Barb & Star Go to Vista Del Mar

This is just the sort of silly, technicolour, batsh*t crazy comedy that the world needs right now. A genuine ray of sunshine that should put a smile on even the most cynical viewer’s face.

Premise: When 40-something best friends Barb (Annie Mumolo) and Star (Kristen Wiig) lose their jobs they decide to leave their hometown for the first time and visit the Florida holiday resort of Vista Del Mar. But once there they become caught up in the plan of an evil mastermind (also Kristen Wiig) and her lovelorn henchman (Jamie Dornan), who are determined to destroy the town using weaponised mosquitoes.

Review:

Although Barb & Star Go to Vista Del Mar is written by Annie Mumolo and Kristen Wiig (the writing team behind 2011’s massive hit Bridesmaids), it’s important to know going into this film that this is not a “grounded” comedy in the same vein as Bridesmaids. Instead, it channels the surreal, heightened reality of films like Austin Powers, Anchorman and Hot Rod, where everyone and everything are just a little bit larger than real life.

This eccentricity not only extends from the characters (especially Kristen Wiig’s second role as the evil, albino mastermind concocting plans from her hidden lair, and who feels like a spiritual successor to Austin Powers’ Doctor Evil) to the plot (which involves a plan to use remote controlled mosquitoes to punish the town of Vista Del Mar for a childhood incident), but also to the film itself, which incorporates not one but two full on musical numbers. (In fact, the second musical number is probably the comedy high point of the film.)

“…Annie Mumolo & Kristen Wiig absolutely carry the film, both in front of & behind the camera…”

As with all such heightened comedies, it might not be to everyone’s taste, and it might take you a few moments to “tune in” to the film’s comedic wavelength, but if you go with the flow you’re in for an absolute treat. Personally, I was fully on board by the time the weird, 80’s lip-synced credit sequence was over, but the film really takes off once Barb and Star themselves take centre stage. Whilst I’m sure there was some improv on set, having the film’s writers Annie Mumolo and Kristen Wiig play Barb and Star means that the comedy back-and-forth feels honed and refined, with each conversation packed full of little linguistic gems. Although I’ve only seen the film once so far, I imagine it’s the kind of movie where you’ll pick up on new favourite lines on each repeat viewing.

Although Annie Mumolo and Kristen Wiig absolutely carry the film (both in front of and behind the camera), I think the movie’s comedic secret weapon may just be Jamie Dornan. I’ve never seen Jamie Dornan play a comedy role before, but he’s absolutely hilarious in this movie, playing it straight and sending up his heart-throb image to great comedic effect. Although Annie Mumolo and Kristen Wiig deliver most of the film’s funny lines, it’s Jamie Dornan who arguably gets the lion’s share of the laugh-out-loud moments.

“…the beating (silly) heart of the film is the comedy double act between Barb & Star…”

Alongside Wiig, Mumolo and Dornan as the leads, first time feature-film director Josh Greenbaum has assembled a great supporting cast. Some, like Vanessa Bayer, Wendi McLendon-Covey and Phyllis Smith (all of whom you’ll recognise on screen even if their names don’t ring a bell) appear in relatively small roles, but they all get their moment to steal the show with a killer line or moment. Damon Wayans Jr also appears in a supporting role, playing a character that is so ridiculous he comes out the other side of silly to become comedy genius. There are also a couple of cameos later on in the film that I won’t spoil here.

Ultimately, the beating (silly) heart of the film is the comedy double act between Barb and Star, which feels like a worthy continuation of those SNL double act characters like Wayne and Garth. And like the best comedy characters, for all their eccentricities Barb and Star always manage to stay the right side of likeable, and never become irritating or grating.

“…escape to a primary-coloured world of absurdity, seashell souvenirs & talking crabs…”

In the end, like all heightened comedies, there will be some people who just can’t get over how “stupid” the film is – but for the rest of us, this really is the bright, silly ray of sunshine that we all need right now. The current state of the world is pretty much endlessly depressing, but for a couple of hours you can escape to a primary-coloured world of absurdity, seashell souvenirs and talking crabs – and who doesn’t need that right now?