''Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar'' is a 2021 American

comedy Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...

film directed by

Josh Greenbaum Josh Greenbaum is an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. He has won an MTV Movie Award, CINE Golden Eagle and Emmy Award. He directed the feature documentary '' The Short Game'', winner of the SXSW Audience Award, which was acqui ...

, from a screenplay by

Kristen Wiig Kristen Carroll Wiig (; born August 22, 1973) is an American actress, comedian, screenwriter, and producer. Born in Canandaigua, New York, she was raised in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and Rochester, New York. She moved to Los Angeles, where she joi ...

and

Annie Mumolo Anne Marie Mumolo (born July 10, 1973) is an American actress, screenwriter, comedian, and producer, best known for co-writing the 2011 film '' Bridesmaids'' with Kristen Wiig, for which she was nominated for an Academy Award and a BAFTA for Bes ...

, who also star. Originally scheduled for a 2020 release, due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

, the film was pushed back and released in the United States by

Lionsgate Lions Gate Entertainment Corporation, doing business as Lionsgate, is a Canadian-American entertainment company. It was formed by Frank Giustra on July 10, 1997, domiciled in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and is currently headquartered ...

via VOD on February 12, 2021. The film received generally positive reviews from critics.

Plot

Middle-aged best friends Barb and Star leave their home of Soft Rock,

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwe ...

for the first time to go on vacation to Vista Del Mar,

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

. They are apprehensive about trying something new. The two friends construct a narrative about a woman named "Trish", who becomes a water spirit. Upon arrival, they find accommodations at the luxurious Vista Del Mar Hotel and resolve to try many excursions, particularly an inflatable banana

inner tube An inner tube is an inflatable ring that forms the interior of some pneumatic tires. The tube is inflated with a valve stem, and fits inside of the casing of the tire. The inflated inner tube provides structural support and suspension, while the ...

ride. Meanwhile, an eccentric villain, Sharon Fisherman is plotting against the denizens of Vista Del Mar. Sharon lived there as a child, and her pale white skin and sensitivity to the sun made her an outcast and a target of bullying. She plans to unleash lethal mosquitos, killing everyone. She sends her henchman, Edgar, to Vista Del Mar to plant a

homing beacon An emergency locator beacon is a radio beacon, a portable battery powered radio transmitter, used to locate airplanes, vessels, and persons in distress and in need of immediate rescue. Various types of emergency locator beacons are carried by airc ...

that will attract the mosquitos once they are unleashed. She falsely promises Edgar that if he succeeds, she will finally make their relationship official. Barb and Star encounter Edgar at the hotel bar and begin to bond and party with him. The next morning, Edgar realizes he lost the microchip for the beacon during the night, infuriating Sharon. She sends another agent, Darlie Bunkle, to give Edgar another microchip and to spy on him, Barb, and Star. Barb meets with Edgar, but feels conflicted about seeing him behind Star's back, and decides not to pursue him any further. Star also meets with Edgar, but despite feeling conflicted about Barb, continues to have a sexual relationship with him in secret that develops into romance. Star's secret tryst leaves Barb alone at the resort, and Barb tries out all Vista Del Mar has to offer. On the day of the annual Seafood Jam, she decides to wait for Star before going on the banana ride, but spots Star and Edgar having sex on Edgar's balcony. She goes to confront Edgar, but overhears his plans with Sharon. She informs Star, who accuses her of jealousy, while Barb accuses her of lying to her. Sharon uses photos from Darlie to convince Edgar that Barb and Star are spies and that Star was using him. She orders him to kill them. Edgar captures them but cannot bring himself to kill them, leaving them indoors where they will be safe and plants the beacon. They escape, but are kidnapped by Sharon, who brings them to an ocean cliff. She forces the women to jump, and leaves to go ensure her revenge succeeds. As they fall, Barb and Star's

culottes Culottes are an item of clothing worn on the lower half of the body. The term can refer to either split skirts, historical men's breeches, or women's under-pants; this is an example of fashion-industry words taken from designs across history, l ...

act as parachutes that allow them to safely land on the ground. They reconcile and go to stop Sharon. Edgar realizes that Sharon lied to him about Barb and Star, that she never loved him, and was setting him up to die. He spots Star and Barb and helps them locate the homing beacon. He confesses his love to Star, but they are held at gunpoint by Darlie. Edgar fights Darlie, while Star and Barb escape with the beacon, taking a

jet ski Jet Ski is the brand name of a personal watercraft (PWC) manufactured by Kawasaki, a Japanese company. The term is often used generically to refer to any type of personal watercraft used mainly for recreation, and it is also used as a verb to ...

out to sea to save the town. Sharon uses a human cannon to reach them, regaining the beacon. However, it is too late and the unleashed mosquitos converge on her. Barb and Star go underwater, avoiding the mosquitos. They are rescued and brought back to shore by Trish, the water spirit. Sharon arrives on shore, having survived the mosquitos by taking an

antidote An antidote is a substance that can counteract a form of poisoning. The term ultimately derives from the Greek term φάρμακον ἀντίδοτον ''(pharmakon) antidoton'', "(medicine) given as a remedy". Antidotes for anticoagulants are s ...

. Star recognizes that Sharon's hostility is born from her bullied childhood, and having never experienced true friendship (with the exception of a girl who befriended her only to be immediately eaten by an alligator). She offers to be Sharon's friend, as do the other residents, melting Sharon's icy facade. The town celebrates. Barb and Star ride the banana ride.

