‘K-Pops!’ Review: Anderson .Paak’s Delightful Directorial Debut Hits All the Right Notes
Something you need to know about Rendy Reviews: we’re an Anderson .Paak fan site first, and a film criticism outlet second. There goes our credibility.
Our “Top 25 of 2020” video used two .Paak songs, “Lockdown” and “It’s All Love” from Trolls World Tour. The former wasn’t even associated with a movie. It’s just how much I adore Paak’s music. You can imagine our excitement when .Paak's directorial debut K-Pops! was first announced for TIFF 2024, let alone finding out that he even MADE a movie. It instantly became one of my must-sees for the fest. And "YES LAWD," K-Pops! is a charming debut that captures the energy of a PG-13 family comedy from the early 2000s – think School of Rock meets Big Daddy – and creates a lighthearted vibe for all to enjoy.
Courtesy of TIFF | Photos by Jake Giles Netter
NR
Runtime: 1 Hr and 54 Minutes
Production Companies: Stampede Ventures, EST Studios, Big Dummie, Apeshit Films
Distributor: N/A
Director: Anderson .Paak
Writers: Anderson .Paak, Khaila Amazan
Cast: Anderson .Paak, Jee Young Han, Soul Rasheed, Johnnie Park
Release Date: N/A
BJ (Anderson .Paak) is an LA-based karaoke bar drummer, passionate about making it big with his original music. On a particular evening in 2009, he encounters Yeji (Jee Young Han), a punk emo girl who struggles to find a committed man in the city. They fall in love after a duet and dinner date at a Korean restaurant. They break up after a while because of his lack of involvement with her. 12 years later, the very confident BJ is still working at the same place with no prospects. His boss Cash (Jonathan "Dumbfoundead" Park) connects him to a new gig in South Korea as his great aunt's drummer for the show she hosts, an American Idol-like competition for the next teen K-Pop star.
Cash tries to get BJ to meet Kang (Kevin Woo), the show's heartthrob, and see if they can work together. While on the job, he's rebuffed by Kang and winds up meeting one of the lowest projected contestants, Tae Young (Soul Rasheed, .Paak's IRL son). When he sees Yeji for the first time in 12 years, he realizes that Tae Young is his biological son. In the wake of this discovery, BJ takes it upon himself to take Tae Young under his wing and teach him with his know-how about music outside K-Pop, putting the "Bla" in "Blasian". With his skill, BJ makes every effort to turn Tae Young into a superstar.
Given this is his first foray into film acting, Anderson .Paak seamlessly transfers that top-tier charisma from his music and persona to the big screen and it's infectious. BJ is such a textbook man-child that I wondered if Judd Apatow had a writing credit. His positive demeanor and quick-witted timing prevent BJ from becoming irritating, despite being as obnoxious as the character ought to be. Anderson .Paak is a talented musician but also shows promise as a skilled actor. He's naturally funny and has a great sense of comedic timing, which elevates the movie's delightful spirit. It helps that the supporting characters call him out on his b.s. and don't praise his self-righteous antics or walk on eggshells around him.
K-Pops! works best with .Paak going full "Will Smith with Jaden" (which is funny considering Jaden Smith has a cameo in this film) by holding his offspring to the camera, Lion King-style. Like his dad, Soul Rasheed is talented, has an adorable offbeat quirkiness, and great comedic sensibility, like a Blasian Julian Dennison.
The film wears its heart on its sleeve as it leans into the budding father-son bond. It's like stepping into their real-life dynamic, where he's an offbeat kid with his own weirdness and his silly father is like, “Oh, my darling son. He’s foolish, just like me, but he's a star.” It made me reminisce on how my late dad and I's relationship used to be. Knowing him, this would've been one of his favorites as it shares a Pitch Perfect-style tone and comedic backbone. One of my treasured movie outings with him was when we saw the first installment in theaters and had a ball.
Another of the film’s strengths is .Paak exhibiting his African-American and South Korean background, intersecting the influences K-Pop and Hip-Hop/R&B had on music culture. Before the film started, .Paak expressed how the film was inspired by his relationship with his son during the pandemic. Rasheed got into K-Pop but had little knowledge of Hip-Hop and R&B. He told Rasheed, "You got your BTS, but what do you know about that BET?" Through BJ he pours deep knowledge and passion for both genres. Granted, it seems as if .Paak is on a pedestal doing a TED talk about music history and boasting his extensive contact list for major cameos. But damn it, the soul is so strong, you can't help but indulge him.
While the narrative doesn’t hit any new ground, .Paak and Khaila Amazan's screenplay is jovial, with a great sense of humor for the whole family. I admire the effort in exploring BJ and Yeji's relationship early on so the beats and hilarious gags surrounding Tae Young's connection with BJ are earned. It's effective despite its formulaic nature. Also, it's much funnier than it has any right to be. The script is loaded with hilarious gags – BJ looking like every Black musician is a standout – and jokes, while naturally embodying the 2000s PG-13 family comedy vibes, which is a rarity these days. Don't be surprised when a streamer picks this up (complimentary).
If you've seen the aforementioned 2000s movies, you're probably familiar with the flaws that K-Pops! suffers from. Many of which fall into the lines of Adam Sandler-territory in style. Despite being mostly .Paak's friends, the cameos blur the lines between film and ego project. The film is overly long and takes a dip in pacing towards the second half. Although his character is well-developed, BJ's established immature demeanor begins to be obnoxious to the point of being frustrating, causing concern for the tone for the remainder of the film. Thankfully, once he's plopped in South Korea, the momentum picks up. All these flaws, however, enhance the nostalgic 2000s energy the movie emits. It's one of those movies where you go, “Mmm! That takes me back.”
Anderson .Paak's feature debut K-Pops! hits all the right notes as a heartwarming and hilarious father-son family comedy with a passion for K-Pop and Hip-Hop culture.
Rating: 3/5
