Kristen Wiig is up in the impressively regular stream of funny women who have come through the Saturday Night Live ranks; her star vehicle Bridesmaids is a bona fide comedy classic. Her co-writer was Annie Mumolo, and Barb and Star is their follow-up film working and now acting together. While Josh Greenbaum’s film is not as disciplined or cohesive as Bridesmaids, it’s a joyfully silly, anything-goes film that would have been a healthy blockbuster counter-programmer in the lost summer of 2020; Barb and Star’s adventures finally arrive on streaming well positioned to blow the winter blues away.
Wiig has taken a number of more serious roles since ascending the heights via comedy; The Skeleton Twins, Hateship, Loveship and Welcome to Me all have a comic angle, but will frustrate those looking for easy laughs. Ambitions as an actress are put aside here for a surreal two-hander comedy that tries to wring a laugh a minute in the style of Airplane and Austin Powers. Even if all the gags don’t land, the endless invention should be applauded. Barb and Star lose their furniture-store jobs and decide to take a holiday to stretch their wings; as two deeply unadventurous types, a trip to Florida is about as wild as things get. But once installed at the Vista Del Mar, a rampant night of pills and three-way sex with the gormless Edgar Paget (Jamie Dornan) throws a spanner in the works of their long and established friendship; which of the girls will land this hunky man, and will their friendship survive?
Patchy isn’t a problem when there’s killer lines in the mix; Barb’s reflective thoughts on Kermit the Frog (who cameos here) hit the mark; eating frogs legs is cruel because he really needs them for riding that bike, right? Mermaids, culottes, submarines, cameos (Reba McIntyre, Andy Garcia), musical sequences, outlandish slapstick, Richard Cheese; Wiig and Mumalo throw the kitchen sink at making us laugh, and enough of it sticks. In particular, the previously lumpen Dornan continues his break-out from 50 Shades ignominy, with a knock-out song for seagulls that hits the notes of a Flight of the Conchords pastiche; Edgar’s Prayer is destined to be a YouTube favourite.
Some critics have complained about the throwaway nature of Barb and Star’s adventures, is if comedy was something that was inferior to drama. I could think of a dozen po-faced awards movies from 20/21 that seem to me to be utterly disposable, but I’m looking forward to seeing Barb and Star several more times. Audiences will self-select, and this kind of surreal French and Saunders/Ab Fab humour isn’t for everyone. But there’s plenty who will dig this silly, seemingly spontaneous, and genuinely pleasing film; moving forward, we need about ten more of these a year just to get by….
Thanks to Lionsgate for access to this title, out now on streaming in the UK and elsewhere.
How about just a “na”? Not enough conflict . . . unless you can convince me otherwise 10.
Nope, this film is as conflict free as a Mamma Mia musical; it’s more about upending any notions of dramatic tension. So a Na is acceptable under these conditions…
Thank you for the confirmation. Now, the Monday beckons. 🤠
I remember seeing the trailer for this (in the movie theater….oh, those were the days!) and thinking it was the absolute worst trailer I had ever seen. All I remember is that it was just showing the tops of their heads. I like a silly, stupid comedy every now and then. A movie that doesn’t take itself too seriously is sometimes just what the doctor ordered.
Now, that trailer is truly one of the worst I’ve ever seen. If Mumolo is in the film, just show us her face? I had to make sure I didn’t use that trailer, because it makes the film look like the star is a criminal who cannot be identified. I’m not sure what kind of bait and switch they thought they were pulling off, but the film is more than decent, and didn’t need such half-assed publicity!
Love Kristen, wasted in wonder woman – I’ll jump on this one.
Yup, that’s the correct answer. She seems much more on form in this context, a home game for her…
Sounds a find. Thanks for finding it. Would certainly be refreshing to catch Wiig as something as off-the-wall as this rather than the portentous Wonder Woman, although she was the best thing in it.
Wiig doesn’t make enough silly movies, but this one will do for a bit. Would have been $50 million+ at the US box office if it wasnt for the pandemic…
For a monday morning, this was a good review to wake up to.
Light and fluffy, just like pancakes…
Very charming, but you and fraggle were red-carded yesterday and must serve a suspension for your poor behaviour.
Actions have consequences.
Well, you were impeached, convicted, and removed from office. So right now you should be sitting and sulking at Scot-a-largo, far away from social media.
I’ll be back!
Only in reruns . . ..
Not a stain on my character…
Blerk. Nope.
This is the wreckage of what romcom week turned into. Sad! *sigh* Blerk. Nope. Pass.
Oh, I get it, you and fraggle are in a huff because your suggestion of some pink fluffy rom-com week was trashed. Well, you guys don’t call the shots, I do, and there’s actual new films coming out, so suck it, monkeys!
No bananas for you. Or banana bread. Or banana muffins. Or banana cream pie.
Wut? I have no idea what this is about…
je suis totalement d’accord!
Boo, hoo, away and photograph your rusty grill-pan, toots!
Grill pan sparkly actually.
Big talk, let’s see it?
wut? Based on what?
review, and the trailer.
Excllent review and trailer. Must see film. How’s yer potato masher?
And there’s nothing new on your blog to NOPE, not even a colander pictured from an unusual angle.
I’m in the process of writing it so stop interrupting me and it’ll get done quicker!
Polish that Breville sandwichmaker!
She might even make some banana waffles in that sandwich maker. And let me have some. But you won’t get any.
CNGAF! Who cares about a view of the back of her microwave? A George Formby grill at twilight?
I haven’t got a sandwich maker, he made that up!
In lieu of any new information to ridicule….
I thought Dornan was really good in The Fall. Didn’t see any of the 50 Shades movies. Audiences self-select, as you say.
Pretty confident I’ll be passing on this one too. Looks kind of low on the body count.
Well, I saw all three 50 Shades movies,a nd in my final review said Dornan was a laughing stock. in 2021, he’s a MVP.
I can’t picture the worldview that feels like this movie isn’t worth looking at but the boxed set of Critters are. You’re looking in all the wrong places.
I dunno. I didn’t think much of Critters 3 but compared to what this sounds like I think I got the better part of the deal.
Well, this is the funniest film of the year so far, and all your friends are fictional aliens.
You’re just jealous because I let them in my bubble.
You let critters in your bubble?
They reject social distancing.
Of course they do. You know fraggle thinks they’re real? Look what you’ve done to your poor, feeble-minded readers…
If they’re in a movie then ipso facto they’re real. Duh.
Wrong! Critters are fake news.
I’d like to see you tell them that. But you wouldn’t be able to, because you’d be too busy . . . screaming!
Is that a threat, sunshine?
I can’t believe you’re so truculent, especially after Bookstooge opened that can of whoop-ass on you yesterday. I’m just saying you should tread softly in Critter territory.
Bookstooge couldn’t open a tin of sardines if his life depended on it. I took him to the cleaners yesterday, and will do so again if he runs his little blue alien legs over here again…
Ummm I am NOT feeble minded!
Alex’s feeble minded readers AND your good self, obviously not in the same Venn diagram as each other!
I’ll accept the clarification.