Anderson .Paak is hardly the first musician to sidestep from music to movies, but his filmography to date is extremely thin, mostly consisting of voice roles in kids' projects. That makes K-Pops a big leap for the pop/funk artist, as he directs, stars and co-writes despite his apparent lack of experience. Frankly, I'm impressed he got people to sign off on giving him so much responsibility on his first movie.
I'm even more impressed with the results, since K-Pops is big-hearted, funny and, most importantly, the perfect vehicle for .Paak's megawatt star power.
Although .Paak lacks big-screen experience, he spent pandemic lockdowns making cute YouTube videos with his son Soul Rasheed, and K-Pops builds off the cozy charm of those family clips. .Paak plays BJ, a struggling bandleader who travels to Korea to play drums for a K-pop competition show. There, he meets keen yet awkward contestant Tae Young (Rasheed) and quickly discovers that the youngster is his son from a past relationship. Cute family bonding ensues.
K-Pops isn't aiming for gritty realism, as challenging conversations come surprisingly easily for BJ, who acclimatizes very quickly to fatherhood. This isn't a film about grappling with the pain of absent parents or the disappointment of giving up on your dreams for the wellbeing on your kids. Rather, it's carried by the effortless chemistry of father and son. Rasheed is likeable and easy to root for, while .Paak is simply magnetic: his smile is huge, his singing and drumming are excellent, and his charisma is impossible to deny.
With infectious tunes, celebrity cameos, and a steady stream of self-deprecating jokes that poke fun at .Paak without ever actually making him look bad, K-Pops is feel-good fun. I'm always skeptical of a pop star who uses their celebrity status to leverage themselves a film deal, but .Paak absolutely owns his Hollywood breakthrough moment.
The 2024 Toronto International Film Festival runs September 5–15. Get information about tickets and screening at TIFF's website.