‘Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping’ an ‘N Sane boy band spoof 
 
 I’m thinking Justin Bieber is going to hate this movie. 
 
 Or maybe he’ll say he loves it even as he secretly hates it. 
 
 Or maybe he WILL love it and he won’t understand why it should give him the chills in the deep of night. 
 
 As was the case with the incomparable “This is Spinal Tap” and the equally sublime “A Mighty Wind,” the Lonely Island Trio’s boy band/pop culture/social media satire “Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping” clearly has a genuine admiration and affection for the very subject it hilariously skews. 
 
 It’s funny because it gets it RIGHT without ever being too mean-spirited. Even the jokes referencing Anne Frank and Osama bin Laden are good-natured and almost sweet. 
 
 Almost. 
 
 Friends since junior high school and zeitgeist favorites online and on TV for the last decade, the Lonely Island guys Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone have collaborated on a pitch-perfect take satirizing modern-day pop stardom; the sometimes ridiculous but often infectious music dominating the scene in the 21st century, the voracious celebrity media culture and the vacuous nature of some of our most worshiped showbiz stars. 
 
 Schaffer and Taccone co-directed. Samberg, Schaffer and Taccone wrote the screenplay. And the three star as the boyhood friends who struck boy-band gold as the Style Boyz, who took the world by storm with catchy hits such as “The Donkey Roll” and “Karate Guy.” 
 
 Shot in faux-documentary style, “Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping” introduces us to the Style Boyz through “archival footage,” including YouTube-style video of baby Conner killing it on the drums at the age of 1 (!), and early performances by the boys when they had yet to hit puberty. (These are the first of many, many scenes and jokes with close parallels to Justin Bieber’s career ups and downs, though “Popstar” also has fun poking fun at all-white boy bands such 98 Degrees and ‘N Sync, not to mention more than a dozen celebrities, many of whom appear as themselves, poking fun at themselves. Good for you, Mariah Carey, Adam Levine, Carrie Underwood, Usher, Snoop Dogg, et al.) 
 
 The thing about Samberg and his buddies is they’re talented enough and charismatic enough performers to believably portray pop stars — and while their songs and their videos are deliberately, insanely dopey, the material isn’t all that different from some of the real songs that have hit No. 1 and some of the actual videos and performances that dominate YouTube and the endless parade of music awards shows. 
 
 After the inevitable breakup caused by Conner’s out-of-control ego, Conner strikes out as a solo act billing himself as Conner4Real. He quickly becomes maybe the biggest pop star in the world, surrounded by a huge entourage of sycophants and hangers-on, including a short fellow who poses next to Conner on red carpets so Conner appears tall, a personal assistant who pays no attention to him whatsoever and a guy whose sole purpose is to punch Conner in the groin to remind Conner where he came from. 
 
 Real-life DJs, producers and music stars give talking-head interviews in which they sing Conner’s praises. Brilliant comic actors such as Sarah Silverman, Tim Meadows, Joan Cusack and Bill Hader light it up as supporting players in Conner’s world. 
 
 I loved Chris Redd’s work as “Hunter the Hungry,” a rapper who becomes Conner’s opening act just as Hunter’s star is rising and Conner’s is dropping. Schaffer and Taccone shine as Conner’s former best friends, each of whom has to find his own way as Conner flames out in spectacular fashion. 
 
 The jabs at TMZ, phony “reality shows,” celebrity magazines, superstar DJs, overblown concerts, pop stars who take up causes they know nothing about, Snapchatting fans, fame-hungry young beauties and the E! Channel: all sharp and spot-on. (An “E! exclusive” in which Conner “privately” proposes to his gorgeous idiot of a girlfriend with the paparazzi snapping away, Seal crooning a proposal song and a pack of wolves in attendance — don’t ask — is just fantastic.) 
 
 Front and center, carrying the film, is Samberg in what is easily the most winning film performance of his career. Yes, Conner is a dim-bulb fool with an out-of-control ego, but there’s something endearing and sweet and likably pathetic about the guy — and his heart is in the right place, if only he can remember exactly WHERE he placed it. 
 
