Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar (2021)

Director:

Josh Greenbaum

Writers:

Annie Mumolo

Kristen Wiig

Starring:

Kristen Wiig

Annie Mumolo

Jamie Dornan

Blurb:

Lifelong friends Barb and Star embark on the adventure of a lifetime when they decide to leave their small Midwestern town for the first time – ever.

Review:

At this point in quarantine, I’m starved for new entertainment. Disney+ TV shows are nice, but I need movies. Movies that I enjoy. Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar hit that mark and then some. It was over the top hilarious, and I can’t count the number of times I laughed out loud.

Barb and Star, Annie Mumolo, and Kristen Wiig, are able to maintain the heaviest Midwest accent out there with ease. They lean hard into the stereotype, and just when it could get boring, they throw you for a loop by doing something completely unexpected. All the while, taking it in stride like it was no big deal. The comfort they have with who they are and the fact that they don’t try to change their base selves is perfect.

The movie is about them getting their groove back, so to say. They’re in a rut after losing both of their husbands. When they were young, they were fun-loving and spontaneous, and that’s missing from their lives.

Barb and Star isn’t just about them rediscovering themselves. There is a mass murder plot and a romance. Seriously, the film has it all, and yet it doesn’t feel like it’s trying to accomplish too much. It doesn’t feel rushed and hits all the comedy beats. I hope to see more from Wiig and Mumolo in the future. They seem like a match made in heaven.

I watched this movie through Amazon’s Prime video rental.

4/5