Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping

POPSTAR: NEVER STOP NEVER STOPPING (15)

D: Akiva Schaffer & Jorma Taccone

Universal/Perfect World/The Lonely Island (Judd Apatow, Rodney Rothman, Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer & Jorma Taccone)

US 2016

86 mins

Comedy 

W: Akiva Schaffer, Andy Samberg & Jorma Taccone

DP: Brandon Trost

Ed: Jamie Gross, Craig Alpert & Stacey Schroeder 

Mus: Matthew Compton

Andy Samberg (Conner "Conner4Real" Friel), Jorma Taccone (Owen "Kid Contact" Bouchard), Akiva Schaffer (Lawrence "Kid Brain" Dunn), Sarah Silverman (Paula Klein), Tim Meadows (Harry Duggins)

A This Is Spinal Tap mockumentary following the solo tour of a vacuous, egotistical and selfish pop star modelled very much on Justin Bieber.  Originally a member of a three-piece boyband, Conner4Real is promoting his self-penned second album which is tanking in the sales charts, despite all his efforts to make it a gargantuan success, including publicity stunts during his concerts which inevitably go wrong and proposing to his celebrity girlfriend on live TV.

More than being a parody of pop singers and their egos, it pokes fun at the whole media circus, with real life celebrities turning up with cameo appearances which mock themselves.

The songs are purposefully terrible, but the comedy in this film is hilariously funny. It's a surprise that the film itself was a flop at cinemas, especially since one of the producers was Judd Apatow, whose comedy stable has fired out several hits over the years.

6/10