An ego-tripping dad hogs the spotlight at a Korean idol competition in ‘K-Pops!’

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Anderson .Paak is a remarkably positive and talented neo-soul singer with 13 Grammy Awards. Growing up in Oxnard, California, he started playing drums in church, always believing he was meant to perform. Despite a difficult childhood – including having both parents incarcerated – and being of mixed Black and Korean heritage, he’s become known for his upbeat personality and inspiring outlook on life.

He’ll take the criticism of his first film, “K-Pops!” in stride. It mirrors the attitude of his character, B.J., who cheerfully says, “Haters gonna hate,” and for the first time, it felt genuine.

The movie, written with Khaila Amazan, follows a drummer relentlessly pursuing his big break. We’re introduced to .Paak’s character, B.J., in 2009 Los Angeles, playing in a live band for karaoke night alongside his bandmates, the Free Nationals. Despite a clear lack of support, B.J. firmly believes the audience is there to see him. He’s a flashy performer who models himself after Bootsy Collins and confidently predicts he’ll become the next Phil Collins, convinced success is just one song away.

Twelve years later, when the story jumps forward, B.J. is still as confident as ever. The bar owner (Jonnie Park, also known as the rapper Dumbfoundead) and B.J.’s mom (Yvette Nicole Brown, who clearly enjoyed her role) team up to send him overseas, hoping to finally have some time to flirt with each other. This sends the cocky B.J. to South Korea to try and revive his career on “Wildcard,” a reality show where 52 hopeful K-pop stars compete for a single win. B.J. isn’t a contestant himself—he’s part of the band—but he’s determined to get close to Kang (Kevin Woo, from “KPop Demon Hunters” and formerly of the boy band U-KISS), who’s already a fan favorite.

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Anderson .Paak’s new film, “K-Pops!,” which he both directed and stars in alongside his son Soul, began as a way for them to bond over their shared love of K-pop during the pandemic. It will premiere in Los Angeles theaters on Tuesday.

The “Wildcard” storyline feels pointless. The K-Pop training program is known for being incredibly tough, and the show’s harsh host, Diamond, has already narrowed the contestants down to the very best. However, these supposed stars mostly seem unskilled, relying on talents like nunchucks and mime instead. The movie first portrays B.J. as average and out of touch, then surprisingly makes him an advisor – it’s like someone unqualified trying to teach at a top culinary school, suggesting students use cheap substitutes in classic dishes.

The film includes a brief, cheerful presentation on Korean music, led by Tae Young, the adorable 11-year-old son of .Paak (whose real name is Soul Rasheed). It doesn’t take long for the movie’s energetic and optimistic tone to convince us that Tae Young is the long-lost son of B.J. and his former girlfriend, Yeji (played by Jee Young Han). He grew up in Seoul believing Idris Elba was his father, though he’s never actually met him. A particularly funny moment is a sad image of Elba on the cover of the Tyler Perry film “Daddy’s Little Girls.”

Rasheed is a talented performer with a convincing British accent and a naturally confident stage presence, developed from creating his own comedy videos online. .Paak says he cast Rasheed because of his charisma and love for K-pop, though he jokingly noted Rasheed seemed more interested in the band Slipknot during filming. I personally would have liked to see a story exploring that interest, or one that focused more on Tae’s drive to win the “Wildcard” competition. The movie features a couple of unnecessary fart jokes, and while it finally lets Rasheed showcase his singing and dancing, it’s a shame there wasn’t more of it – he’s quite good!

Before people bring up Jaden Smith as a warning – he was also launched into acting by his famous father, Will Smith – it’s important to remember he was actually a talented young actor. The negative reaction to his choices overshadowed his abilities. Here, Smith plays a judge called a “Wildcard,” alongside DJ Diplo, and the show cleverly features a cameo by Saweetie. The script also casually mentions Anderson .Paak’s famous friends and collaborators, like André 3000, Dr. Dre, Childish Gambino, and Bruno Mars.

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Ultimately, this feels like an opportunity for Anderson .Paak to showcase his personality. The movie includes extra scenes of his character, B.J., enjoying himself – like dancing in a taxi or even ripping his pants during a performance. (His stylish outfits are designed by Bao Tranchi.) While the film acknowledges B.J.’s self-absorption with some jokes, these moments don’t quite work because the movie seems overly eager to keep the focus on him.

The show wants us to understand that B.J. needs to step back and let his son shine. However, his personality makes that impossible, both for the character and the actor playing him. Looking back, the title hints that the story wasn’t really about K-pop at all – it was always about Pops figuring out how to be a good father.

Despite its length, the film has some memorable moments. These include a strange and beautiful dream sequence set in a church, a humorous fried chicken commercial, and a clever animated segment showing Yeji desperately trying to get her boyfriend’s attention during their breakup – depicted by her clinging to his headphones. The film’s most impactful scene centers on B.J. teaching his son about his Black American artistic heritage. He explains, “The Jacksons paved the way for BTS,” emphasizing the influence of funk and rock, and even manages to join Earth, Wind & Fire onstage during a concert to illustrate his point.

The film makes a compelling point, and it would have been great to see that theme developed further. Now is the perfect moment – and Daniel Paak ( .Paak) could be the ideal lead – to seriously examine the growing influence of Eastern music on the Top 40 charts. For a long time, Americans have assumed our dominance in pop culture was natural, but this story feels more like a self-indulgent experience.

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2026-02-27 00:31