The fun had by the creative trio behind "Motherlover" did not stop at Saturday Night Live, where they became known for their can't-miss digital shorts. The Lonely Island - consisting of Andy Samberg, Jorma Taccone and Akiva Schaffer - have consistently dipped their feet into film waters as well.
Whether as stars, writers or producers, The Lonely Island's uniquely eclectic, always irreverent and never drop-dead hilarious approach to storytelling is always felt when they are involved. The following ten films represent their ten feature-length collaborations as a group, with recent releases featuring their "Lonely Island Classics" production banner.
Extreme Movie - 3.7
An underappreciated, early collaboration with the creative tag team of Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, Extreme Movie sought to catch heat with the same audiences who appreciated absurdist spoofing done to death at that time by Scary Movie-followers like Date Movie, Epic Move and, of course, Disaster Movie.
Starring an immediately post-Superbad Michael Cera, the film should be seen before judged by its tongue-in-cheekily photoshopped DVD cover.
I Used To Go Here - 5.5
Their latest outing - a comedy/drama starring Gillian Jacobs as an author who travels back to her alma matter at the end of a book tour - plays a tad against their usual type of film.
However, it follows in the footsteps of other recent releases like a superior 2020 film, together suggesting the comedy group is much more than the boat they rode in on with their flippy floppies.
MacGruber - 5.5
Directed by Lonely Island member, Jorma Taccone, MacGruber stars frequent Lonely Island collaborator and fellow SNL alum Will Forte as the titular special operations agent.
Having debuted the MacGyver-spoofing character on SNL in 2007, Forte and the Lonely Island-mates helped bring him to the silver screen in 2010, and are sending him to Peacock with a forthcoming sequel series.
The Watch - 5.7
Akiva Schaffer's second directorial outing is his lone feature-length that did not star Sandberg. Instead, it features a lineup of comedic all-stars including Vince Vaughn, Ben Stiller and Jonah Hill.
Additionally, the alien invasion-concerned comedy - originally written for a teenage audience - brought in Seth Rogen and his writing partner, Evan Goldberg, to give the script an R-rated polish.
Michael Bolton's Big, Sexy Valentine's Day Special - 6.7
Though not as memorable as the singer's recurring presence in The Lonely Island's "Captain Jack Sparrow" single, Bolton's Valentine's Day Netflix special features a one-sentence description not surpassed by many.
"When Santa's elves make too many toys for Christmas, Michael Bolton must star in a Valentine's Day special to encourage couples to make love and conceive 75,000 babies" is so ridiculous that either no one - or in the special's case, over 20+ well-known guest appearances - would show to co-star.
Hot Rod - 6.7
Originally written by Pam Brady (South Park) as a vehicle for Will Ferrell, The Lonely Island rewrote the film into their debut: a quantifiable cult classic that popularized the short-hand phrase, "cool beans."
As an in-over-his-head daredevil, Sandberg shined. So too did the funnymen surrounding him; especially Taccone, Bill Hader, Danny McBride, and an admirably-committed to post-Deadwood palette-cleansing, Ian McShane.
Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping - 6.7
The Internet has helped reclaim the best rock-doc musical mockumentary since This is Spinal Tap that underperformed at the box-office, yet immediately - like many Lonely Island films - gained cult status.
Starring Samberg as 'Connor4Real' - a balls-to-the-wall caricature amalgam of Justin Bieber and an 'N*S*Y*N*C-era Justin Timberlake - Popstar shares more similarities to ESPN's The Last Dance docuseries than one would initially think.
The Unauthorized Bash Brothers Experience - 7.0
The 30-plus minute visual poem may be more than a music video, but it is certainly not less than cinema.
At the time, no one could have predicted the troupe's next starring vehicle would have called for two of three Islanders to rap their way through the highs and lows of late-1980s MLB superstars, former Oakland Athletics sluggers Jose Canseco (Samberg) and Mark McGwire (Schaffer). 'Tis the beauty of The Lonely Island's process.
Brigsby Bear - 7.3
Those who feel Kyle Mooney may be underused on SNL should look no further than Brigsby Bear, the 2017 indie film for which he received star billing.
Covering the beauty of friendship and filmmaking, and the virtue to be found in becoming lost in one's favorite show, Brigsby Bear represented a turning point in The Lonely Island's oeuvre. Those who make it through most of the film without realizing The Lonely Island's association will be entertained by a third act Samberg cameo meant to remind viewers the trio's brand breeds more than one dimension.
Palm Springs - 7.4
To a similar tune as Brigsby Bear before it, Palm Springs shows even more evidence as to The Lonely Island's future in blending comedy with genres its earlier fans never predicted it would soon come to conquer.
This go-around, Samberg deploys his romantic leading man chops previously seen in Celeste and Jesse Forever, while basking in critically-acclaimed on-screen chemistry with his time-loop-trapped partner-in-crime, Cristin Milioti.