Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping

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Popstar isn’t an easy movie to review.

First of all, here’s what we’re dealing with…

I dare you not to hum that on the bus later.

While some of the songs may get stuck in your head though, the movie may not. It didn’t for me. I watched it less than twelve hours ago and the memory is already fading fast.

Being forgettable is Popstar’s biggest and only real problem. This is partly because it packs so many jokes and cameos into less than 90 minutes that it never slows down long enough for you to really process much of it. Luckily, the jokes land with impressive efficiency even if they don’t stick.

As if it matters, Popstar is to The Lonely Island (Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer, and Jorma Taccone) what This is Spinal Tap was to Spinal Tap. If you’re not familiar with The Lonely Island, the video I posted will give you a pretty good idea. Made semi-famous by their SNL Digital Shorts, they’ve been spoofing pop and R&B for nearly a decade with songs like Dick in a Box, I’m on a Boat, and I just Had Sex. This film mockuments their rise, fall, breakup, and reunion.

Taking aim at easy targets, Popstar’s satire may not be necessary but it sure is welcome. Rarely does a joke miss its mark and it’s the rare R-rated comedy that never gets stuck in an ill-advised gross or bizarre gag that it can’t seem to find its way out of. As for whether or not this will become a modern quotable classic like Anchorman or Superbad remains to be seen and the fact that I started to forget the movie almost as soon as I left the theater may not be a great sign. I have no idea how well it will hold up to a second viewing but Popstar’s first viewing will not disappoint and it DEFINITELY will not bore you.

28 thoughts on “Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping”

  1. Lara/Trace

    I don’t know about you Matt but everything seems forgettable these days and to make matters worse, I want to type everything in 140 characters. I will see this movie!

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    1. Matt Post author

      The more movies I watch, the more forgettable I find most things. I’m even starting to forget titles, which I never did before. But just last week I saw another comedy (The Nice Guys) which stuck with me much more.

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      1. Lloyd Marken

        I know how you feel Matt, I’ve been wondering if it is my age but my reaction to Deadpool suggests that naw we’ve just had a lot of average films. Will see about Superstar but I just love Dick in a Box, I Just Had Sex and This is a Song about Captain Jack Sparrow. Michael Bolton – what a good sport.

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    1. Matt Post author

      Right?? I’m always impressed how so many of their songs almost work. You can almost believe just from the sound that it’s a real song. I also love Iran So Far.

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    1. Matt Post author

      I’m not a big Anchorman fan either but I do love Superbad. If you really didn’t like either though, Popstar may not be for you.

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  5. badblokebob

    I find Hollywood comedy to be very hit or miss (I didn’t care for Anchorman and thought Superbad was fine, for example), and I’ve never really heard of The Lonely Island (were they part of that song from The LEGO Movie?), but I liked Andy Samberg in the sitcoms I’ve seen him in, and your invocation of Spinal Tap makes me think this will be worth catching… one day.

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    1. Matt Post author

      I do think it’s worth watching. It’s actually quite smart about it’s silliness. I believe they performed Everything is Awesome from The Lego movie, yes.

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  6. kmSalvatore

    hahaha thanks Matt, your right about one thing that tune is now stuck in my head.. but again i get to save some money… sounds like alot of millennials will be going to see this.

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  7. ruth

    The trailer didn’t really make me laugh out loud and I don’t know if this has enough going for it for me to even rent it. Andy Samberg can be funny though in some of the SNL skits he did.

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    1. Matt Post author

      The clips I’d seen really didn’t get me excited about the movie so I was really surprised how much I wound up enjoying it. If you like Andy Samberg at all I think it’s well worth watching.

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  8. MovieManJackson

    I don’t know if this will be quotable, but it is a possibility. I can think of a few off of the top of my head.
    Great music, my favorite is probably Equal Rights.
    I laughed hard and am looking forward to watching again.

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  11. Courtney Small

    My son (who is five) really wants to see this film. I watch Brooklyn Nine-Nine with him (yes am I terrible parent), so whenever he sees the ads on TV he calls it “The Jake Peralta Movie!”

    I have seen many people say that this is the closest thing to This is Spinal Tap that this current generation will ever get. It will be interesting to see if it achieves that same cult status in a few years. Regardless, I am really looking forward to seeing the film.

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