Maybe
I Feel Pretty **1/2
“I Feel Pretty” has its heart in the right place, which is terrific, but as a comedy it lacks the...
An ingenious — and genuinely funny — riff on celebrity, pop culture, and the absurdity of it all.
Is it worth $10? Yes
The team behind “Saturday Night Live’s” viral hits “Dick in a Box” and “Lazy Sunday” now bring us the feature length “Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping,” and it’s every bit as crass, ridiculous and hilarious as you expect. And if you haven’t heard of those viral videos, go see “Popstar” anyway because it’s damn funny and surprisingly smart.
Andy Samberg stars as Conner4Real, a music superstar who shot to fame as part of the “Style Boyz” trio and later had great success with his first solo album. However, his second album, “Connquest,” is a total disaster. With his life falling apart one Style Boyz band mate, Lawrence (Akiva Schaffer), refuses to speak with him, while the other, Owen (Jorma Taccone), has been relegated to the role of a background DJ. Conner’s manager (Tim Meadows), publicist (Sarah Silverman) and girlfriend (Imogen Poots) offer support, but you sense they realize how superficial his work and celebrity are.
This doesn’t mean the filmmakers don’t get their shots in, of course, sometimes in more obvious ways than others. A TMZ-inspired TV show called “CMZ” isn’t even trying to be coy about what it’s spoofing, and Conner’s desire to release his second album through household appliances suggests how intrusive technology has allowed the media to become whether we as consumers like it or not. “There’s no such thing as selling out anymore,” Conner says, and darn if your music automatically playing when people open their fridge doesn’t suggest that’s true. Do we really want to listen to a sellout? The story doesn’t explore that question, but it would’ve been interesting if it did.
In fairness, you can’t deduct points from “Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping” for not biting the hand that feeds it. It’s just not that kind of movie. It is, however, a funny movie with appealing music that might just get you thinking about the whether the celebrities you adore are worthy of adoration.
Did you know?
Samberg, Schaffer and Taccone told me in an interview that Ringo Starr was the most exciting cameo they were able to get, and (jokingly) that “he loved the movie, and loved meeting us.”