a-ok for a light genre comedy

Rating: 7/10 (18 April 2020)

Andy Samberg owns the spotlight, playing a Bieber-esque swooner who abandoned his old bandmates, springboarding their early group fame into solo superstardom. Samberg is right on the money as the essentially deluded wunderkind, set adrift without a life jacket when his sophomore album is met with universal disdain. His elaborate stage performances are a big highlight, spinning the band's notoriously loony lyrics (the "Bin Laden Song" production must be seen) into a heavily-funded, bombastic concert experience that's pitch-perfect. Lampooning the inherent idolatry of pop music is like shooting fish in a barrel, so it's intrinsically shallow fun, but the laughs are pretty consistent. I didn't sense very much bite in the original music - most of the lyrics are scattershot and random, which is mildly disappointing - but the beats are still great and there's a hidden gem or two in the deep cuts. "Legalize It," which plays over the closing credits, was my favorite of the bunch, as berserk and ridiculous as TLI's best. Stuffed with celebrity cameos to lend credence and unpredictability, not to mention effortlessly hilarious, it won't surprise you or strum your heartstrings. Which is a-ok for a light genre comedy. I could do with more like this, actually.