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Anyone who’s spent some time in the spotlight (or binge-watched VH1’s Behind the Music) can tell you that fame may be difficult to attain, but it’s even harder to maintain. Celebrities come and go every day. And in the over-the-top musical comedy Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping, one idiotic superstar struggles to remain in the spotlight.
Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping stars Andy Samberg as pop sensation Conner4Real, who broke ties with his old group, the Style Boyz, to kick off his solo career. As he prepares for the release of his second solo album, CONNquest, he believes that he’s destined for even bigger and better things. But early reviews are terrible, his lucrative sponsorship deal with an appliance company proves disastrous, and ticket sales for his world tour are less than impressive. So he’s forced to resort to desperate measures to try to stay on top.
Andy Samberg tends to be a polarizing comic; either you find his sense of humor funny or you don’t. And, admittedly, I’ve always fallen into the latter category. But there’s something about Popstar that just works. Maybe it’s simply the fact that it feels grounded in reality—in the ego and frivolity and overall absurdity of the entertainment industry. Yes, it’s entirely ridiculous, but it’s funny because there’s some truth to it, too—because pop stars are often shallow and clueless. Their lyrics are inane. Their concerts are gimmicky and over-the-top. And they’ll do anything that the members of their extensive entourage can think up in order to stay in the spotlight. Samberg and his crew may exaggerate the characters and the situations, but they didn’t really have far to dig to find plenty of comic potential here.
Everything about this satirical musical documentary is pretty silly—from the setup (with its nerdy but foul-mouthed boy band) to the overplayed characters to the terrible (yet sometimes undeniably catchy) pop songs. But it’s all so totally ridiculous that it’s actually surprisingly funny—the kind of funny that will often shock the laughter right out of you. It definitely isn’t a smart film—nor is it the must-see comedy of the year. The story is simple and unsurprising, and the humor sometimes misses the mark. But it’s still surprisingly entertaining.
If you love boy bands and pop music and entertainment gossip—or even just Andy Samberg’s crazy brand of comedy—you’ll enjoy this wacky look at musical superstardom. It’s totally outlandish, but it’s good for some brainless laughs on a Friday night.
Listen to the review on Reel Discovery:
