Movie Review: Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar

In the early days of the summer movie season in 2011, a little movie that actors Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo wrote called Bridesmaids hit theaters. The romantic dramedy morphed into a full blown sensation that earned widespread acclaim, grossed nearly $300 million worldwide and catapulted cast MVP Melissa McCarthy into superstardom. After writing something that was so well-liked and financially successful, a quick turnaround for their next collaboration seemed likely-but it never materialized as the next several years saw Mumolo landing some solo writing (Megan Leavey, a script for Joy that David O. Russell rewrote) and supporting acting gigs (Bad Moms, The Boss) while Wiig's star status increased with roles in films like Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues, The Martian and Ghostbusters. After about roughly 10 years apart as collaborators, Mumolo and Wiig have finally reunited as writers and for the first time, co-leads with Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar-a genuinely surprising and great comedy that adds another winner to their short yet impressive collaborative resume.

Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar is the type of colorful, joke-a-minute absurdist comedy that is spiritually reminiscent of titles like Zoolander, Wet Hot American Summer and Hot Rod that developed cult followings after stumbling at the box office during the 2000's. Even providing hints of what takes place here would ruin the fun, but let's just say chipper, single midwestern best friends Barb (Mumolo) and Star (Wiig) get more than they more bargained for when they travel to a hotel in Vista Del Mar, Florida that's billed as a paradise for middle aged people. Random asides, increasingly insane plot developments and callbacks to seemingly innocuous jokes well after they were made are the backbone of this movie and the primary source of the bizzaro joy it provides. Wiig and Mumolo are at their comedic peaks as these unadventurous 40-something women who get sucked into a bold new world that is well beyond the mundane small town Nebraska existence they know and their terrifically cast cohorts including a scene-stealing Jamie Dornan as a key supporting character that couldn't possibly be further from the stone serious roles he's known for (The Huntsman on Once Upon a Time..., Christian Grey in the Fifty Shades trilogy) and Damon Wayans Jr. as a mysterious visitor to the hotel seamlessly commit to every wacky, surrealist left turn that the leading ladies put into the script. How Wiig and Mumolo were able to secure funding from a non-streaming distributor for a movie that completely lacks the commercial viability of Bridesmaids is beyond me, but I'm happy that Lionsgate stepped up and allowed them to make something that is so consistently stupid, weird and laugh out loud funny without any sort of notable creative interference.         

Grade: B+