A surprise hit in a unique genre

Rating: 9/10 (8 June 2016)

While we've seen plenty of mockumentaries before it's not every year we see a new one. It's a genre that goes mostly unexplored, especially in mainstream cinema. From the trio of The Lonely Island (Andy Samberg, Jorma Taccone, and Akiva Schaffer) we get Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping. Popstar follows Samberg's Conner4real, a Justin Bieber-like performer with A-list celebrity status, from his time with the boy band The Style Boyz to his solo career. On the verge of his negatively received new album and a world tour Conner must cope with the potential decline of his career and his celebrity status. The film works as a hilarious satire on the music industry while also being a parody of the concert tour documentaries we've come to see from various artists such as Katy Perry, One Direction, and The Jonas Brothers. Comedy veterans Sarah Silverman and Tim Meadows make supporting appearances and Chris Redd has fun with a potential breakout role as Hunter the Hungry, a fellow musician who's on the way up while Conner is on the way down. Not every joke in the movie hit, but the ones that did had me nearly falling out of my chair in laughter. The Lonely Island are known for their super catchy and occasionally raunchy songs and Popstar delivers in that department. So much so you'll likely have the songs stuck in your head in the following days. Popstar is an overall fun time at the theater. Also, be sure to be on the lookout for the plethora of celebrity cameos Popstar sprinkles within it's 87 minute run time.