Cast

Production

The film was officially announced in April 2019, having been in production for a number of years, with

and

, the co-writers of the screenplay, set to play the titular characters, and

directing. Wiig and Mumolo also produced, alongside Jessica Elbaum,

Will Ferrell John William Ferrell (; born July 16, 1967) is an American actor, comedian, and producer. He first established himself in the mid-1990s as a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy show ''Saturday Night Live'', where he performed from 1995 to 200 ...

, and Adam McKay, under the

Gloria Sanchez Productions Gloria Sanchez Productions is an American film and television production company. History In 2014, Jessica Elbaum founded the production company as a sister label of Gary Sanchez Productions, founded by Will Ferrell and Adam McKay, with a focus ...

banner, with

distributing. In June 2019,

Jamie Dornan James Peter Maxwell Dornan (; born 1 May 1982) is an actor, model and musician from Northern Ireland. Formerly a character actor, he often portrays solemn, steady characters. The recipient of two Irish Film and Television Awards, he has been n ...

joined the cast of the film, and in July 2019, it was announced that

Wendi McLendon-Covey Wendi McLendon-Covey (née McLendon; born October 10, 1969) is an American actress and comedian. She is known primarily for her work in comedic and improvisational roles. Since 2013, McLendon-Covey has played the role of Beverly Goldberg, a fam ...

and

Damon Wayans Jr. Damon Kyle Wayans Jr. (born November 18, 1982) is an American actor and comedian. He is most widely known for starring as Brad Williams in the ABC sitcom '' Happy Endings'', for which he was nominated for the Critics' Choice Television Award f ...

had joined as well. Julia Davis auditioned to play the villain before it was decided to cast Wiig in dual roles.

Filming

Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as actor ...

began in July 2019. Production was initially supposed to take place in

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

, but was moved to Cancun, Mexico,

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico Puerto Vallarta ( or simply Vallarta) is a Mexican beach resort city situated on the Pacific Ocean's Bahía de Banderas in the Mexican state of Jalisco. Puerto Vallarta is the second largest urban agglomeration in the state after the Guadalaj ...

, and

Albuquerque, New Mexico Albuquerque ( ; ), ; kee, Arawageeki; tow, Vakêêke; zun, Alo:ke:k'ya; apj, Gołgéeki'yé. abbreviated ABQ, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its nicknames, The Duke City and Burque, both reference its founding in ...

, in response to

Georgia House Bill 481 The Georgia House Bill 481 was an American anti-abortion law passed in 2019 that sought to prevent physicians in the U.S. state of Georgia from performing abortions beyond six weeks, except in special situations. The bill was strongly criticized ...

. Filming wrapped in September 2019.

Release

''Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar'' was scheduled to be released theatrically on July 31, 2020, but was pushed back to July 16, 2021, due to the

. On January 11, 2021, Lionsgate announced that it was cancelling the film's theatrical release, and instead opened the film via premium VOD on February 12, 2021. In August 2021, it was announced that the film would receive a theatrical release at

Alamo Drafthouse Cinema The Alamo Drafthouse Cinema is an American cinema chain founded in 1997 in Austin, Texas, which is famous for serving dinner and drinks during the movie, as well as its strict policy of requiring its audiences to maintain proper cinema-going etiq ...

, beginning September 12, 2021 at its Los Angeles location and nationwide on September 19.

Reception

VOD sales

In its first weekend of release, the film was the third-most rented title on

Apple TV An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus domestica''). Apple fruit tree, trees are agriculture, cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus ''Malus''. The tree originated in Central Asia, wh ...

, fourth on

FandangoNow Vudu is an American digital video store and streaming service owned by Fandango Media, a joint-venture between NBCUniversal and Warner Bros. Discovery. The company offers transactional video on demand rentals and digital purchases of films ...

, and fifth on

Google Play Google Play, also known as the Google Play Store and formerly the Android Market, is a digital distribution service operated and developed by Google. It serves as the official app store for certified devices running on the Android (operating sys ...

. In its second weekend, the film finished fourth on

Spectrum A spectrum (plural ''spectra'' or ''spectrums'') is a condition that is not limited to a specific set of values but can vary, without gaps, across a continuum. The word was first used scientifically in optics to describe the rainbow of colors i ...

, fifth on FandangoNow, sixth on Apple TV, and seventh on Google Play.

Critical response

Review aggregator A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...

website

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

reports that 79% of 178 critic reviews were positive, with an average rating of 6.4/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Bright, colorful, and unabashedly silly, ''Barb & Star Go to Vista Del Mar'' reaffirms that Annie Mumolo and Kristen Wiig are still as fun—and funny—as ever." According to

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...

, which sampled 30 critics and calculated a weighted average score of 64 out of 100, the film received "generally favorable reviews." Some critics praised Jamie Dornan's comedic performance and singing, with several saying he was a highlight of the film. ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...

'' included the film among the best films of 2021 as of July 2021.

References

External links

* *
''Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar''
at Lionsgate Publicity * {{Josh Greenbaum 2021 films 2021 comedy films 2020s buddy comedy films American buddy comedy films American female buddy films Films about friendship Films about vacationing Films directed by Josh Greenbaum Films produced by Adam McKay Films set in Florida Films set in hotels Films scored by Christopher Lennertz Films shot in Mexico Films shot in New Mexico Films postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic Gloria Sanchez Productions films Lionsgate films 2020s female buddy films 2020s English-language films 2020s American films