Anderson .Paak stars and directs alongside his son, Soul Rasheed in a formulaic but incredibly energetic and entertaining family comedy filled with lots of tunes.

BJ ( .Paak) is a drummer who fell for Yeji (Jee Young Han) but couldn’t choose between a real romance and possibly more and his music career, which never seems to get any further. A few years later, he’s persuaded to take a job in Korea on a reality show, Wildcard, that plays much like American Idol, but is seeking the next K-Pop star.

If B.J. can get in with Kang (Kevin Woo), and help him win the contest, he could get a whole new shot in the arm for his musical career. But, of course, it’s not going to be that easy, and in a complete non-surprise, B.J. not only finds Yeji again, but her own son, Tae (Rasheed)is also in the contest, and has taken a shine to B.J. not suspecting, at all, his real identity.

It’s predictable, but damn if it isn’t fun. .Paak, Rasheed and Han are wonderful together and separately, and bring a truly vibrant energy to the screen, in what is .Paak’s directorial debut. It’s filled with lots of laughs and lots of enthusiasm, and despite, or because of, its predictability, it ends up being a joyous little crowd-pleaser.

And sometimes that’s what you need, a variation on something you know. This is something B.J. himself touches on when he talks about music with Tae, so those choices are probably intentional.

It’s a fun and joyous film, and makes for a lot of fun to watch. .Paak seems very comfortable in the director’s chair, and his cast are definitely there to play. There are a number of wonderful moments, a lot of laughs, and a great message about family, which you know is going to play out just the way you expect it to.

I really enjoyed this one, it’s a playful ride, has a lot of energy, and knows how to have a great time with its audience. This one is a great one to start wrapping my TIFF up on.

K-Pops screens twice more at TIFF, Friday and Saturday and is a really enjoyable way to kick back and groove.