Say Goodbye to Pop Music as You Know It

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Justin Bieber’s Never Say Never. One Direction’s This Is Us. Katy Perry’s Part of Me. These are the “popumentaries” that have rocked the worlds of countless preteen girls for the past several years. They are pandering messes, attempting to sate the relentless appetites for attention of both the stars and the fans who obsess over them. They quasi-musicians create a world of their own, sheltered from hardship and difficulty, where they can create a sorry batch of overproduced, formulaic “music”  to bemoan their imaginary struggle with exactly the kinds of things that they spend their lives blocking out.

And then there’s Popstar.

Fully titled Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping (a fairly obvious jab at the Bieb’s aforementioned doc), the newest passion project of the Lonely Island has pulled out all the stops. SNL’s three “dudes” are at it again, and they’re taking no prisoners: they mock every aspect of modern fame and success in the pop music world. But who are the Lonely Island? Jorma Taccone, Akiva Schaffer and Andy Samberg, three veterans of Saturday Night Live and responsible for digital shorts like “I’m on a Boat” and “Lazy Sunday,” have gone for the first time in years to the big screen. Their previous feature film attempt, Hot Rod, managed to bomb both critically and financially, but Popstar, it seems, is on no such path.

So far, Popstar has largely positive reviews, garnering a solid 76%, certified fresh, on Rotten Tomatoes. So far, it hasn’t been making a ton of money in the box office, but it has only been in theaters for one weekend and still has plenty of opportunity for improvement. The Lonely Island has created three albums, Incredibad, Turtleneck and Chain, and The Wack Album. Their newest project seems like the exact type of movie that should be successful, with its playful satire, poignant topic and all-star cast (Sarah Silverman, Will Arnett and Joan Cusak are among the cast members), but only time will tell. The pop music industry has been wallowing in its own glory for some time, and its good that they’re finally getting their just desserts.