Arguably the greatest mockumentary comedy in years, this spoof musical documentary is a This is Spinal Tap for the YouTube generation. Criminally overlooked in the cinemas, it was hands down the best comedy of 2016.

Premise: A mockumentary following fictional rap star Conner 4 Real (Andy Samberg), a former member of a successful boyband who went on to have chart-topping success with his debut solo album, as he prepares to launch his make-or-break second album.

Verdict:

First up, a little background for those not already familiar with the work of “The Lonely Island”. The comedy troupe was formed by childhood friends Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone back in the early 90s while they were still at Junior High School, and they went on to have huge success doing spoof music videos for Saturday Night Live. So far, they have produced three albums of comedy songs (not including this soundtrack) as “The Lonely Island”; their musical style normally parodies the rap/hip-hop/R&B genres by singing about mundane, inappropriate or embarrassing subjects in a typically egotistical and self-aggrandising way. Oh, and their songs are normally filthy, and often feature guest appearances from A-Listers like Justin Timberlake, Natalie Portman, Rihanna, Snoop Dogg, Pharrell Williams and Lady Gaga.

In 2007, they made their movie debut by writing, directing and starring in Hot Rod. That film was largely overlooked in the cinemas, but has become a bit of a cult classic since its release. Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping is their follow-up, written by all three of them, directed by Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone, and starring Andy Samberg as lead character Conner 4 Real, with Jorma Taccone and Akiva Schaffer appearing as his former “Style Boyz” bandmates Owen and Laurence. The material, a spoof musical documentary, is a perfect marriage between their musical talents (the songs in Popstar are hilarious) and their comedy skills, and the genuine affection and camaraderie between the childhood friends shines through.

“…the film is packed full of gags and one-liners…”

Plot wise, the mockumentary starts with a recap of Conner’s career so far, as he started off by finding success as part of the group “Style Boyz” (a young hip-hop group similar to early Beastie Boys), before leaving to pursue a solo career with his chart-busting debut album “Thriller, Also” (complete with rip-off Michael Jackson cover). As he prepares to launch his bloated, vanity-project of a second album, it becomes clear that the fame has gone to his head, as he surrounds himself with lackeys and yes-men, including his former Style Boyz bandmate Owen (Jorma Taccone), who’s now been reduced to pressing “play” on an iPod as Conner’s “DJ”, his publicist Paula (Sarah Silverman) and his manager Harry (Tim Meadows).

The film is not only packed full of gags and one-liners, it also parodies the larger-than-life personalities and attitudes prevalent in the music industry and in all of the docu-soups around today. In one scene at a musical awards ceremony, there are so many different film crews following different stars around for their individual reality tv-series that no one knows which camera they’re meant to be addressing. Another plot thread satirises U2’s infamous decision to give away one of their albums free through iTunes, and even the celebrity vulture-culture of TMZ and its like are mercilessly mocked.

“…the songs themselves are simply works of lyrical genius…”

I don’t want to say too much about the comedic elements in the film, as so much of the humour comes from how unexpected the various comedy moments are. Each new scene, and each new song, offers up something new, and the comedy is so densely packed that every time I’ve re-watched the film, I’ve picked up on a new one-liner, or a new song lyric, that I’d not noticed before.

The songs themselves are simply works of lyrical genius – each one not only contributes to the plot of the film, but they are also fantastic songs in their own right, packed full of clever wordplay where not a single line is wasted, and yet still managing to be genuinely catchy. Predominantly performed by Andy Samberg in character as Conner 4 Real, with Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone appearing on the Style Boyz songs, there are also hilarious appearances from the likes of Oscar winner Emma Stone, Pink, Seal and Adam Levine on some of the tracks. The songs are so good that I downloaded the album in the car park of the cinema immediately after seeing the film, and I’ve barely stopped listening to it over the last six months.

“…not only the best comedy of 2016, but also one of my favourite comedies of the last decade…”

The “mockumentary” premise also allows the film to pack in an absolute tonne of celebrity cameos in the form of interviews for the documentary, including Usher crediting the Style Boyz as being his inspiration to dance, Ringo Starr mocking how out-of-touch Conner is with current affairs, and Mariah Carey explaining why she can relate to Conner’s hit “I’m So Humble”.

Popstar received positive reviews from nearly all critics, and quite literally everyone I know personally that’s seen it has enjoyed it – yet it only made less than $10m (against a modest $20m budget) and was technically a box office flop. This film is ripe for rediscovery on home entertainment, and for my money, it’s not only the best comedy of 2016, but it’s also going to be one of my favourite comedies of the last decade.