 ★★★ 1⁄2 
 
 Universal Pictures presents a film directed by Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone and written by Schaffer, Taccone and Andy Samberg. Running time: 86 minutes. Rated R (for some graphic nudity, language throughout, sexual content and drug use). Opens Friday at local theaters. ||||| 3.5 out of 4 stars Title Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping Written by Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone Directed by Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone Starring Andy Samberg, Imogen Poots and Bill Hader Classification 14A Country USA Language English 
 
 History tells us that we can trust Andy Samberg. We can also trust Jorma Taccone and Akiva Schaffer because we have trusted the Lonely Island to make us laugh and to make us sing. 
 
 But can we trust them to make us think? 
 
 According to Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping – the latest vehicle from the Holy Trinity – we can. Especially as it delivers a biting take on the state of top 40 music in the Year of Our Lord, 2016. Which is no easy feat, believe me. 
 
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 As we saw in the arguably confusing Zoolander 2, parodies (or whatever that movie was) have lost traction in the wake of what comedy's evolved into now. To spoof or to throw shade works for a hot second, but as evidenced by the success of Inside Amy Schumer, Broad City, and even Samberg's Brooklyn Nine-Nine, there has to be more to a premise than one-liners, cheap shots, and OTT performances. There has to be heart. There has to be commentary. And in the case of a movie like Popstar, there has to be something other than mocking the likes of the industry's biggest and brightest. And the Lonely Island understands this. 
 
 Revolving around a Bieber-like superstar named Conner4Real (played by Samberg), the faux documentary follows the release and aftermath of his new album, his struggle for relevance and the effects of a business that prioritizes either youth or nostalgia. And fortunately for Conner, the latter could be played to his favour: having split up with his original band the Style Boyz (Taccone and Schaffer) years earlier, he becomes increasingly encouraged to return to his roots and to get the band back together. Which, of course, is the last thing you'd want to hear as a solo star. 
 
 And Conner's story alone is entertaining. We watch him capitalize on political movements to further his relevance (specifically through a Macklemore-like song about legalizing gay marriage – long after it's been legalized, and laced with "but I'm not gay!" subtext). We see him enlist a Tyler, The Creator-esque rapper (played perfectly by Chris Redd) to up his cultural clout. And we cringe through an engagement to his equally fame-loving girlfriend Ashley (Imogen Poots) right before they – and Seal – are attacked by wolves. All of which is funny, and all of which would make for an easy-to-watch and enjoyable film. 
 
 But Popstar is smarter than that. 
 
 Based heavily on the formulas of documentaries like Bieber's Never Say Never, Backstreet Boys' Show 'Em What You're Made Of, and One Direction's This Is Us, the movie combines straightforward filming with dozens of celebrity cameos-as-interviews, featuring everyone from Questlove to Nas to Mariah Carey to A$AP Rocky to Usher, who offer their takes on Conner4Real as a musician and what the Style Boyz meant to them. So, it's less a spoof than it is a homage. Especially since we're watching such similar scenes play out in music right now. I mean, hi: Zayn's attempting solo stardom, Drake's latest record tackles emotional fulfilment/lack thereof, and Bieber is experiencing an existential crisis on Instagram. The music industry is hard work. And Popstar reflects that, all without punching down. 
 
 Instead, it's a legitimate look at celebrity culture delivered in a way that's as funny as it is thought-provoking. And while it also boasts an array of dick jokes (of which there are many, and they are great), it also holds a magnifying glass up to the culture that we've all had a hand in creating. Conner4Real is the product of all of us. But I liked his story so much that I'm not even sorry, and I'll never stop stopping. ||||| It's no shame to laugh your ass off at the crazyass music business. In 1984, This Is Spinal Tap took the art of the send-up all the way to 11. Now the mockumentary takes millennial form in the insanely funny Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping, starring Andy Samberg as Conner4Real, a rap star whose career is tanking. Conner has an idiotboy's understanding of rap. His music video in support of the LGBT community, "Equal Rights," keeps repeating "I'm not gay!" in a panic between verses. His latest CD, Connquest, doesn't even earn a star rating in Rolling Stone — just an emoji depicting a steaming pile of shit. #soharsh. 
 
