The Sunday Mail
The Big & Small Screen
“ALL work and no play makes Jack a dull boy” is by far one of the most clichéd sayings around. But, that does not make it untrue.Every now and then I like to throw in one or two zingers, to shake things up.
There are movies that I would never recommend to any serious movie-goer but only to those with refined tastes.
Back in the day, my go-to guy was the once-talented Adam Sandler; but with his new Netflix contract that says “he can do basically anything he wants, in the name of art” and call it a movie without anyone giving him grief, I am done with the 49-year-old.
If anyone doubts me on this, I recommend you sit down and try watching “The Ridiculous 6” or “The Do-over”.
Andy Samberg is the new guy.
With an 11-year career and some 18 flicks to his name, Samberg is not what you would call a household name just yet, but he has all the potential and comic abilities of the Sandler of yore in him and a whole lot more.
His work with “Saturday Night Live” was a thing to marvel at and while he is yet to land that big defining role, the force is strong with the young man.
“Popstar — Never Stop Never Stopping” is the embodiment of everything Samberg has to offer. It highlights his unique talent in both music and comedy, and mashes it together to create a masterpiece.
“Popstar — Never Stop Never Stopping” is a mockumentary that follows the rise and inevitable fall of childhood popstar now adult rapper Conner4Real.
The film is presented in the format of a documentary in which the rapper’s life, career and downfall are chronicled.
What makes this films stand out is that it dances on the fine line between fantasy and reality, featuring celebrities like Nas, DJ Khaled, Usher, Akon, Mariah Carrey and even the hard-to-get Simon Cowell.
Other mentionable cameos include Samberg’s former SNL buddies Sarah Silverman (Paula Klein), Tim Meadows (Harry Duggins), Maya Rudolph (Deborah) and Bill Hader (Zippie); and two of his Lonely Island bandmates, Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone.
The format is nothing new, the cast of cameos is stellar, but the thing that takes this film head and shoulders above the rest is that Samberg is the ideal lead for this kind of movie.
He is a multi-talented actor, comedian and musician — albeit the satirical kind.
Based on the fact that this film was written, directed and produced by Samberg and his Lonely Island crew, you can also add the three to his CV.
Samberg is the centre of the film, both in front and behind the camera.
Conner4Real, as intended, is like a Justin Bieber-meets-Kanye West type of character: brush, arrogant, ego-maniacal and a shear waste of talent.
It goes without say that the film mocks the aforementioned stars.
Writing for such a flick is arguably a tough ask, but somehow the Lonely Island crew nail it with one-liners and punchlines that keep you laughing.
Unfortunately, all the film’s merits have not translated to gold at the box office, making just US$9,5 million to date after costing US$20 million to create.
But then again, “Batman v Superman” has made US$872 million from a US$250 million budget — and we all know that the film is utter rubbish!
