Fallen from Fame, a Former Music Star Tries to Revamp His Career

Andy Samberg in "Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping"
Photo Credit: RottenTomatoes.com 

Within the last 10 years of “Saturday Night Live,” one of the best things to come out of the show was the occasional music video from the musical trio, The Lonely Island, which includes “SNL” alumni Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer, and Jorma Taccone.  With uproarious songs like “I Just Had Sex,” “I’m On a Boat,” “Like a Boss,” and “Jack Sparrow,” they became a huge success.  You can’t even sing along to these tunes without breaking out into laughter.

The trio now takes their group’s talents to the big screen with their behind-the-scenes mockumentary, “Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping.”  Directed by Schaffer and Taccone, and starring all three Lonely Island members, the film uses their out-of-the-box humor that permeates The Lonely Island’s memorable music videos and offers an entertaining view into the pop-music scene.

When they were teenagers, Conner Friel (Samberg) and his friends, Owen (Taccone) and Lawrence (Schaffer), started their boy band, The Style Boyz.  After Connor begins to be seen as the real talent of the group, he decides to go solo under the name “Conner4Real,” with Owen becoming his DJ, and a bitter Lawrence moving to a farm.  After Conner releases his second solo album, it proves to be a huge failure.  Following this colossal misstep in his career, he will do whatever he can in order to hold onto his success as a music superstar.

Andy Samberg brings in abundance his brand of ridiculous humor that was always a high point on “SNL” during his years on the show.  While portraying Conner, Samberg displays a very amusing example of a celebrity who thinks he’s better than he is, hilariously and woefully out of touch with the reality around him.  His attitude and misguided confidence towards his singing make you wonder how he’s going to make his next performance top his last, and he doesn't disappoint in offering the unexpected.

The film also comes loaded with entertaining supporting characters, including Sarah Silverman as Conner’s publicist and Tim Meadows as Conner’s manager.  Then, you have a slew of comical cameos, such as Justin Timberlake as Conner’s chef and Bill Hader as one of Conner’s roadies.

It wouldn’t be a true Lonely Island movie without original songs from the group, and the film comes with many, including “Finest Girl (Bin Laden Song),” “Equal Rights,” “I’m So Humble,” and “Incredible Thoughts.”  While these songs are catchy, they are exactly what the film is trying to say about the shallowness of the music industry, with many modern songs having catchy beats but empty, vapid lyrics that you would otherwise be ashamed to say you like.

Although the film isn’t hysterical, the screenplay by Samberg, Schaffer, and Taccone makes up for that by capturing the entertaining absurdity that makes The Lonely Island as funny as they are, all while crafting a story that’s centered around the superficialness and gimmickry of the modern music industry.  And with its abundance of characters, the film offers a detailed view of Conner’s celebrity life and all of its components.

Similar to Rob Reiner’s classic 1984 mockumentary, “This Is Spinal Tap,” “Popstar” probes into the delusions of grandeur that artists may be prone to exhibit, thinking their work is far greater than it is.  With the film’s use of a documentary approach to tell its story, it helps us feel like we’re getting a close examination of how the music industry operates today, a comical tour backstage to witness what goes on in the life of a singer after he leaves the stage to the sound of his cheering, and maybe, undeserved fans.

Grade: B+