Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping

**Spoiler Alert**

Directors: Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone/ Starring: Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer, Jorma Taccone, Sarah Silverman, Tim Meadows, Maya Rudolph, Chris Redd, Joan Cusack and Imogen Poots

Former SNL cast member Andy Samberg and writers Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone have joined forces for the pop-rock-mockumentary Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping. It's been awhile since anyone has tried their hand at this genre, which is surprising, given that pop-music personalities are always ripe for satirical plunder. Comparisons to Spinal Tap are inevitable but the movie reminded me more of Rusty Cundieff's Fear of a Black Hat; another mockumentary that chronicled the rise and fall and rise of a rap group. Schaffer and Taccone's film bears a close resemblance to that story but is distinctive enough to claim its own identity. Having seen the trailer, I expected the material to be uneven, which it was, though it leans more toward being unfunny. In spite of itself, the movie is able to be kind of fun without actually being funny most of the time.

The documentary gives us some background on the former members of the boy band The Style Boyz, who are kind of a Boyz to Men/Beastie Boys amalgam. Its three members; Conner (Andy Samberg), Owen (Jorma Taccone) and Lawrence (Akiva Schaffer) have been friends since childhood. We learn that Connor's musical origins can be traced to his infancy, where we see his baby self adroitly working a drum kit (though comically improbable). Conner, Owen and Lawrence's childhood friendship leads to the formation of The Style Boyz and a clip of the group shows them performing later, in a small club, where their profanity-laden rap lyrics raise the eyebrows of a staid audience. Though the group achieves widespread acclaim and fame, internal dissension leads to a break-up. Conner forges ahead on his own as Conner 4Real, a semi-solo act that reduces Owen to the role of DJ while Lawrence leaves the group to become a farmer in Colorado. Serving as the group's manager is Harry (Tim Meadows); whose own attempt at musical stardom was a short-lived stint in a band whose name becomes a gag in its own right. Also in Conner's employ is his PR person Paula (Sarah Silverman). Though Conner4Real is ostensibly a two-man group, Owen finds himself playing a secondary role while Connor receives a heavily disproportionate share of the fame and glory.

The mockumentary has its share of famous talking heads from the world of music, who comment on both The Style Boyz and Connor4Real's successes and influence. Among the real life musicians who share stories and views with straight faces are Questlove, 50 Cent, Nas, Mariah Carey, Carrie Underwood and even Ringo Starr.

We get a taste of Conner4Real's material when we see footage of him perform Finest Girl (Bin Laden Song); a song about a randy woman who asks Conner to do to her what the United States military did to Osama Bin Laden. Another unintentionally amusing song comes from a video called Equal Rights, which is supposed to be Conner's progressive statement about gay marriage but as the song (and the video) progresses, the singer's homophobic declarations of heterosexuality become humorously evident.
The mock-doc really begins a few days before the release of Conner4Real's CONNquest; a hugely anticipated album in the music industry. It is funny to see the absurdly long list of producers on the album; evidence of obscene artistic overkill.

But upon release, Conner finds the album has not been well-received. In a Spinal Tap moment, he looks on the internet to read the reviews. After one bad review, he reads Rolling Stone magazine, hoping for an alternate critical reaction. It is very funny to see the magazine's negative review, which includes a sh*t emoji. In searching for a positive response, he manages to find one but isn't hip to The Onion's comic irony.

Undeterred by horrific album sales, Conner moves ahead with his tour. Hoping to find a corporate sponsor to defray the cost of the tour, an appliance manufacturer offers its support. Appliances that play an artists' music might be considered gauche to most musicians but Conner nonetheless accepts their offer.

As the tour commences, Conner and Harry find the venues are far from being sold out. Harry suggests they take on an opening act to draw a larger crowd; an idea the singer hardly finds thrilling. With little choice, they select an up and coming rapper by the name Hunter the Hungry. Hunter and Conner hit it off, but the rapper becomes his bane when his touring antics become too much for everyone to bear.

