Directors: Akiva Schaeffer and Jorma Taccone
By Alex Watson
Mockumentaries are a hard act to pull off but Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping comes closest to nailing the humour of Spinal Tap. The first movie by comedy troupe, The Lonely Island, this piece is almost an extended gag that could easily have taken Youtube by storm. Featuring a number of wonderfully silly ideas and some well-placed cameo appearances, this is a movie you can just disengage and enjoy. It might not always hit the high notes, but it has enough fluff in it to make it an easy ride.
Connor Friel aka Connor4Real (Andy Samberg) is an ex-member of the popular boyband Style Boyz who has recently hit gold with a solo career. When his overproduced second album 'ConnQuest' tanks, he has to resort to some desperate measures including on stage gimmicks and a bizarre marketing campaign to make the album sell. Also, he has to contend with his persona alienating his DJ and former group member Owen (Jorma Taccone) and his disgruntled ex-lyricist Lawrence (Akiva Schaeffer).
Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping isn't concerned with taking itself seriously and its decision to be played purely for laughs is a clever one. The first concerns Connor's career hitting the skids, mainly due to unwise decisions like his cringing LGBT anthem 'Equal Rights' which two-thirds dealing with the fact he isn't a gay. Also, he is convinced by his publicist Paula (Sarah Silverman) to launch his album via an appliance company where his songs are played through refrigerators- a national blackout is caused and his image is tarnished. Connor has surrounded himself with a dopey entourage of yes men, Owen is able to stick around but his role as DJ basically means his pushes play on a iPod. His manager Harry (Tim Meadows) is attempting to keep his ego in check, but with ConnQuest steadily falling, his work is cut out.
The jokes don't always work, although Will Arnett's recurring send-up of the lead TMZ presenter kills. On stage is where the movie makes its most impact during the number of hilarious send-up songs. A diss track about Mona Lisa being a 'Basic Bitch' will bring the most laughs. His desperation to promote sales leads to some awkward stage gaffs like him doing a Silence of The Lambs style nude reveal on stage. Music industry cameos come thick and fast such as Mariah Carey, Seal, Simon Cowell, Adam Levine and Pink and these succeed in giving this movie a authentic feel that a cheap shot at Justin Bieber. There are some bizarre ones such as Martin Sheen shouting 'ATTICA!!' but who needs to complain? A threat to his career comes in the vein of crazed underground rapper Hunter The Hungry (Chris Redd) who becomes the usurper to his former mentor.
Primarily, Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping is concerned about getting the band back to together. Connor's success has come down to his associate with Lawrence and Owen and due to some selfish past events Lawrence retired to Colorado to become a farmer. Essentially the boys need enough to kick start a career which steadily decaying. There is an element of fun in this reunion because Style Boyz are like every 2000s boyband we came to love who then all but one disappeared. Their old dance move 'Donkey Roll' is an excellent original creation, this might just have made Gangnam Style sweat. On his own Connor cannot expect to achieve the same measure of success days with the Boyz brought. Though for the finale, those who loved Lonely Island's 'Jack Sparrow' are in for a treat.
Andy Samberg is able to inject is the lovable dopey charm that we have come to adore on TV's Brooklyn 99. A thinly veiled sketch of Bieber, Connor is a man who is about his image and his acts to ruin it are carried off effortlessly by Samberg. Whether it be taking a dump in the Anne Frank house or any number of his terrible lyrics, somehow we root for this guy. Taccone has always proven to be a reliable guy when called upon and those familiar with his prior cameo as Booth Jonathan on Girls will remember. As Owen, he has a smile that is gradually fading, especially when forced to wear a giant Daft Punk style robot helmet on stage. His idea of 'Parent Trapping' Connor and Lawrence together makes him the real heart of the group.
Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping is a movie that won't break any boundaries but is just damn good fun. Director's Taccone and Schaeffer take it easy of the celebrity front (though full marks for Ringo Starr) and the picture is a good daft slice of satire.
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