K-Pops!, 2024.
Written and Directed by Anderson .Paak
Starring Anderson .Paak, Soul Rasheed, Yvette Nicole Brown, Jee Young Han, Jonnie Park, Cathy Shim, Kevin Woo, Will Jay, Emi Kim, Riley Lai Nelet, Eddie Park, Bonnie Hellman, Jenne Kang, Jason Her, Jimmy Walker Jr., Troy Metcalf, Darren Watkins Jr.
SYNOPSIS:
Follows a washed-up musician who jumps at the chance to capitalize on his long-lost son’s stardom for his own renaissance, but learns that fatherhood is much more than stardom.
Finally released two years after its festival premiere, musician-turned-writer/director Anderson.Paak’s K-Pops! arrives in the middle of K-Pop fever, with the craze for animated cultural juggernaut K-Pop Demon Hunters still high and in awards running. Whether or not the timing is intentionally exploiting that is fitting, regardless, as the filmmaker also stars as a musician who never got his big break, encouraged to exploit the Asian side of his Blasian racial identity to perform as a drummer on a talent show for young, budding K-Pop wannabe stars as a scheme to steal the thunder with his talent. It’s almost as dumb an idea as one Matt Johnson would write on the whiteboard in an episode of Nirvanna, but angling in a different direction as this becomes a family-bonding flick.
That’s also for the best as BJ (.Paak) isn’t necessarily likable or endearing at the start, with an animated interlude between the prologue and 12 year flash forward showing the disintegration of a relationship between him and Yeji (Jee Young Han), also an aspiring musician, who decided to give that up in search of an idyllic family life. BJ had other plans and chose to continue pursuing his dreams. Sometime after arriving at the studio and playing a couple of drummer gigs for the show contestants, BJ discovers that the lowest rung on the ladder, Tae Young (Soul Rasheed), is his 12-year-old son.
One wishes this reveal hadn’t come almost halfway into the film (it is undeniably too long for its own good and could have used some trimming in the first 40 minutes), because when BJ begins giving himself over to becoming a father for the first time, his charm and comedic sensibilities click into place, giving the proceedings a sweet, earnest, touching vibe. He doesn’t just become an active participant in training his son and backup performers to up their game for this talent show, but also begins teaching the boy about previous generations of music, expanding their dual cultures.
Coming with that are at least one surprising cameo from a legendary band (not to mention a string of brief appearances from widely recognized social media personalities weighing in on the talent show). Naturally, this is also his chance to win back the love of his life and show that he is now ready to either juggle both responsibilities or mature and set one of them aside. There is also a requisite hotshot antagonist in the form of a cocky contestant who starts politicking once Tae steals some of his fan base and becomes a real threat to win the competition, although that thread fizzles out without going anywhere and could have been excised entirely without losing anything.
This film is as straightforward and familiar as they come, but the bonding dynamic between BJ and Tae Young is effortlessly warm, amusing, and lighthearted, gradually pulling the viewer into the talent show competition. The songs and choreography are nowhere near as catchy, grandiose, or exciting as many find elsewhere, but they are competent, which is fine in this case, given that it is still a small joy watching this family reunite and come together. It’s too broad in terms of K-Pop as a cultural phenomenon of the moment, but BJ’s character growth, the celebration of music across generations, and a family repaired make K-Pops! Pop just enough.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★
Robert Kojder
