. It was funny and all, but also very annoying, and I don't think I'll be watching it again.
A surprise hit in a unique genre
ramcamcole8 June 2016
While we've seen plenty of mockumentaries before it's not every year we see a new one. It's a genre that goes mostly unexplored, especially in mainstream cinema. From the trio of The Lonely Island (Andy Samberg, Jorma Taccone, and Akiva Schaffer) we get Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping. Popstar follows Samberg's Conner4real, a Justin Bieber-like performer with A-list celebrity status, from his time with the boy band The Style Boyz to his solo career. On the verge of his negatively received new album and a world tour Conner must cope with the potential decline of his career and his celebrity status. The film works as a hilarious satire on the music industry while also being a parody of the concert tour documentaries we've come to see from various artists such as Katy Perry, One Direction, and The Jonas Brothers. Comedy veterans Sarah Silverman and Tim Meadows make supporting appearances and Chris Redd has fun with a potential breakout role as Hunter the Hungry, a fellow musician who's on the way up while Conner is on the way down. Not every joke in the movie hit, but the ones that did had me nearly falling out of my chair in laughter. The Lonely Island are known for their super catchy and occasionally raunchy songs and Popstar delivers in that department. So much so you'll likely have the songs stuck in your head in the following days. Popstar is an overall fun time at the theater. Also, be sure to be on the lookout for the plethora of celebrity cameos Popstar sprinkles within it's 87 minute run time.
Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping never really starts.
TheMovieDiorama25 February 2018
This was always going to be divisive. A satirical look through the pop star telescope, where we have a fictional story filmed in the style of a documentary. Whether you view it as just a film or a slight dig at pop stars and bands like Justin Bieber or One Direction, it's undeniably entertaining. However, it's just that. It never really dives from the glossy surface to the depths of intelligence. A band entitled "Style Boyz" started off with a successful career, until the lead singer is thrown into the limelight and commences a solo career. We follow him on his new album release and tour and get an insight to the lavish lifestyle and pressure of a pop star. The key ingredient to this film is the inclusion of comedic band 'The Lonely Island'. Love them, hate them, don't care about them...but you cannot deny that their hilarious song writing is crazily infectious. I mean, I remember when they created a song called "Jack Sparrow" with Michael Bolton (who I'm glad is in this as well), and I still sing it to this day. In fact, I'm going to put it on right now. We've got songs about equal rights, terrorism and a great closing track. Clearly assimilating the current craze of having politically themed songs that aren't necessarily explicit. Throughly enjoyed the songs though. "Keira Knightleyyy"! Performances were fine, with real cameos of musicians and media moguls embedded in the documentarian narrative. That's all well and good, the problem is...I didn't laugh. I smiled at a scene involving a swarm of bees, that's about it. For something that is supposed to be "insanely funny", I was rather underwhelmed. Clever but not hilarious. I also found the main plot to be ludicrously formulaic, which is a shame for a rather fresh idea. As soon as the pace kicked in, the film ended. Over far too soon. I can categorically say this was underwhelming, considering the mass adoration for this. However, it is enjoyable and would watch it again. Next time, have more Michael Bolton, he wins at life.
Underrated film
fskea1 August 2019
don't forget to do the Donkey Roll!
Quinoa19848 June 2016
This is a silly gut-busting delight, the kind of movie that I'd see with my dad if I saw more movies with him - it's basically what I'd call "Son of Spinal Tap" and like when you got the "Son of" movies of old (Song of Kong, Son of Frankenstein, whatever) it's not up to par with that, but then that's among the funniest comedies of all time. The "Lonely Island" team may take on some targets who are almost so obscenely ridiculous in real life - ie Justin Bieber's comments after leaving the Anne Frank house - but they have an excellent instinct for taking on these targets in the pop music world of today, which is just about unlistenable in many respects, and throwing on the silliness and vulgarity but the vulgarity works because it's from a place that's not really mean.
The main character of Samberg's, "Connor 4-Real", is one of those lovable self-obsessed idiots of the movies who works because he is so unaware of how dickish he acts to people around him. There are times where the improv approach as it's an Apatow production by the way goes on a bit too long, mostly in the second half of the movie (the first half fires on all cylinders and largely in part due to the songs and music videos with themes like "I'm so Humble" and f***ing a woman as if it was killing Bin Laden!) But on the whole I found a lot of really sharp actors around Samberg - Tim Meadows, Sarah Silverman, Justin Timberlake, and many other 'real' people (and a helluva running cameo from Will Arnett, the highlight of the movie for me as a "CMZ" chief editor ala TMZ) - that makes it consistently funny.
And it's the kind of dopey modern satire I like if it has to be done this way at a big studio level: keep the gags and jokes coming, even if they involve penises (and this movie has one of the better ones), and if there's a gag that falls flat there's one in a minute that will keep the pace back up, whether it has to do with "10 seconds to Mars" (it's a band, not a fact) or unexpected celebrities like Seal and the Rza. Call it a semi-guilty pleasure but I had a lot of laughs here, and more than some other SNL movies I can think of.
The main character of Samberg's, "Connor 4-Real", is one of those lovable self-obsessed idiots of the movies who works because he is so unaware of how dickish he acts to people around him. There are times where the improv approach as it's an Apatow production by the way goes on a bit too long, mostly in the second half of the movie (the first half fires on all cylinders and largely in part due to the songs and music videos with themes like "I'm so Humble" and f***ing a woman as if it was killing Bin Laden!) But on the whole I found a lot of really sharp actors around Samberg - Tim Meadows, Sarah Silverman, Justin Timberlake, and many other 'real' people (and a helluva running cameo from Will Arnett, the highlight of the movie for me as a "CMZ" chief editor ala TMZ) - that makes it consistently funny.
And it's the kind of dopey modern satire I like if it has to be done this way at a big studio level: keep the gags and jokes coming, even if they involve penises (and this movie has one of the better ones), and if there's a gag that falls flat there's one in a minute that will keep the pace back up, whether it has to do with "10 seconds to Mars" (it's a band, not a fact) or unexpected celebrities like Seal and the Rza. Call it a semi-guilty pleasure but I had a lot of laughs here, and more than some other SNL movies I can think of.
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