Film

Barb & Star Go to Vista Del Mar

Name: Barb & Star Go to Vista Del Mar
Genre: Comedy
Released: 2021
Cast: Kristen Wiig, Annie Mumolo, Jamie Dornan, Damon Wayans Jr., Vanessa Bayer

Comedy
Light-hearted

A gleefully absurd comedy about two Midwestern best friends on their first real vacation. It's a spy-movie pastiche that doesn't need to make sense—Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo are so committed to the bit that you're swept along. For anyone who loves earnest silliness and doesn't demand plot logic.

TMDb rating

3.0

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you love big, unembarrassed silliness, where a sketch-style premise gets played with total commitment and a lot of sunshine, and you don't mind jokes that land sideways.

Skip it if your patience for broad, jokes-per-minute goofiness runs thin, because the humour leans on heightened voices and repeated bits that some viewers find grating over 107 minutes.

What it asks of you: Roughly an hour and three-quarters, it moves at a sprint, rarely pausing for quiet, and it wants you to meet its brightness with a straight face.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

The Heat2013

Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy as mismatched cops with genuine chemistry. Relentless, warm-hearted action-comedy that finds character in the chaos. The template Wiig and Mumolo are riffing on.

But By-the-numbers buddy-cop structure. If you've seen the formula before, you'll predict the beats.

Bridesmaids2011

Wiig in her element: sharp, physical comedy that somehow also breaks your heart a little. The script gives her room to be genuinely vulnerable between the bits. A masterclass in construction.

But The tonal shifts from silly to sad can feel whiplashy if you're in the mood for just one or the other.

Ghostbusters: Afterlife2021

Joyful, uncomplicated fun that doesn't strain to be clever. It loves what it is—a pure-hearted adventure with heart. Same DNA as Barb & Star: nostalgic without being mean.

But Nostalgia can feel like a crutch if you're not invested in the original films. Plot is secondary to feeling.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Barb & Star Go to Vista Del Mar

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Beneath the Valley of the Ultra-Vixens1979

Both films treat their ridiculous setups as sacred. Neither apologizes. Both are visually loud and proud of being silly.

Loud, garishly colored, absolutely unashamed camp. Meyer's films are exploitation treated as high art; they have the same commitment to the bit and the same love of absurdity. Both celebrate excess without irony.

But Genuinely trashy in ways Barb & Star isn't. Sexual content and misogyny embedded in the premise—even playfully, it's not for everyone. 1970s sensibilities throughout.

Beneath the Valley of the Ultra-Vixens poster

Miss Congeniality2000

Sandra Bullock in a fish-out-of-water beauty pageant comedy. It's got that same goofy joy and commitment to the absurd setup. Bullock's willingness to look ridiculous is the whole point.

But The jokes haven't aged brilliantly. Some of the setups feel creaky now.

Due Date2010

Two people who shouldn't work together are forced to spend a movie together. Robert Downey Jr. and Zach Galifianakis find real chemistry in the disagreement, and the script lets chaos build on chaos.

But Can feel scattered and mean-spirited in places. Not as warm-hearted as Barb & Star.

Night at the Museum2006

Committed to its own ridiculous premise without apology. Ben Stiller surrounded by eccentrics in costumes, everyone playing it straight for the bit. Low stakes, high spirit.

But It's a kids' film masquerading as adult comedy. Plotting is thin and jokes can be broad.

Melissa & Joey2010

Melissa Joan Hart and Joey Lawrence in a sitcom that knows exactly how silly it is and leans in hard. No pretense, no trying to be something it's not. Pure comfort TV.

But It's genuinely not that funny. You have to enjoy the energy for its own sake, not the jokes.

Sisters2015

Tina Fey and Amy Poehler as estranged sisters. Physical comedy, genuine heart, and two performers who trust each other completely. A template for comedy built on relationship.

But Second half sags a bit. Tries to add sentimentality that doesn't quite land.

In Good Company2004

The beating heart is the friendship. Barb and Star works because those two genuinely like each other. In Good Company is about discovering that against the odds.

Forget the plot—watch two people discover each other across a generational divide and become best friends. It's about genuine companionship and how people who shouldn't click can be completely happy together.

But It's a workplace rom-com from the 2000s. Sits between multiple genres and commits fully to none. Forgettable as story.

Pee-wee's Big Adventure1985

Both films believe in their own logic completely. Both are about the joy of commitment to a bit that shouldn't work. Both are visible expressions of a specific creative vision that could only exist as themselves.

Tim Burton's masterpiece of controlled chaos. Pee-wee's committed weirdness and absolute earnestness make absurd things feel possible. It trusts the audience to go along with it. A spiritual ancestor of this kind of comedy.

But Pee-wee Herman's persona is abrasive. The humor is weird and childlike in ways that haven't softened with age. Some of it simply won't land for you.