Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping
Universal Pictures | Release Date: June 3, 2016 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
68
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 43 Critic Reviews
Positive:
31
Mixed:
11
Negative:
1
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalleJun 1, 2016
“Popstar” has more going for it than outrageousness, though it certainly has that. It has genuine outrage, a good-humored but clear-eyed take on today’s pop culture as a morass of corruption, idiocy and relentless self-promotion. Read full review
91
HitfixDrew McWeenyJun 9, 2016
If you’re in the mood to laugh until various parts of you hurt for a multitude of reasons, then I have a feeling Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping will accomplish the goal. And then some. Read full review
88
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Anne T. DonahueJun 2, 2016
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. Read full review
88
Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperJun 2, 2016
It’s funny because it gets it RIGHT without ever being too mean-spirited. Read full review
84
The VergeLizzie PlaugicJun 3, 2016
It’s hard to not forgive Popstar for its flaws, if only because its ambitions are so inherently silly. One senses that Samberg, Taccone, and Schaffer didn’t completely trust that silliness to stand on its own, but it’s only when Popstar reaches for something deeper that it really falters. Read full review
83
The PlaylistKevin JagernauthJun 2, 2016
Unlike some mock biopics or music documentaries that rely on a particular kind of specificity to succeed, Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping is universally, gloriously stupid. And that’s not a slight — it takes a considerable amount of smarts to make something that so winningly observes the ridiculous facade of the pop music sphere, but gives it a wide-ranging reach. Read full review
80
EmpireNick de SemlyenAug 22, 2016
An absolute blast, with a frenetic strike-rate and songs that will worm their way into your ears for days. Like Conner, this comedy’s for real. Read full review
80
SlateForrest WickmanJun 3, 2016
It doesn’t matter that the plot is predictable, because it’s merely a means for getting from one precise (and hilarious) musical parody to the next. Read full review
80
Arizona RepublicKerry LengelJun 2, 2016
Yes, “Popstar” is dumb, dirty fun. So what’s not to like? Read full review
80
New York Daily NewsStephen Whitty Jun 1, 2016
Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping is a seriously ridiculous put-on. And in this summer of overheated special-effects movies, it’s a cool blast of fresh air. Read full review
80
Screen DailyTim GriersonJun 1, 2016
A superbly silly sendup of the modern musical landscape, Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping is as thimble-deep as the throwaway hits it’s satirising, but also just as lively. Read full review
80
The Hollywood ReporterFrank ScheckJun 1, 2016
Popstar is filled with the sort of sly jokes whose targets music fans should have no problem recognizing. Read full review
75
Entertainment WeeklyLeah GreenblattJun 2, 2016
If it’s not exactly unforgettable, it’s still pretty fun. Read full review
75
Chicago TribuneMichael PhillipsJun 2, 2016
"Popstar" is most comfortable with material that simply comes out of nowhere. Read full review
75
USA TodayBrian TruittJun 2, 2016
Among the many things it does well — from hilariously quotable lines to catchy, albeit obscene, songs — the mockumentary Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping has found the best use for the poop emoji yet. Read full review
75
Washington PostAnn HornadayJun 2, 2016
Clever, amiable and eager to please, Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping is the comedy equivalent of the pop-rap star it satirizes, a bit of stupid-smart silliness that offers plenty of pleasure in the moment, even if its amusements last about as long as a snow cone in the sun. Read full review
75
Rolling StonePeter TraversJun 2, 2016
Popstar mixes the hilarity with a surprising amount of heart. 4Real. Read full review
75
St. Louis Post-DispatchCalvin WilsonJun 2, 2016
A scene involving wolves upset by Seal’s singing is worth the price of admission all by itself. Read full review
75
The A.V. ClubIgnatiy VishnevetskyJun 1, 2016
No music mockumentary has really managed to reproduce This Is Spinal Tap’s comic mojo, but Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping gets closer than most to that subgenre-defining comedy’s mix of the dead-on and the over-the-top, even if it tends to go for quantity over quality. Read full review
75
Tampa Bay TimesSteve PersallJun 1, 2016
Graphically thinking outside the box, the Lonely Island comedy team makes a decent splash with Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping, an SNL spinoff that generally works. Read full review
75
Slant MagazineKenji FujishimaJun 1, 2016
The film's lampooning of a business built on pure surface extends to its riotous original songs. Read full review
