"Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping" stars Andy Samberg in the lead role, along with Jorma Taccone and Akiva Schaffer, who are also the creators of the hilarious musical group The Lonely Island. The movie centers around Samberg's character Conner, who is the biggest pop star in the world, and the film is shot as a mockumentary. I really didn't have very high hopes for this film. The trailers just didn't do a whole lot for me, and it didn't seem like anybody was that excited for it to come out, but this movie surprised me a whole lot.
The first 20-30 minutes of this movie are just hilarious. It takes you into the beginning of Conner's career, starting with his group act, then his solo act. I don't think the movie is ever as funny as the first half hour, but it's still pretty funny throughout. I've also always liked Andy Samberg, even though I'm kind of in the minority there, and I'm sure that had a lot to do with me liking the movie, but all the supporting characters were very funny as well. This movie also features just about everybody in Hollywood. I'm serious, there are more cameos than I can even remember. With an element like that, it could easily become overstuffed and annoying, but they are used just right (there's a particularly funny one featuring A$AP Rocky) and don't take away from the movie at all.
That's not to say this movie was perfect. For a movie that's less than an hour and a half including the credits, it does feel like it kind of drags on and feels longer than it actually is. The movie also takes chances with a lot of jokes and really runs with them. A lot of them really work and are very funny, and some just fall completely flat. It's okay to tell a bad joke now and then, but unfortunately for movies, if you're going to have a running gag and it falls flat, it can really take away from the movie. This movie is also pretty by the numbers: When it starts, you already now how it's going to end. It doesn't take that much away from the movie, though, as this is a comedy and it's more about the jokes than anything.
Overall, this movie surprised me a lot. Is it a perfect comedy? No, but if you're a fan of Andy Samberg and the Lonely Island crew, chances are you are going to have a lot of fun with this movie.
Final grade: B