 Related Watch Andy Samberg Get Bad Review in 'Popstar' Trailer "Out of four possible stars, 'Rolling Stone' has given it the shit emoji," says Samberg's Conner4Real 
 
 Popstar itself is too good-natured to draw blood. It's freestyle fun all the way. The cast, including many celeb cameos (is that you, JT?), is what Conner would call "dope." There's Sarah Silverman, priceless as Conner's publicist; Tim Meadows as his harried manager; Joan Cusack as his mother; Imogen Poots as his cheating girlfriend, and a killer Chris Redd as rap prankster who damn near renders Conner dickless. No spoilers, except to say that Harvey Levin's TMZ gets royally skewered by Will Arnett and that concert films from Katy Perry, One Direction and most especially Justin Bieber's Never Say Never are the source of many teasing taunts. 
 
 Above all, Popstar is nonstop party time for fans of the Lonely Island. Made up of Samberg, Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone, this comedy collective raised the bar on Saturday Night Live with their digital shorts, such as "Dick in a Box," "Jizz in My Pants" and "Lazy Sunday." Their comedy CDs (Incredibad, Turleneck & Chain, The Wack Album) are equally ground-breaking. The Lonely Island wrote Popstar together, with Schaffer and Taccone directing. About a decade ago, the guys created the immortal Hot Road, a daredevil farce unappreciated by critics, including me. I've been converted. 
 
 And, now, in Popstar, everything comes together. In life, Samberg, Schaffer and Taccone went to junior high near Berkeley, shared an apartment in Los Angeles, and created videos that brought early success. As one of the featured players on SNL, Samberg had supernova visibility that his pals did not. Did that cause friction? Schaffer plays Lawrence, a lyricist so tired of Conner taking credit for his work that he retires to a farm. Taccone plays Owen, Conner's personal DJ, who feels demeaned when the star makes him wear a robot head on stage. "I look like the tip of Optimus Prime's dick," he complains. Conner, Lawrence and Owen first hit it big doing the "Donkey Roll" as the Style Boyz. Now they're all in service to the Conner4Real solo brand. Is art imitating life? Probably not. OK, maybe a little. But as we watch relationships break and heal, Popstar mixes the hilarity with a surprising amount of heart. 4Real.
– Perhaps you expected bad reviews. After all, Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping is a mockumentary about a ridiculous Bieber-like rapper whose star is fading. But you're in for a nice surprise. Critics are raving about this spoof on celebrity culture, starring Andy Samberg and a sea of music-industry celebs. Here's what they're saying: It has all the makings of an "easy-to-watch and enjoyable film. But Popstar is smarter than that," writes Anne T. Donahue at the Globe and Mail. "It's a legitimate look at celebrity culture delivered in a way that's as funny as it is thought-provoking." Yes, there are dick jokes—which are "great"—but it effectively "holds a magnifying glass up to the culture that we've all had a hand in creating." Fans of the Lonely Island, the name given to the comedy trio of Samberg, Akiva Schaffer, and Jorma Taccone, are in for a "nonstop party time," writes Peter Travers at Rolling Stone. The flick isn't just funny—it's "insanely funny" and comes "with a surprising amount of heart," he says, noting "everyone from Bieber to Kanye gets ribbed in this hilarious mockumentary." It's "a pitch-perfect take satirizing modern-day pop stardom" and "front and center, carrying the film, is Samberg in what is easily the most winning film performance of his career," writes Richard Roeper at the Chicago Sun-Times. "It's funny because it gets it RIGHT without ever being too mean-spirited. Even the jokes referencing Anne Frank and Osama bin Laden are good-natured and almost sweet. Almost." Ty Burr, however, gives it a 6 or 7 out of 10. He enjoyed the "sneaky wit of its take on celebrity culture" and the "patented Lonely Island music numbers," but he found Popstar to be "genial, silly, and instantly forgettable," he writes at the Boston Globe. He was particularly bummed to see Sarah Silverman, Tim Meadows, and Joan Cusack "get lost in the shuffle."