I'm Glad Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping Is Streaming, But There's Another Underrated Lonely Island Film On Netflix I Urge People To Check Out

After rewatching Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping on Netflix recently, I am still shocked and dismayed that it tanked upon release, for which The Lonely Island blames the Justin Bieber-heavy marketing. Despite its box office bomb, the hilarious mockumentary style music industry satire, starring Andy Samberg as talentless, witless musician Conner4Real, has earned a cult following, for which I am certainly thankful.

However, Popstar is not quite my favorite Lonely Island project outside of their hilarious SNL Digital Shorts and awesome music videos. It’s a special, also available with a Netflix subscription, that I literally happened to stumble upon accidentally years ago and with zero prior knowledge of its existence. Because I have rarely seen any discussion about it since, I would not be surprised if you have never even heard of it before. If not, allow me to be the one to proudly introduce you to The Unauthorized Bash Brothers Experience.

The Unauthorized Bash Brothers Experience Is An Overlooked Gem

Released in 2019, The Unauthorized Bash Brothers Experience is a visual album (billed as a “visual poem”) revisiting the lives and careers of professional baseball players Jose Canseco and Mark McGwire through a parodic, hip-hop-infused lens. Samberg portrays Canseco and Akiva Schaffer (who also co-directs with Mike Diva) plays “Big Mac,” while third Lonely Island member, Jorma Taccone, shows up a few times as a TV sports journalist, fellow MLB player Walt Weiss, and NFL quarterback Joe Montana.

The 30-minute special takes place during the late 1980s, when the duo led the Oakland Athletics to a World Series-winning season thanks to performance-enhancing drugs, which is referenced heavily throughout. Yet, Canseco apparently agrees that this is one of the best movies about sports on Netflix, having reportedly loved Bash Brothers, according to Mercury News.

An Interest In Baseball Is Not Required, But Viewer Discretion Definitely Is

If anyone had produced it other than The Lonely Island, I probably would have never clicked on Bash Brothers, speaking as someone who has very little interest in sports despite having grown up in the home of Mark McGwire’s last MLB team, the St. Louis Cardinals. Luckily, knowledge or even remote interest in professional athletics is not required to enjoy this special, which is on fire with ingeniously crafted, gut-busting rhymes and transfixing visuals that should not belong in a comedy short about baseball, but never feel misplaced.

Though, I should mention that, as any fan of of The Lonely Island might anticipate, things get pretty dirty in Bash Brothers, perhaps even filthier than anything the trio has put out before (sans when Judd Apatow showed his penis in Popstar, maybe). The pervasive references to McGwire and Canseco’s drug use are nothing compared to their (likely fictional) sexual exploits, as described in graphic detail in one of the album’s most banging tracks, “Oakland Nights.” That actually brings me to one of the special’s most essential moments.

It Features, Arguably, The Best Cameo In A Lonely Island Project

From their pre-recorded SNL sketches to their beloved feature films, The Lonely Island has been known to incorporate some amazing celebrity cameos into their work. As far as I am concerned, the one to top them all appears in Bash Brothers, courtesy of Sterling K. Brown.

Grammy nominee Sia sings the chorus for “Oakland Nights,” which describes Canseco and McGwire’s affinity for “silk robes and kimonos,” but the “Chandelier” artist does not appear in the special. Standing in to lip sync her lyrics is Brown, who had previously worked with Samberg in one of the best Brooklyn Nine-Nine episodes (which earned him an Emmy nod). The Academy Award nominee does some of his best work in Bash Brothers, giving his all while dancing in, indeed, a silk robe and a wig boasting Sia’s signature, bi-color hair style.

You know, there is actually one renowned Lonely Island title I have yet to see, but want to now more than ever, which is 2007’s Hot Rod. I’ll have to bust out my Paramount+ subscription to check out that irreverent comedy some time soon. In the meantime, if you have not yet, do yourself a favor and witness the ambiitous masterpiece that is The Unauthorized Bash Brothers Experience on Netflix.