Popstar: A Base Comedy With a Heart of Gold

Originally written 6/8/2016.

Love him or hate him, nobody can deny that Andy Samberg has carved his own unique niche in the pop culture landscape. From his laudable stint as a Saturday Night Live cast member to his utter flop with Adam Sandler’s Happy Madison company to his own prime-time show 'Brooklyn 99,' he has identified himself as the quirky and overly zany comedian that the world didn’t even know it was waiting for. In this context, 'Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping' is one of the most surprising moves Samberg and his comedy crew The Lonely Island could have made.

Booked as sort of a 21st century 'Spinal Tap,' 'Popstar' follows Conner4Real (Andy Samberg), a modern day megastar who grew out of his boy band origins to become the most popular musician on the planet through sheer charisma and the talent and patience of others. However, following a series of creative, personal, and business mistakes, Conner’s celebrity begins to fade as he loses touch with his fan base and surrounds himself with “people who are agreeable.” Under the desperate motivation of his publicist Paula (Sarah Silverman) and manager Harry (Tim Meadows), Conner moves from one publicity move to the next before finding his ultimate motivation by, what else, returning to his roots and reconnecting with his childhood friends Owen (Jorma Taccone) and Laurence (Akiva Schaffer). Standing in his way are the psychotic up-and-comer Hunter the Hungry (Chris Redd), and oblivious business executive Deborah (Maya Rudolph). Also featured are a variable orchestra of celebrity cameos from music icons such as Ringo Starr, RZA, and Justin Timberlake to Samberg’s comedian comrades like Bill Hader, Chelsea Peretti, and Will Forte. This movie’s cup overfilled with star power.

Acting in comedy movies is usually delegated to the back burner in favor of comedic timing, but it must be noted that the acting here is surprisingly very good. Samberg is believable as a vulnerable egotist and Taccone is the little voice in all of us that wants to support our friends while also calling them on their bullshit. Schaffer is purposefully stiff and unyielding but when he’s allowed to open up he does so in a hesitant yet relatable manner. Redd is wild and expressive but also very one note, fortunately Meadows picks up his slack by being visibly driven and caring. Silverman especially does well balancing being completely frustrated by her client’s stupidity but reluctantly caring for the man-child she has found herself attached to.

Though 'Popstar' is shot as a mockumentary, it has segments where it is undeniably a comedy that draws its influence from previous Lonely Island collaborations. The songs are hilarious, particularly a verse made up entirely of random catchphrases and an ode to a woman with a fetish for roleplaying the assassination of Bin Laden. The jokes by themselves are relatively hit and miss and even the funniest ones are based on gross-out or stoner humor. The story is predictable and very much by the book in terms of both themes and visuals.

And yet, 'Popstar' has a certain chemistry to it, a surprisingly good-natured tone that draws from the integral humanity at its very core. Though Sandberg is the star, this is very much The Lonely Island’s movie. Directed by its two non-Sandberg members, 'Popstar' is essentially the tale of three friends who have had issues in the past but are more than ready to put those mistakes aside to simply enjoy life in their own way. Through all the jokes and the many critiques of the opulent popstar lifestyle (Will Arnett, Eric Andre, and Mike Birbiglia join Peretti to take some heavy potshots at easy target TMZ), this movie is, in a word, human.

I can’t necessarily advocate that you see it as it is clearly aimed at and appeals to a very niche audience, but know this: there have been plenty of movies, comedies, dramas, and tragedies, made to criticize or point out the painfully obvious flaws in the cutthroat music industry, but none have bothered to propose a solution to such cracks. 'Popstar' not only finds its own path down this well-worn road, but has a fun time making the trip. 3/5.

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