Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping (2016) Film Review

When it comes to the output of popular American series Saturday Night Live, there's usually a mixed level of quality when it comes to expansion. Whilst a comedy classic came out in the form of Wayne's World and plenty of stars have moved into the limelight (more recently Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones with Ghostbusters), it's also lead to the likes of It's Pat and the downfall of Dana Carvey (Master of Disguise). But one particular hit team is that which makes up viral sensation The Lonely Island. Consisting of Andy Samberg, Jorma Taccone and Akiva Schaffer, the musical trio and their amusing tunes have led them to countless hits on YouTube and a trilogy of albums, and their high levels of success have not only led to plenty of projects for Samberg (right now winning people over with Brooklyn Nine-Nine) but plenty of attention for the other members, and now a feature film – unless you consider the critically-mixed Hot Rod – that highlights their strongest aspect. And with a This is Spinal Tap approach and a large cast of comedians that range from Sarah Silverman to Will Forte, one can only assume great things... if you forget the fact that the film has earned practically nothing at the box office despite high hopes. But can that detract expectations? 

Shot in the style of a mockumentary and acting as a pastiche of the likes of Justin Bieber and One Direction, an unnamed batch of filmmakers are tasked with following hot-shot artist Conner4Real (Samberg) – previously a member of boy band The Style Boyz with current DJ Owen and social recluse Lawrence (Taccone and Schaffer) – as the release of his hotly-anticipated second album, titled 'Connquest', meets "mixed" reviews and his worldwide tour gets hit by countless news stories. With 32 different people on his personal payroll and countless more pushing him forward, Conner must do anything that it takes to stay in the spotlight for the right reasons, ranging from botched engagement attempts to a stage gimmick gone horribly wrong, and prove that he's much more than a Style Boy gone solo – despite the public begging him for a return. 

Taking the situation comedy approach to the material at hand (the mockumentary formula working incredibly well for them), Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping is a film that doesn't take many chances in its story-telling, and at times can come across as predictable, but it's easily a film that works at amusing and entertaining its audience. You enjoy seeing the hilarious antics Conner and company inexplicably partake in and how they attempt to fix the public's spotlight on the situations at hand, and at the same time you marvel at just how many big-name cameos they managed to worm into it all. And as for the comedy, this is certainly a hilarious picture; quickly earning some big laughs and some moments (whether they be just from seeing the stars or from the many scenarios at hand) creating arguably the biggest laughs all year. The bigger set pieces don't quite hit as big as the filmmakers obviously expect them to, but that doesn't stop them from still being funny, let alone the rest of the film.

In the lead role of Conner4Real, Andy Samberg easily manages to blend into the role he's playing. It's hardly a new role for him (a constant portrayer of the less-intelligent types), but it's difficult to criticise a role that he's obviously well-suited for. Jorma Taccone makes for an appeasing best friend with a so-so side story, but the dynamic between the two remains a strong reason for checking this out. Fellow Lonely Islander Akiva Schaffer as a desolate soul in the middle of nowhere adds some big laughs whenever we drift away from the main course of action; Sarah Silverman as Conner's publicist repeats her usual prowess; Tim Meadows as his manager and former band member of "Tony! Toni! Toné! Tonee?" earns some big laughs and blends into his role easily; Imogen Poots serves her purpose well as Conner's actor girlfriend; James Buckley is thankfully tolerable as an entourage member; Chris Redd as fellow musician and concert opener Hunter the Hungry makes for a great (possibly mentally unhinged) character; Will Arnett and his TMZ parody works as far as one can expect; Joan Cusack is criminally underused as the lead star's mother; whilst the likes of Bill Hader, Will Forte, and Maya Rudolph come across as mere cameos – although nowhere near as big as that of the likes of other singers and music producers. 

With Schaffer and Taccone also taking on the directing duties (not new to doing so, having directed The Watch and MacGruber respectively), they easily ape the documentary style with true finesse; truly making the modernised This is Spinal Tap look as great as possible whilst elevating the strength of each and every gag. Praise also has to go to some of the motion graphics and visual effects given to the likes of TV spots and holograms, but out of all the production elements, the music comes out on top. There's a reason that The Lonely Island crew are so beloved, and that's because of their excellence – no matter who it's for, each song is hilarious and remains an earworm until the next one comes rolling in. Even if a film wasn't attached to them, each song would likely be remembered fondly by the online community in the same vein as some of their most popular tunes.

Well, I'll be blown. Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping is quite possibly going to be one of the biggest surprises of the year; consistently funny and with a strong cast of characters fictional or not, this music mockumentary acts as the perfect pastiche for just how strange and stupid the modern music industry and its participants are. It likely won't get a long run in the UK, so I implore you to catch it if you can: the straight-up comedy that actually made me laugh a lot. 8/10.