Kristen Wiig (Saturday Night Live, Wonder Woman 1984) and Annie Mumolo (This Is 40 ) — the Oscar nominated writing duo behind the 2011 box office hit Bridesmaids — are reunited in this flawed absurdist comedy courtesy of director Josh Greenbaum (Too Funny to Fail).
Produced by Will Ferrell, Adam McKay and Margot Hand, Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar stars co-writers Wiig and Mumolo as two best friends from a small midwestern town who embark on the adventure of a lifetime after booking a holiday to Florida.
Barb (Mumolo) and Star (Wiig) are left in shock when the store they’ve worked at together for most their lives suddenly closes leaving them jobless and with a lot more time on their hands. After weighing up their options, the duo settle for a holiday to Florida to get away from their humdrum lives. They soon find themselves tangled up in adventure, love and an evil villain’s plot to kill everyone at the sunny resort — but can they thwart the plan before it’s too late?
As much as it pains me to say it, Barb and Star is simply nowhere near as funny as its trailer would have you believe. There are moments of joyous high camp and a commendable Kitschy quality about it, and that is all very much welcome, but with a duo this funny and this talented one would have expected something a great sight more entertaining than whatever this is. Beside the usual deadpan and cartoonish Saturday Night Live-style deliveries we’ve come to expect from Wiig — which function brilliantly in that setting - the film often fails to make a convincing argument for its existence.
Still, Wiig and Mumolo are undeniably likeable as the hapless middle-aged best friends, but someone ought to have reminded them to write funnier lines and perhaps a more engaging storyline. For his part Jamie Dornan gives. what can only be described as, a “deer in the headlights” performance as the duo’s love interest, but it is nevertheless encouraging to see him step out of the smouldering lothario archetype he’s been saddled with since starring as Christian Grey in the Fifty Shades franchise.
Elsewhere, up-and-coming child actor Reyn Doi puts in brilliantly self-aware turn as evil sidekick Yoyo, while fellow Bridesmaids cast member Wendi McLendon-Covey is great in an all too brief appearance as the girls best friend Mickey.
Overall, Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar is nothing much to write home about, which is a real shame considering the calibre of writing and acting talent on offer. Still, for those who are happy to overlook all the silliness, there is a good buddy movie somewhere deep within this film dying to come out.
