• Literally Anything: Movies
  • Film Index
  • The Criterion Collection
  • Collections
  • Academy Award Nominees
  • Notes and Links
  • About
  LITERALLY ANYTHING: MOVIES

Updates

Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping (2016)

10/19/2016

Comments

 
Picture
Sorry, guys.  Hard R.  

I had a weird perspective for this movie.  This was one of the movies that caught my eye because of the sheer amount of positive reviews surrounding its release.  I was extremely excited to see it.  I love music mockumentaries, especially films like Christopher Guest's This is Spinal Tap and A Mighty Wind.  One week passes...and it is out of theaters.

Maybe it was a limited release or maybe I'm just a crazy person, but I put this down on a list to see later.  I'm certainly glad I did.  After a string of disappointing comedies, I found myself belly laughing at one of the greatest satires of contemporary music I have ever seen.

I've never been a Lonely Island guy.  I appreciate everything I see from the group.  Their SNL digital shorts are usually a pretty solid chuckle that develops into a meme.  I even really like Andy Samberg in Brooklyn Nine-Nine.  But people tend to really obsess about this group.  I can't say that I've ever purchased an album or have even been tempted to purchase an album.  But the guys definitely have talent.  It is odd watching what might be a parallel with Samberg's own career.  While Connor, the brash music breakout is clearly meant to satirize Justin Bieber and Justin Timberlake (who thankfully appears in probably one of the most ludicrous roles I've seen him play), Andy Samberg's own career from The Lonely Island parallels Connor's departure from The Style Boyz.  These are smart guys.  I'm sure that this choice was not an accident.  The other members of The Lonely Island are successful in their own rights, but there is definitely a case to be made that the story is about Samberg's rise to fame.

The comedy is absurd and it works extremely well.  In terms of plot, many of the beats follow the traditional E! True Hollywood Story tropes.  But it really works here.  Perhaps the anchor of the piece is Tim Meadows's character, a fictional fourth member of Toni Tony Tone.  I don't want to go into all of the character's beats, but there are weirdly some emotional things that the actor delivers.  Or I'm just overly emotional.  Either way, nice job, Tim Meadows.

Yes, the movie is wildly offensive.  In an era of gross out comedies, this one is no different.  But there is something honest and well timed about the movie overall.  There is a work of genius in here and it really might be this generation's Spinal Tap.

Comments

    Film is great.  It can challenge us.   It can entertain us.  It can puzzle us.  It can awaken us.  

    It can often do all these things at the same time.  

    I encourage all you students of film to challenge themselves with this film blog.  Watch stuff outside your comfort zone.  Go beyond what looks cool or what is easy to swallow.  Expand your horizons and move beyond your gut reactions.  

    We live in an era where we can watch any movie we want in the comfort of our homes.  Take advantage of that and explore.

    Author

    Mr. H has watched an upsetting amount of movies.  They bring him a level of joy that few things have achieved.

    Archives

    May 2025
    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly
  • Literally Anything: Movies
  • Film Index
  • The Criterion Collection
  • Collections
  • Academy Award Nominees
  • Notes and Links
  • About