Comic mishaps and malfunctions plague the tour. A prank involving a wardrobe change onstage, a la Katy Perry, goes awry, leaving Conner publicly humiliated. It comes to light shortly thereafter that Hunter was behind the prank, which prompts Conner to kick him off the tour.

The story becomes a tale of misfortunes as Conner's career takes a hit. Horrifically absurd bad luck seems to follow him everywhere. An elaborate attempt at "resetting the media" becomes a near tragedy when Conner's proposal to his girlfriend Ashley (Imogen Poots) goes terribly wrong. Knowing Ashley's fondness for wolves, he has several on-hand when he proposes to her, while the R&B singer Seal performs on a stage nearby. Unfortunately the wolves break free to terrorize the gathering and ultimately Seal, who is viciously mauled. The scene is funny and surreally zany.

As the film moves along and Conner's misfortunes mount, Owen tries to bring Conner and Lawrence together to mend a frayed friendship. We learn Lawrence's departure from the group was less than amicable, as Conner wrongly claimed songwriting credit for The Style Boyz's catalogue. The story's friendship theme comes to the forefront as the three friends slowly rediscover their past relationship. Mending broken fences, the three friends reunite for a pop awards show, which serves as a kind of happy coda to the "documentary."

As always the case with a mock-dock, one hopes the comic hits will outnumber the misses. With Popstar, the unfunny moments overpower the story. But the movie isn't without its inspired moments. One of my favorite scenes takes place during the three friend's reunion inside a limo. While Lawrence and Conner air out their animosities, a woman presses her naked breasts to the window. Unaware that a man's penis has replaced the breasts behind the window, Conner points to what he thinks are breasts while trying to make a point.

Samberg is an ideal Conner. It seems he's played this character in some incarnation or another, on Saturday Night Live. He is quite funny but as a writer, he has comedic lapses. Tim Meadows stands out as the double-dealing manager but Justin Timberlake is unfunny as Conner's personal chef.

The periods between laughs began to stretch until they became all-encompassing. But the experience was far from dismal. I can see Samberg and Company coming up with something terrific, given more opportunities in future projects but Popstar is a mostly a miss. Maybe next time.

Maggie's Plan

**Spoiler Alert

Director: Rebecca Miller/Starring: Ethan Hawke, Greta Gerwig, Julianne Moore, Maya Rudolph, Bill Hader, Wallace Shawn, Travis Fimmel and Mina Sundwall

Rebecca Miller's Maggie's Plan is a difficult film to review (I still consider my posts more impressions than reviews) because it seems to have strengths and weaknesses in equal measure. Its flaws aren't necessarily crippling but they keep an otherwise interesting movie from being totally satisfying. It's pleasing to know a female director has been able to make films on her own terms without having to compromise her vision or standards, but I have to admit, I've never been a fan of Miller's films. They always seem important for a moment but never leave a lasting impression. In fact, I can't remember the titles of any of her former films and chances are, I'll forget this film in a few months time too but I also have to admit her latest is one of her better efforts. It doesn't always work but her cerebral characters are well-drawn, with distinctive personalities that betray insecurity and weakness. If the situations, characters and the story feel too much like vintage Woody Allen filtered through Noah Baumbach, it mimics their films well enough to be entertaining. Maggie's Plan isn't as funny as Woody's best work but its humor is subtle; aiming for sophistication and wit.

The film doesn't waste a moment establishing character as Maggie Hardin (Greta Gerwig; uncharacteristically non-irritating) meets her close friend Tony (Bill Hader) on the street. In their exchange, we learn Maggie's search for a sperm-donor has born fruit though Tony is disdainful of her choice; a pickle-entrepreneur by the name of Guy who was also their college classmate. We also learn Maggie--by her own admission--has never been able to maintain a long-term relationship; hence her need for a sperm donor.

