Lifelong friends Barb and Star embark on the adventure of a lifetime when they decide to leave their small Midwestern town for the first time – ever.

‘Barb & Star Go to Vista Del Mar’ is a silly comedy movie, and when I say silly, I mean really silly. It tells the story of two best friends who go on their first ever vacation to Florida, finding themselves caught up in the machinations of a supervillain. It has the feeling of a ‘Saturday Night Live’ sketch extended out to feature length, and it was just too ridiculous for me to get much enjoyment out of, even if it did lead to the inadvertent discovery of Jamie Dornan’s previously hidden talent for singing and dancing!

Star and Barb are played by Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo, sporting 80s style haircuts and two of the most irritating accents you’re likely to hear anywhere, and they lead sheltered lives in their small Midwestern town, with the highlight appearing to be a pretty low key book club with some other friends. When the opportunity arises to take their first ever holiday they are initially hesitant, but after some mild persuasion they pack their bags and head to the Floridian coast. On arrival they, and we, are greeted with an explosion of bright colours, camp characters and cheesy song and dance numbers, and it was just too much for me to enjoy. On top of this, Kristen Wiig also plays the film’s villain (did it need a villain?), and that plot somehow weaves itself into a relatively straightforward  fish (or fishes?) out of water narrative.

I thought the main characters were annoying and not particularly funny, the cinematography was obnoxiously colourful, and the humour was a little stale. The one positive was Jamie Dornan who gives the best performance, with some of his singing and dancing enjoyable in a ‘what the hell was that’ kind of way, but overall this is not a good movie.

Rating: 2/5

Directed By: Josh Greenbaum

Starring: Kristen Wiig, Annie Mumolo, Jamie Dornan, Michael Hitchcock, Damon Wayans Jr., Vanessa Bayer, Reyn Doi, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Rose Abdoo and Phyllis Smith

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3797512/