Barb & Star Go to Vista Del Mar (2021)

Barb & Star Go to Vista Del Mar is the kind of comedy that commits so fully to its own sunny, sideways reality that you can’t help but relax into its pure, candy-colored joy. Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo play their wide-eyed best friends with such sincere sweetness—and such fearless, wonderfully weird timing—that even the most ridiculous turns feel oddly comforting, like a vacation from sensible storytelling. The movie’s vibe is breezy, musical, and cheerfully unhinged, with Jamie Dornan delivering a surprisingly game, charming comic performance that keeps the whole thing buoyant. It won’t be for viewers who want grounded humor or subtle satire, but if you’re on the fence and craving something exuberantly absurd that still likes its characters, this is a rare, big-hearted kind of silly.

Barb & Star Go to Vista Del Mar is trying to be a sun-soaked, proudly silly escape: a buddy-comedy that commits hard to absurdity, sing-song weirdness, and a cartoonish spy-villain plot. When it works, it’s because Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo are game for anything, the movie has a goofy sweetness underneath the nonsense, and Jamie Dornan leans into the joke more than you’d expect. But if you need tight pacing, a clear comedic build, or humor that feels grounded in reality, this can come off like a series of random sketches stitched together—loud, quirky, and occasionally grating. Watch it if you enjoy “so dumb it’s brilliant” energy; skip it if randomness makes you feel trapped on someone else’s wavelength.