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Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping

MPA Rating: R-Rating (MPA) for some graphic nudity, language throughout, sexual content and drug use.
Moral Rating: not reviewed
Moviemaking Quality:
Primary Audience: Adults
Genre: Music Comedy
Length: 1 hr. 26 min.
Year of Release: 2016
USA Release: June 3, 2016 (wide—2,200+ theaters)
DVD: September 13, 2016
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Relevant Issues

narcissism / out of control egos

failure—how to deal with it well

vulgarity / crudity / profanity

Featuring Andy SambergConner4Real
Imogen PootsAshley, his girlfriend
Bill HaderHis roadie
Maya RudolphDeborah, his corporate sponsor
Martin SheenHis nemesis
Sarah Silverman … His publicist
Sandra Rosko … Concert Fan
Will Forte … His bagpiper
Will ArnettHis paparazzo
Joan CusackHis mom
Jorma Taccone … Owen
Joanna Newsom … Herself
Jimmy Fallon … Himself
Pink … Herself
Adam Levine … Himself
Mariah CareyHerself
Snoop Dogg … Himself
Usher Raymond … Himself
Simon Cowell … Himself
Seal … Himself
Carrie Underwood … Herself
See all »
Director Akiva Schaffer
Jorma Taccone — “MacGruber” (2010)
Producer Apatow Productions
The Lonely Island
See all »
Distributor

Here’s what the distributor says about their film: “Universal Pictures’ ‘Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping’ is headlined by musical digital-shorts superstars Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone, collectively known as The Lonely Island. The comedy goes behind the scenes as singer/rapper Conner4Real (Samberg) faces a crisis of popularity after his sophomore album flops, leaving his fans, sycophants and rivals all wondering what to do when he’s no longer the dopest star of all.

The latest comedy from blockbuster producer Judd Apatow (Trainwreck, Superbad, Knocked Up) co-stars Sarah Silverman, Tim Meadows and Maya Rudolph and many of the biggest names in comedy and music in cameo performances. Co-directed by Schaffer and Taccone and written by The Lonely Island trio, Popstar is also produced by Rodney Rothman (producer of Get Him to the Greek, Forgetting Sarah Marshall; co-writer of 22 Jump Street), as well as Samberg, Schaffer and Taccone.

When his new album fails to sell records, pop/rap superstar Conner4Real (Andy Samberg) goes into a major tailspin and watches his celebrity high life begin to collapse. He’ll try anything to bounce back, anything except reuniting with his old rap group The Style Boyz.”

Violence: Moderate / Profanity: Extreme / Sex/Nudity: Extreme

See list of Relevant Issues—questions-and-answers.


Viewer CommentsSend your comments
Movie Critics
…A sharp skewering of Bieber-like stardom.…
Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter
…Clever musical mockumentary is right on key… [3]
Washington Post
…In this summer of overheated special-effects movies, “Popstar” is a cool blast of fresh air. …
Stephen Whitty, New York Daily News
…A mixtape of music parody, “Popstar” cranks it to 11… the full panoply of pop music's glorious, ego-warped idiocy, from the demented bubble of an entourage to pseudo poses of humility by the famous… [3/4]
Jake Coyle, Associated Press
…busts out the funny jams… The story gets buried amid the sheer onslaught of cameos, but it’s hard to ding them too much because they add so much personality to the proceedings. …
Brian Truitt, USA Today
…The cameo-crammed mockumentary hits all the right notes as Andy Samberg’s group the Lonely Island turn up the pop satire to 11. …
Jordan Hoffman, The Guardian (UK)
…It’s a celebration of the curious authenticity of music whose badness is sometimes hard to separate from its genius. …
A.O. Scott, The New York Times
…might have been funnier as an SNL Digital Short…
Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly
…“Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping” is a movie that sets out to make boy bands look silly. The conceptual error is obvious. There’s low-hanging fruit and then there’s fruit that’s already on the ground, rotting underfoot. … If this movie were a boy band, it would be called No Direction. [2/4]
Kyle Smith, New York Post
…incisive but excessively raunchy… [3/4]
Ted Baehr, Movieguide
…severe vulgarity… Continually crude commentary gets paired with explicit visuals… “Popstar” wittily—but often very crudely—deconstructs the self-absorbed narcissism that traps ego-driven stars in a bubble world of their own creating. … [½/5]
Adam R. Holz, Plugged In

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