Josh Greenbaum directs “Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar,” a comedy that features both Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo at its helm. The film follows two lifelong friends as they set off on their first vacation from their small midwestern town to Vista Del Mar in Florida.
Mumolo and Wiig are Barb and Star, two best friends from mid-west America. They decide to take a long-needed vacation after being let go from their retail jobs so they head to the beachside town of Vista Del Mar. Unbeknownst to the residents and tourists, mad scientist Sharon Gordon Fisherman (also Wiig) is planning her revenge on the town, putting them all in grave danger. While enjoying their vacation, Barb and Star meet Edgar (Jamie Dornan), Sharon’s henchman who is in love with her. Both ladies soon develop crushes on Edgar, who eventually falls for one of them and joins forces with the zany duo to take Sharon down.
The casting here is amazing. Wiig and Mumolo are the perfect people to play this humdrum duo. Dornan has taken a little detour from his more drama-focused filmography, playing the film’s handsome hunk. Wiig doesn’t just play Star, she also plays the film’s manipulative villain, becoming almost unrecognisable with makeup and a wig. The film is a reunion for the cast of the 2011 hit-comedy “Bridesmaids,” with Kristen Wiig, Annie Mumolo, and Wendi McLendon-Covey all starring in the Oscar-nominated film. Viewers will be surprised to find out that Morgan Freeman’s supposed cameo wasn’t actually the famous actor’s voice, but instead a Morgan Freeman impersonator.
Jamie Dornan as Edgar in “Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar.” Photo: Cate Cameron.
The technical side of “Barb and Star” is surprisingly impressive. The script is well-written and the cinematography works well with the aesthetic. Both Wiig and Mumolo served as writers for the film and their comedy is quirky while being incredibly charming. Something that makes “Barb and Star” such a hit or miss film is that if you get the comedy, it’s hilarious, but if you don’t, you will soon become bored with what’s happening on screen. The comedic factor is its biggest hit, as well as its biggest downfall. It’s subjective, but if you’re on the film’s wavelength, it will soon become one of your ‘feel good’ films of 2021. Even though it gets off to a questionable start, once you’re out of the first act, it begins to pick up and becomes an enjoyable film to watch.
“Barb and Star” isn’t a film that deals with heavy social issues/themes. It also can’t help but sit on the fence between being a kid’s movie with adult comedy, but that’s something that makes it suited for both older and younger viewers. It doesn’t tackle any deep, moralistic ideas—it’s just two friends on holiday taking down a menacing villain.
Overall, “Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar” is one of the films to come out of the first half of 2021 that might not be award-winning, but is still a pleasant film to watch. The film features great performances from the whole cast, great visuals, and an engaging and fun plot to match.
