Review of Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping (2016) by K Nife C — 12 Jun 2016
In the rich tradition of musical comedies, Popstar will ultimately be remembered for one of the few on-screen appearances of Judd Apatow's penis. As far as a smart or well-thought out parody of American pop culture and the music industry, just don't bother.
It is juvenile and extremely reliant on the cameos (lots of hip-hop and R&B singers and SNL actors). While being self-aware, at the very least, it has so many great setups with so many lazy punchlines.
The musical numbers are unfocused, and most of the humor occurs from randomness. The first few songs are probably the smartest, but it all goes downhill. As bombastic as Andy Samberg is in the lead, most of the peripheral characters couldn't even muster a chuckle out of me.
The funniest parts of this film are the physical gags and absurdist jabs because the dialogue is mostly drivel and pop culture references. As a spoiler, while not directed by Apatow, it follows his typical progression.
There is fun wackiness straight out of the gate, but by the third act it is too dramatic (and no one cares) before everything works out fine. We know that nothing is at stake here, and Samberg plays a moron.
If you go see it, expect nothing and laugh when you can.
This review of Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping (2016) was written by K Nife C on 12 Jun 2016.
Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping has generally received positive reviews.
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