Barb & Star Go To Vista Del Mar (2021 | USA | 106 minutes | Josh Greenbaum)
In a sea of art house films with emotional depth that leaves you thinking for days and horror films that might just keep you up at night, Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar is a wacky nugget of joy that we all need right now. Not only do we all wish we could safely go on some kind of vacation (even if it’s in our own town).
After losing their jobs, 40-something besties Barb (Annie Mumolo) and Star (Kristen Wiig) are in desperate need to discover themselves. Serendipitously, they get a brochure from a friend and decide their respite will be at Vista Del Mar in Florida, a tourist destination with sand, sun and lots of adventure (including a ride on the banana boat)! A series of misadventures, sexy encounters and many many boob jokes later they have a run-in with a villainess that closely resembles a cross between Powder and Dr Evil (also played by Wiig). A short time later they realize they have to foil her evil plot to kill vacationers and the hijinks continue.
Wiig was stellar, even in this ridiculous goofball of a role, which if I’m honest, is where she shines extra brightly anyway. What sent this movie into true hilarity was her co-star. Mumolo wasn’t simply a sidekick, she was able to keep up with Wiig, and at times take center stage in this madcap storyline. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the eye candy character Edgar played by the beautiful Irishman Jamie Dornan. A far cry from his Shades of Grey days, Dornan’s Edgar is a clingy nitwit who, in the end, adds a bit of sweetness and a lot beefcake. Oddly his role didn’t annoy me like Hemsworth’s in the Ghostbusters reboot. Even his weird ballet dance break looked legit: pointed toes, graceful moves and all.
I’ll be straight, I felt like I’d taken mushrooms before starting up this goony story but it was precisely what I needed. These days I get a bit turned off by simple yet ridiculous screwball comedies a la Will Ferrell in Eurovision Song Contest or A Night at the Roxbury (which makes sense because he is one of Barb and Star’s producers), but this time every weird musical dance break, floppy boob joke, and awkward sex scene just worked. I couldn’t tell you what that magical element is (maybe the fantastic nearly-all female cast?) but it just works. I wouldn’t call it a classic in the making like Anchorman or Bridesmaids, but a solid effort nonetheless.