There's a tiny oasis on the west coast of Florida where the men wear Tommy Bahama from head to toe and women of a certain age stroll around poolside in tube tops and full jewelry.
It's a 鈥渕iddle-age Nirvana鈥� where crabs talk and you can eat veal-stuffed manatee while wearing your evening culottes and sip tropical drinks served in a mini-aquarium.
This oasis is called Vista Del Mar and it's the whacky invention of Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo, who co-wrote and co-star in 鈥淏arb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar,鈥� a gentle salute to women in their 40s getting their groove back.
Wiig and Mumolo, whose 鈥淏ridesmaids鈥� was nominated for a screenwriting Oscar, are irresistible this time as two best friends who accidentally get wrapped up in a huge plot to destroy the Florida resort town.
鈥淏arb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar鈥� has some pleasant messages 鈥� like don't abandon a friendship over a boy, fight to keep your inner shimmer and you're never too old to grow. It's not gross or sharp, unless you find jokes about how tourists like gifts made of shells a little too close to home.
Wiig (Star) and Mumolo (Barb) play a particular caricature of a Midwestern woman 鈥� the hair is fluffy, they adore character socks and eat hot dog soup. Just a pair of very forgiving and kindly single gals from Soft Rock, Nebraska.
They are members of a Talking Club (run ruthlessly by Vanessa Bayer) and say things like, 鈥淚t鈥檚 so funny to think all the racoons in the world are sleeping right now.鈥� Somehow, the relentlessly optimistic pair don't get grating for viewers over its 100-minute run time. Director Josh Greenbaum's work is straightforward, wisely just letting these gals do their thing.
When their careers at a furniture store take a nosedive, Barb and Star decide on a Florida vacation. 鈥淢aybe something is telling us to do something different,鈥� says Star to Barb. To which Barb replies: 鈥淪hould we try those socks with individual toes?鈥�
In Florida, they wander into a revenge plot laid by a James Bond-like villain (also Wiig) who wants to destroy her hometown of Vista Del Mar with killer mosquitos because residents were mean to her as a kid. The tip-off that's she's evil comes quickly; her lair has an elevator with a button labeled 鈥淟air.鈥�
There are roles for Jamie Dornan as a love interest, Damon Wayans Jr. as a bumbling spy, Reba McEntire as a water sprite and a hysterical turn by Andy Garc铆a as Tommy Bahama, who delivers this line without cracking up: 鈥淚t is time to mount the wind and ride it with the fierceness of a hippopotamus.鈥�
Wiig and Mumolo are also behind many of the movie's songs, including the hotel lounge piano tune 鈥淚 Love Boobies鈥� and 鈥淓dgar's Prayer,鈥� which is delivered to seagulls. Of course, there are classic beach bum songs, too, like 鈥淐heeseburger in Paradise鈥� and 鈥淜ey Largo.鈥�
The film nicely sends up spy capers, Broadway and buddy movies and is a lot like its two leading characters: Kindly, a little silly and as sweet as a candy-colored drink at the pool bar.
鈥淏arb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar,鈥� a Lionsgate release available Friday for rental on cable and digital services, is rated PG-13 for crude sexual content, drug use and some strong language. Running time: 106 minutes. Two and a half stars out of four.
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MPAA Definition of PG-13: Parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.
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Online: https://barbandstar.movie
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Mark Kennedy is at http://twitter.com/KennedyTwits
Mark Kennedy, The Associated Press
