**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.
