Movie Review: “Pop Star: Never Stop Never Stoppin'”

Even if it’s not “Spinal Tap” level, it’s still one of the most worthwhile theater experiences you can have this Summer.

What Works: As you can tell by that dead-on subtitle (which makes me laugh just thinking about it), Andy Samberg and Co. are going after the faux-aspirational qualities mixed in with today’s pop star egomania. In songs like “I’m So Humble,” and a hilariously pandering LGBT-support song, Samberg’s aim is dead-on, and he seems to expose that even the way today’s pop stars “lift up” their fans is mixed with vanity. [Although the catchiest song is “Mona Lisa,” which I’m still humming a week later.] Everything is working so well in the first half, that it’s a little disappointing to reach the inevitable ending…

What Doesn’t: The movie is more successful when sticking closer to “Spinal Tap” satire rather than more bizarre, less specific meta-diversions. The second half really drags when getting into the “fall” stage of this faux-biopic, and the feel-good ending somewhat undercuts the satire of what came before it.

What I Would Have Done Differently: The movie isn’t long at 90 minutes, but you could still trim some of the back half and not lose anything. Still, there’s a lot more right with this film than wrong, and that’s why—unlike the main character’s music—the reviews for this film definitely haven’t been “mixed.”