When Maggie later shows up at the school where she serves as a liaison to the business community for artistic students looking to market their work, she learns her paycheck is delinquent. She meets another faculty member who shares a similar last name; John Harding (Ethan Hawke) who is also short a paycheck. They suggest to the difficult clerk their similar names may be responsible for the mix-up. The clerical error allows them to meet and make small talk. During their conversation, we learn John is a highly respected academic in the esoteric field of ficto-critical anthropology. Later, during a lunch in the school cafeteria, Maggie catches sight of him then again in Washington Park, where they stroll and become more acquainted. In the course of their conversation, John talks about a novel he is writing and when Maggie shows interest, he asks her to read the first chapter, to which she eagerly agrees. After Maggie praises Tony's novel to the heavens, their friendship and the story thickens.

In a subsequent scene, we get a taste of John's home life, where we meet his wife and colleague Georgette (Julianne Moore, having fun with a thick, Icelandic accent); an icy intellectual who seems indifferent to her husband's creative pursuit.

One night, after the pickle entrepreneur, Guy (Travis Fimmel), visits Maggie sans the sperm sample she requested, he suggests impregnating her the old fashioned way, which elicits a polite rejection. Having selected Guy as a donor because of his mathematical background, he explains to Maggie why he rejected a life as an academic to operate his own business. He expresses what he finds beautiful about mathematics--and though it sounds poetic; it also sounds unconvincing as movie dialogue. When he steps out of the bathroom, sample in hand, he sees her dance around her apartment and watches, enchantedly; his adoration of her palpable.

His visit precedes John's as the academic/writer-manque arrives to say he's been inadvertently locked out of his house. During his visit, he professes his love to Maggie and mentions the end of his marriage. Following their mutual declarations of love, the two act on their passion and shortly after the film moves forward a year as we see Maggie with her small child, her motherhood secured.

Though the film is described in ads as being screwball, it's hard to see the film as such. There is no shortage of comedy but the story's poignant, dramatic moments make the film's screwball appellation seem strange. The humor is also far too subtle at times to be legitimately screwball. Screwball tends to not be very subtle. But let's move on.

The story becomes a triangle of sorts as John and Georgette's kids spend time between two homes, while his daughter with Maggie brings a tangle to the equation. Though Georgette accepts the situation, she naturally sees Maggie as a homewrecker.

The triangle becomes a quagmire when Maggie begins to see John as self-involved and selfish; his novel an excuse to avoid his family and parental duties. She accepts the sad truth that he was most likely better off with Georgette and sets about concocting a plan to return him to his former wife, thus extricating herself from her unhappy marriage. Of course the plan involves Georgette; who wants nothing more than to have him back. The story's third act involves the plan's impact on both families.

But another issue, hinted at earlier, addresses the question as to who Maggie's daughter's father might truly be.

I thought Gerwig was quite good as Maggie. Though her character bears a close resemblance to many others she's played in films past, she seems more real here. What is particularly interesting about Maggie is the dubiousness of her victim status. As much as John seems to blame for their unhappy marriage, her claim about not being able to maintain a relationship for longer than six months makes us wonder if she is indeed an agent of her own misery.

Julianne Moore is able to find pathos and humor in her role, which was no mean feat considering her accent evokes memories of her character in The Big Lebowski. Georgette seems more like someone we would find in a Woody Allen movie; a character we might laugh at for her lofty, intellectual pretensions. Georgette comes awfully close to being cartoonish but Moore is able to make us forget the accent and focus on the character.

Ethan Hawke has done some fine work in film lately. He was terrific in Born to Be Blue and is again as an academic who believes he has a great novel in him and is prepared to sacrifice his and everyone else's happiness to achieve his goal.

The film made me smile at times and chuckle once or twice but the its best quality are its dramatic moments, which are at times very compelling.

Like the characters in Noah Baumbach's films, Miller's aren't people I feel I would want to know but they aren't tedious either. Tiresome sometimes, but not tedious. I think Miller had the good sense to restrict her story to a 90 minute running time so as to not give us too much of their company. She does a great job satirizing the intellectual world without making her characters seem buffoonish. Maggie's Plan is her most accomplished work yet, in my opinion. It's certainly her most enjoyable movie to date.