"Barb and Star" is Delightfully Bizarre

I don't really miss the "Austin Powers" films, or the "Zoolander" films, or anything else from the sketch comedy-infused parodies of the 1990s and 2000s. I suspect that because I didn't know that "Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar" was a throwback to this era of comedy, it caught me by surprise, and ended up landing better with me than any of those films ever did. Maybe it's just because I respond better to the kitschy charms of a pair of middle-aged midwestern ladies who just want to go on vacation, than the charms of Austin Powers or Derek Zoolander.


In any case, "Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar" is a weird, but terribly charming movie. Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo, who previously co-wrote "Bridesmaids" together, are back again, both writing and starring in this feature as Barb (Mumolo) and Star (Wiig). We first meet these two culotte-clad besties as they're being fired from their jobs at a Jennifer Convertibles, and then being ousted from their "talking club" for lying about it. So, they decide to go to the beach town of Vista Del Mar, Florida for a vacation to forget their troubles. Alas, at the same time the evil Dr. Lady (also Wiig) has dispatched her faithful henchman Edgar (Jamie Dornan), to unleash a fiendish plot to kill all the inhabitants of Vista Del Mar with weaponized mosquitos. Yes, it is *that* kind of movie.


The film milks the absurdist premise for all it's worth, following both the mundane and outlandish adventures of Barb and Star in a universe that keeps getting stranger and nuttier as the film goes on. There are spontaneous musical numbers, talking animals, ridiculous action sequences, and celebrity cameos. However, some of the best gags are the simpler ones, like a hotel pianist named Richard Cheese (Mark Jonathan Davis) who sings very inappropriate lyrics, or the talking club being lead by the despotic Debbie (Vanessa Bayer). Barb and Star themselves turn out to be quite loveable, leaning hard into every stereotype of being whitebread midwestern women in their 40s. They talk incessantly, are aggressively pleasant, and love shopping for the cheapest and tackiest items imaginable. On the other hand, they also turn out to be very receptive to having a drug-fueled threesome with a handsome stranger.


The biggest problem I see with "Barb and Star" is that it's not as funny as it could be. It's a solid feel-good movie and a nice escape from reality - especially for those of us still stuck in quarantine - but I found myself more happily distracted by the pretty colors and threats of impending doom than actually laughing. And I expect that it's probably only going to really appeal to a particular niche of viewers - a little older, and a little nostalgic for the glory days of '90s sketch comedy. It also helps to have actually encountered women like Barb and Star before, just to have a cultural point of reference. I suspect this one was dumped on VOD, because the film's distributor couldn't figure out what to do with it.


Still, this is a rare bird that deserves appreciation. I appreciate how oddly wholesome the film is. It's got plenty of sex jokes and some profanity, but it never gets as crass as you might expect it to. As ridiculous as it gets, at its core it remains a sweet-natured movie about the power of friendship. Barb and Star's relationship woes drive the story, and are always relatable and sympathetic. While it's fun to watch Kristen Wiig's take on her very own Dr. Evil figure, she's more entertaining as Star. Annie Mumolo also needs to be in way more movies, as Barb is a delight. And learning that Jamie Dornan has such good comedic timing is the film's best surprise.


Alas, Vista Del Mar isn't a real place, but I'm glad we got to visit.

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