Barb & Star go to the Vista Del Mar review: a masterpiece of comedy ready for cult status

The new comedy Barb and Star go to Vista Del Mar makes money on all the popular credibility accumulated by screenwriters Kristin Wiig and Annie Mumolo after the phenomenon of Bridesmaids, then puts it into the biggest use of all: silly, bizarre, ecstatic jokes.

The bits are executed with extreme confidence; when the pair struts in khakis and permanent breeches larger than life, it’s as if they’ve spent the last 10 years working in SNL like the two sparkling middle-aged Midwesterners. But like Austin Powers or Andy Samberg’s Pop star alter ego Connor4Real, Wiig and Mumolo invented Barb and Star exclusively for a ridiculous adventure in the sun. Also like Austin Powers and Pop star, this kind of bold stab generally finds recognition only years after failure. We won’t know if the movie would have suffered the same box office problems in its original planned theatrical release (COVID blocks are sending it directly to VOD services), but, come on, we know. Fate does Barb and Star go to Vista Del Mar a cult film on arrival, waiting to be discovered.

After losing their jobs at Jennifer’s Convertibles, best friends Barb (Mumolo) and Star (Wiig) find themselves in an existential crisis. Not only did they depend on the furniture store’s dinner service to receive Thanksgiving dinner, but they also sold sofas purpose. Lying about layoffs to friends and getting kicked out of the Talking Club (“Talking Club’s first rule: always tell the truth”) only accelerates your depressive spiral. When a friend returns from a rejuvenating vacation in Florida, women run from Soft Rock, Nebraska, to Vista Del Mar in search of sun, sand and a possible sexual relationship with a man. “It smells like red lobster!” Barb proclaims paradise.

Photos: Cate Cameron / Lionsgate

What Wiig and Mumolo offer for 90 minutes can only be described as comedy off-road. Whether improvisation or the result of years inside each other’s heads, the material radiates from the canvas. The two actors chatter about everything from raccoon sleeping patterns to lip piercings and the great art of ballroom singer Richard Cheese. And yet, everything is also necessary; Does Mumolo know exactly how to pronounce “Don Chee-adle?” and Wiig has the perfect look to respond accordingly. When they hit the dance floor to enjoy a remix of Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On”, these strange sensibilities flood the screen. They created their own film, and everything from the pastel production design to the punctuated camera work is in its eccentric wavelength.

Unexpectedly, Barb and Star go to Vista Del Mar accommodates Wiig with a second role: Sharon Gordon Fisherman, an albino villain with a thirst for revenge against Vista Del Mar. Assisted by his kidnapped son Yo-Yo (Reyn Doi) and his number two, Edgar (Jamie Dornan), who hopes to one day reach an “official couple” with his boss, Sharon plans to destroy the coastal community by unleashing a wave of killer mosquitoes. Wiig plays the evildoer as equal parts Cate Blanchett and Johnny Depp’s Willy Wonka, laughing out loud as he watches Edgar execute his plan – or try. The henchman finally catches Barb and Star’s attention, and while the two compete for their affection, he is equally intoxicated by the prospect of true love. It is the perfect role for Dornan, whose typical stoic personality melts to reveal a passionate romantic who will sing a song to profess his love. Yes, of course this film has a large number of beach music.

Photo: Cate Cameron / Lionsgate

The absurd logic of Barb & Star it gives way to what I can only assume are the wildest dreams of Wiig and Mumolo – and it is a thrill to see them come to life without restrictions. After the success of Bridesmaids, it was never very clear which boxes employees would fill. Wiig has become the unlikely indie darling in films like Welcome to me, The skeleton twins, and The diary of a teenager, while Hollywood hoped to connect it to IP vehicles like Ghostbusters. Mumolo bet on her Bridesmaids Oscar-nominated script in both performances (she wrote the first drafts of the Jennifer Lawrence drama Happiness before David O. Russell took control and turned it into the final product) and a series of TV jobs, but nothing on the scale of his hit comedy. Barb & Star sees the convention wall collapse, allowing two Groundlings veterans to enter their natural habitat. “Your dong went up and touched my heart” seems like a phrase that someone has been dying to say since day one.

Freedom leads to excess. The good guy. From spy movie scenarios to Pringles Can Man’s comments about sex, Barb and Star go to Vista Del Mar put it all out, as if Wiig and Mumolo know that this is their only chance to be themselves. Fortunately, for fans of blatantly stupid humor, there are no difficult patches. For spectators who are not, the whole thing can be … a difficult journey. Perhaps Barb expresses it better when describing his wild and bumpy banana boat ride: “It’s a real touchy one!”

Barb & Star Go to Vista Del Mar debuts on PVOD platforms on February 12th.