|
MOVIE REVIEW
'Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar' Is A Bizarre Comedy That Offers An Escape From Reality
By Sal LoCicero | February 20, 2021
Valentines Weekend is still here and there are a lot of romantic movies to choose from. Some people will choose movies such as The Notebook, Love Actually, Crazy, Stupid, Love, Romeo and Juliet or When Harry Met Sally. Unfortunately, this Valentine’s Day week did not provide many new releases relating to the annual holiday, however, writers Kristen Wiig and Anne Mumolo (Bridesmaids) may have the perfect escapism movie for right now.
Barb and Star Go To Vista Del Mar is the latest comedy from writers Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo, the two that brought you the critically acclaimed comedy hit ‘Bridesmaids’. Now, 10 years later, the two comic writers have teamed up again to deliver one of the most wackiest and most bizarre comedies yet. This movie follows best friends, Barb and Star (Wiig and Mumolo), two middle aged women who decided to go on a trip to Vista Del Mar for the best weekend holiday. With a plot as simple as this, it doesn’t sound too out of the ordinary at all, however with Wiig and Mumolo in front of and behind the camera, they prove to you otherwise.
From the opening credits to the last scene in the movie, you are basically trying to wrap your head around what you are witnessing on your TV screen. This is an extremely bizarre comedy that isn’t afraid to go above and beyond normal standards; which some may appreciate and others may be irritated by. This is certainly not your typical comedy. This whole movie feels exactly like a skit you would find yourself coming across on Adult Swim at 1:30 in the morning. Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo’s writing fit perfectly for this type of film because if any other writer(s) were to try and attempt to make something that is as absurd as this, it would be a complete and utter misfire. You must have people behind the camera who know how to create a story with the type of characters and the type of structure like this.
While Wiig and Mumolo’s writing is on point, Josh Greenbaum’s directing is the opposite. Greenbaum’s filmography is full of three documentaries with two that he both wrote and produced. Being a documentary filmmaker and then transitioning yourself to a feature film - like this one - is not the best idea one could make...and it shows. His directing doesn’t really depict this movie that well. It’s also hard to wrap one's head around the fact that out of all of the filmmakers in Hollywood who have a decent background in the industry, they selected a documentary filmmaker who’s only made three documentaries that are not widely known. Someone like Greg Mottola (Superbad) would’ve been a much better choice to direct and he would’ve expanded Wiig and Mumolo’s unique vision even more with his creative spark.
Kristen Wiig and Anne Mumolo are perfect for their roles. They both are what really hold this movie together and are just as quirky and over the top as their characters. Jamie Dornan is also a good supporting actor who adds to the absurdity and proves that comedies may help his career go in a better direction after being casted in the Fifty Shades Trilogy.
The one thing that most will enjoy about Barb and Star Go To Vista Del Mar is that it is pure escapism to the viewer. The movie offers more than enough energy, imagination, quirkiness, and happiness to take people’s minds off of everything going on in the world today; which is what we all need. Every movie and TV show that has recently been released are not fun. It is all a combination of sadness, anger, frustration, and lectures, and all of it makes you wonder if filmmakers nowadays have forgotten how to be fun.
Is this the comedy that most people will remember and continue to watch for years and years to come? Probably not, if anything it might get a cult following in the future. If you are just trying to find a movie to watch one night that is fun, humorous, and it will allow you to turn your brain off for an hour and a half, Barb and Star may be the two BFFs to do it for you.
Grade: B-
What are your thoughts?
|
|
