POPSTAR: NEVER STOP NEVER STOPPING

US, 2016, 87 minutes, Colour.

Andy Samberg, Jorma Taccone, Akiva Schaffer, Sarah Silverman, Tim Meadows, Maya Rudolph, Joan Cusack, Imogen Poots, Chris Redd, Bill Hader.

Directed by Jorma Taccone, Akiva Schaffer.

A mockumentary of the music industry from the 2010s, expensive to make, not a box office success, but becoming something of a minor cult film. (And fans have very happy memories of This is Spinal Tap.)

The film is the work of the trio, Andy Samberg, Jorma Taccone, Akiva Schaffer, who made up the group, The Lonely Isle. Here, they parody what might have been.

Andy Samberg is well-known as a comic talent and is the acting centre of this film, his character, Connor, the breakup of the group, one of them retiring even though he was the composer of songs, the other acting as manager. Connor goes out on his own as “Connor4Real”. He is full of self-importance, preparing for success, the release of the record, tours…

So, this is a sendup of a self-important singer, reading only his good reviews, rationalising the bad reviews, clashing with his assistants, employing a supporting act which boosts numbers, but his eventually being humiliated, naked on stage, just into some kind of reassessment.

For those interested in the film, for audiences who enjoy it, here is a recommendation to check the article on it in Wikipedia, a lengthy and detailed outline of the plot as well as a listing of the cast, the number of professionals with supporting roles – and a long list of actual celebrities playing themselves in mock mode, commenting on Connor. They include Weird Al Jankovich, 50 Cent, Emma Stone, Usher, Michael Bolton, Simon Cowell, Mariah Carey, Snoop Dog, Jimmy Fallon, Katy Perry, Pink, Rihanna, Ringo Starr, Martin Sheen, Pharell Williams, Carrie Underwood, RZA…