Film: Popstar - Never Stop Never Stopping

GENRE: Comedy

RATING: R for graphic nudity and language
RUNTIME: 1 hour and 27 minutes

STARRING: Andy Samberg (SNL, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Hot Rod)

Jorma Taccone (Hot Rod, SNL); Tim Meadows (SNL, Mean Girls)

DIRECTORS: Akiva Schaffer (The Watch) & Taccone (MacGruber)

WRITERS: Schaffer, Taccone & Samberg (Hot Rod)

PLOT: A mockumentary of a boy band solo artist who falls on tough times when his second album is a failure.

FULL DISCLOSURE: I love the Lonely Island (Schaffer, Taccone & Samberg) SNL digital shorts and albums.

STORY STUFF: Being a fan of The Lonely Island, I found myself laughing a lot during this film. The story is basically a pop update of Spinal Tap with fun mockumentary interviews and short segments. It’s a predictable storyline but highly entertaining in a frat boy sort of way.

ACTING STUFF: Lots of funny performances. Samberg does a great job as the self-centered Connor 4 Real. This film is jam packed full of celebrities cameos. They get some fun music insiders to talk about the ups and downs of Connor and his crew. I absolutely loved the skewering of TMZ with Will Arnett as the water bottle chugging boss. So funny.

ARTISTIC STUFF: There are some outrageous sets and costumes but the real highlight are the songs. Songs about being humble, equal rights and the Mona Lisa have some wonderfully funny lyrics. I wish there were a few more song performances/videos in the movie.  

VERDICT: Four stars out of five

SEE IT IF: You enjoy SNL digital shorts from a few years ago

UPCOMING REVIEWS: Now You See Me 2