Rob’s Review:
Full disclosure; I HATE Andy Samberg, who is one part of the “comedy” trio known as The Lonely Island. He has never done anything that remotely made me smile, grin, or even curl my lip in a positive way. True Rob fans will know how powerful this loathing I have for Samberg is with this statement: Pete Davidson is a far more talented comedian and better human being than Andy Samberg.
With that said, I grew up an Oakland A’s fan and was fortunate enough to have parents who sacrificed a great deal to get us season tickets throughout my high school years. All of which culminated with three straight trips to the World Series and the age of Jose Canseco and Mark McGwire, known as the “bash brothers,” for their mammoth home-runs and signature “forearm bash,” celebration. The Lonely Island’s members — Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone — grew up around Oakland during Canseco and McGwire’s glory years with the A’s, as did I, so I thought maybe, just maybe, they’d be able to interpret the events of the day in a way that would speak to me.
Boy, was I wrong. In this mockumentary, we get what is billed as a 30-minute rap album that is supposed to shine light on how quickly stardom can come and then be ripped away. While their portrayal is filled with loving nods and references to the late ’80s and early ’90s, the trio seems more interested in using the players as archetypes than providing any sort of nostalgic exploration. You don’t need to be familiar with, or even care about, any particular team to follow the story; in fact, they could have basically changed a few words and done the exact same thing as a biopic of the 2010-2014 San Francisco Giants. For some reason, the entire story arc centers around Canseco and McGwire having daddy issues, which makes no sense and is based in no sense of reality, especially if you know the devastatingly close relationship McGwire has with his father.
In the end, I suppose if you find these clowns (The lonely Island) funny, you’ll find this special amusing and joyful. You certainly don’t need to be a baseball fan or an old person to relate to whatever it is they think they’re presenting to us, so have at it. Just please don’t invite me over.
