How do writers (and stars) Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo dive back into the creative swimming pool after the phenomenal success of Bridesmaids? For starters, you wait a number of years and then you come back with Barb & Star Go to Vista Del Mar.
The duo wrote and star in a sublime farce that is utterly charming, surprisingly sentimental, and wholeheartedly hilarious. Whereas Wiig was the star in Bridesmaids and Mumolo merely had a small role, the longtime off-screen pals are clearly basking in the glory that is getting to not only pen a film together again but act opposite one another—starring as best friends whose connection could not be more palpable.
Mumolo plays Barb, while Wiig is Star. As we meet the pair, they are having one of what is probably a million typical conversations between the two that have us hanging on their every comical word. There is something incredibly immediate with this manner of character introduction. Barb and Star are who they are and that comes through immensely in those opening moments. That also accomplishes something important. We are vested in these two and their goings-on from the get-go. Like the most effective of Saturday Night Live skits (of which Wiig was famously a cast member), the characters are so well-drawn and comedically chilling that our tether to them must be established in seconds.
That is exactly what occurs in Barb and Star.
Right before the two suffer a few personal setbacks that shake them to their core, a friend (played by Bridesmaids and The Goldbergs vet Wendi McLendon-Covey) tells them about the titular Florida locale. When the two BFFs, who are also housemates in their Nebraska abode, conclude that there is nothing on their table in the near future, they decide to do something that they’ve never done—take a vacation.
… and we’re off—to Vista Del Mar.
There they meet Jamie Dornan’s Edgar Pagét, who audiences were introduced to earlier and who is central to a conspiracy-driven attack engineered by our villain (who knew such a comedy would have a Zoolander Jacobim Mugatu-type archetype in a Wiig and Mumolo creation?). Our baddie is also played by Wiig, which lets her go full-on-zany. It seems there was some childhood trauma teasing and that has led Wiig’s villain to zero in on the titular Florida locale, a site that happens to find our two leads.
Pagét, Barb, and Star are on a collision course and all the while, the viewer is treated to several movie musical type numbers. They’re all fantastic, but (who would have thought?) it is Dornan’s solo song, Edgar’s Prayer, that almost steals the whole movie!
The reason Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar works is several things. The chemistry between our titular characters could have had us hanging with these ladies all weekend and not simply for a few hours. There is also a world that Mumolo and Wiig have created that exists solely in the movies in the most exaggerated and entertaining way. Isn’t that when comedy is at its best? When it pushes the envelope and introduces us to not only comedic characters but situations that allow them to bring their unique brand of goofy together with other tropes.
In this case, one of those spokes to this funny wheel arrives in the form of a fellow baddie, a child villain (yes, Wiig has company with Reyn Doi’s Yoyo). The world first was introduced to as he was singing Guilty by Barbra Streisand and Barry Gibb in the Barb & Star Go to Vista Del Mar trailer), comedy is at its best.
Some SNL skits have a pointed fault, they go on too long. The same could be said here as the only issue with Barb & Star is that there are a few moments that could have been cut.
Comedies are at their best when they hoover around the 90-minute mark. Del Mar clocks in at one hour and 46 minutes. Perhaps some of the villainy material could have been tightened because we wouldn’t want to lose a single second with Wiig and Mumolo.
When it comes to cleverly thought out, yet still fabulously mindless entertainment, Barb & Star Go to Vista Del Mar is exactly the escape from the world we need right now.
Bonus features, as is the case with most comedies, is heavy on keeping it light and humorous. That is certainly the case with Barb & Star Go to Vista Del Mar.
Start with Barb & Star – Making Life A Little Brighter. This is a 10-minute look at the film through the eyes of the cast and crew as they dissect the tone, feel, and humor that permeates the entire endeavor. It has some priceless insight, particularly from our writers and leads. After witnessing this featurette, I am now firmly demanding that these two get to work on another project… ASAP.
Speaking of funny, the Barb & Star Go To Vista Del Mar Fashion Show is a fantabulous 90-second look at the fashion that defines the film, from their time in Florida to the Talking Club members. They each show off their wares as if they were wearing Valentino and it’s hysterical.
Barb & Star – Casting In Paradise puts its spotlight on the filling out of the ensemble. Every part was played pitch-perfect, so this is a study in casting done right. The 11-minute featurette also is a nice look at how the performers interacted and friendships were formed and further bonded.
There is a blooper reel, which is SIX MINUTES LONG! Usually, on comedy home video releases, the bloopers are merely a few minutes. I guess when you have Wiig and Mumolo (and the rest of the cast for that matter) doing their thing, the bloopers and outtakes will fly like rain.
There are thirteen minutes of Deleted Scenes that are also quite laughable. The one that got me the most… a certain someone’s fear of escalators. I can see why it wasn’t in the film, but it is a treasure—as is the rest.
You’re going to want to, on subsequent viewings, turn on the Audio Commentary. The lively conversation features director Josh Greenbaum, Mumolo and Wiig provide as they provide priceless insight into the making of the movie and also crack us up in the process. This is a must-listen if you loved this movie!
Film Grade: B
Bonus Features: B+