A parody is an imitation of a style with the intent to comically poke fun at it. Satire is the usage of humor to criticize and comment on culture. “Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping” is both: a parody of music documentaries and a satire on the music industry and today’s culture in general. It’s hilarious at both, which comes as no surprise considering this is a Lonely Island production. This feels like an amalgamation of their digital shorts molded into a film and not in the bad way.
The parody of music documentaries is the driving force of the film. This is a mockumentary following the rise and fall of Conner 4 Real (Andy Samberg), the world’s biggest popstar. We see his early days, performing a wicked drum solo at the age of one and forming a band before hitting puberty. He and his best friends, Owen (Jorma Taccone) and Lawrence (Akiva Schaffer), form the Style Boyz, spelled with a z because the nineties were edgy like that. They break out big but, like most boy bands, the media favors one of them, with Conner being the poster boy. He starts taking credit for everything, causing the band to break up. Owen sticks by Conner’s side, acting as his personal DJ, while Lawrence retreats to a farm in Colorado. Can you guess what he grows?
The documentary takes place right before the release of Conner’s second album, Connerquest. After his first solo album (cleverly titled “Thriller, Also”) blew up, he became a big sensation, with this new album being the biggest media event in history. So much so that he’s duped into believing in his own hype, investing in appliances that play his music when turned on. He doesn’t understand how this is an invasion of privacy and that it’ll turn the public against him. It doesn’t help that he wrote all of his own material for his new album, which is as smart of a decision as giving Helen Keller a driver’s license. He writes a song promoting gay marriage whilst repeatedly mentioning that he’s not gay and another song uses the assassination of Osama Bin Laden as a sexual metaphor. They’re both as hysterical as they sound, rivaling the Lonely Island’s best songs!
Sales for Connerquest plummet and his manager, Harry (Tim Meadows), has to scramble to keep concert attendance up. In comes Hunter (Chris Redd), a no-nonsense rapper that’s been picking up steam. The two shouldn’t work together, which is why their duets are so hilarious! They also become BFFs, playing pranks on Conner’s cavalcade of assistants. This plays into the film’s biggest laugh in which a stage trick backfires and Conner is left naked on stage with his genitals tucked in, making it seem as if he has none. That in and of itself is funny, but his back and forth with Hunter accusing him of playing the prank is uproarious! Redd not only steals this scene, but the entire film.
This all leads to the eventual reunion of the Style Boyz which this film, like the average music documentary, milks for all its worth. Sprinkled throughout are an endless barrage of cameos, most contained in cutaway interviews, and a couple hundred jokes (no exaggeration). The film is an onslaught of comedy which is a bold move on the part of Taccone & Schaffer. A smart one too, as any joke that bombs is almost immediately followed by one that hits. I’d say eighty percent of the jokes connect, which is a huge plus for any comedy. For one that is overloaded such as this, it’s almost a miracle.
The only downside to the fast pace is that it becomes almost too exhausting. By the hour mark the film begins to run out of steam. This is made worse as the film has to slow down in order to properly reunite the Style Boyz. Where this normally be a slow digression is a screeching halt in “Popstar,” nearly stopping the film dead in its track. Thankfully, Taccone & Schaffer get things back on track for the big finale.
Helping the film in avoiding repetition is the satire of today’s culture. There’s sly commentary on social media becoming too integrated into our lives with Conner recording practically everything he does. This ranges from him brushing his teeth to a video confessional of his last masturbation session. Our obsession with celebrities is also lampooned, highlighted in the live proposal of Conner and his girlfriend, Ashley (Imogen Poots), which in and of itself was a publicity stunt that ended with Seal getting mauled by wolves. There’s even a parody of TMZ which is admittedly too obnoxious for its own good.
“Popstar” is as excessive as the culture it satirizes. To list off all the gags and cameos would take an eternity. I’m sure I missed quite a few which would make the list incomplete. There’s so much crammed into this film that it warrants a second viewing of the film just to catch them, which is smart marketing on the Lonely Island’s part. Even if you catch everything the first time, a second viewing is essential, as “Popstar” is that funny! This is destined to be a cult favorite!
Final Rating: B+