75
The Film StageDan MeccaJun 1, 2016
Samberg and company are keen observers of pop culture and every facet of its insanity, doing their very best to out-size that which already feels larger than logic. They don’t always succeed, but when they do, it’s more than worth it. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesJustin ChangJun 2, 2016
The pleasure of Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping derives not from the sting or accuracy of its satire (though Will Arnett does a pretty killer Harvey Levin), but from the precision of its timing and the singular comic energy it derives from the talents on display. Read full review
70
The New York TimesA.O. ScottJun 2, 2016
“Popstar” takes aim at everything that is artificial and plastic in contemporary pop in a spirit of love rather than spite. It’s a celebration of the curious authenticity — the innocence, the sweetness, the guiltless pleasure — of music whose badness is sometimes hard to separate from its genius. Read full review
70
TimeStephanie ZacharekJun 2, 2016
Together, the three wheel through absurd gags that shouldn’t work and somehow make them sing, giving the movie a loose, joyous energy. Read full review
70
ScreenCrushMatt SingerJun 1, 2016
Popstar feels a bit like elite military snipers shooting fish in a barrel. Their aim is true, but the targets are almost too easy — not to mention awfully familiar. Read full review
67
IndieWireDavid EhrlichJun 1, 2016
Watching “Popstar,” there’s no getting around one stubborn truth about this frequently hilarious movie: The incident that may have inspired it was also the incident that rendered it unnecessary. Read full review
65
TheWrapAlonso DuraldeJun 1, 2016
This new movie feels more like a series of sketches that all happen to revolve around the same handful of characters. That said, those sketches are fairly funny, and if this comedy has all the depth of a summer jam, it will eventually be the kind of late-night download that will inspire giggles for years to come. Read full review
63
ReelViewsJames BerardinelliJun 3, 2016
Although this might have been considered cutting edge 20 or 30 years ago, it has been done so often in recent years that it feels a little tired. Read full review
63
Philadelphia InquirerMolly EichelJun 3, 2016
Popstar gets to satirize not just music, but also celebrity culture in a way that a movie such as Spinal Tap never could - because, well, the internet and 24-hours news cycle didn't exist in 1984. Read full review
63
RogerEbert.comGlenn KennyJun 2, 2016
What’s good about this movie is funny, and refreshing, enough to make the dry spots feel more tolerable in retrospect. Read full review
60
Time OutTolly WrightJun 8, 2016
In a movie that deals almost exclusively in pals playing pop music and exposed penises, the boyish humor goes a long way. Call it a hit single, but don’t expect it to go platinum. Read full review
60
Village VoiceAlan ScherstuhlJun 1, 2016
When it slows down, when it gives you time to think, Popstar reveals its weaknesses. Read full review
60
The GuardianJordan HoffmanJun 1, 2016
There are laughs found in almost every scene, though not many big ones. There’s also the problem that no amount of parody can top the real thing. Read full review
50
Austin ChronicleKimberley JonesJun 8, 2016
Hard truths: Popstar’s jokes land pillow-soft. Read full review
50
New York Magazine (Vulture)David EdelsteinJun 5, 2016
I’d see a whole film about the adventures of Hader’s desperate-for-transcendence roadie. Unlike Popstar, it might actually go somewhere. Read full review
50
New York PostKyle SmithJun 2, 2016
A movie that sets out to make boy bands look silly. The conceptual error is obvious. There’s low-hanging fruit and then there’s fruit that’s already on the ground, rotting underfoot. Read full review
50
ConsequenceBlake GobleJun 2, 2016
A lot of fandom went into this, but Popstar is relentless to the point where it eventually becomes plodding. Read full review
50
Boston GlobeTy BurrJun 2, 2016
Genial, silly, and instantly forgettable, Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping is just another piece of product from the larger “Saturday Night Live” universe, a way for a former cast member to try to prove he’s capable of carrying a movie. Read full review
50
VarietyOwen GleibermanJun 1, 2016
It longs to be a close-to-the-bone lampoon in the scathing spirit of Christopher Guest, and it has a few amusing moments, but it’s really a predigested one-joke comedy. It’s less an honest satire than an overscaled satirical package. Read full review
50
Movie NationRoger MooreJun 1, 2016
The whole movie...feels like an under-developed sketch that goes on for too long. Read full review
40
CineVueJohn BleasdaleSep 10, 2016
Even at ninety minutes Popstar feels too long. The funniest moments are the songs. Read full review
38
The Seattle TimesSoren AndersenJun 2, 2016
There’s a problem with Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping. It’s attempting to mock something that is beyond mockery. Read full review
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