POPSTAR: NEVER STOP NEVER STOPPING (2016)

4/25/2016 - Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping (2016) - 4+/10

I really wanted to like this film. I have grown to appreciate the likability and charm of Samberg. Unfortunately, that was enough only to bring me to the table, not to rave about the meal.

Popstar has some real joy in poking fun at the music industry/pop star culture, but cannot sustain its admittedly strong opening momentum. It is overly long, dragging through its final third. The musical accompaniment has some thorough enjoyment, but as so much of the Lonely Islands stuff does for me, over its course the quirk deteriorated and the luster faded. Many of the jokes fell flat on my uncharmed ears and the precarious use of cameos, some too much and others way too little, left me wanting.

Now, there are plenty of really fun stuff going on here. There are some laugh out loud moments and an intrinsic delightfulness to it. Unlike much of the audience, I saw it with, that wasn’t enough for me. This will do it for fans already, but it could only get to “heh, but just ok” at best for me.