Lionsgate had been trying hard to put “Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar” into theaters so it could launch it as a not-so-traditional entry into the Oscar derby, but the studio finally yielded to the realities of the pandemic and thus the flick will be debuting within a few days on VOD. It’s one of those rare, hilarious, girl-buddy comedies that film critics actually like (78 on Rotten Tomatoes) and it even looks like a hit in the making according to audience tests so far.
Again it teams up the co-writers and co-stars of “Bridesmaids” duo Annie Mumolo and Kristen Wiig, directed by Funny or Die’s Josh Greenbaum. Wild, raunchy comedy abounds, of course, as the naïve, gullible, untraveled combo must square off against a diabolical villain while they’re also courting romance, fun and adventure on vacation that may be more than they’d bargained for. Let’s not forgot that lots of “Saturday Night Night Live” alums have earned Oscar nominations in the past, including Eddie Murphy (“Dreamgirls”), Melissa McCarthy (“Bridesmaids”), Dan Ackryod, “Blues Brothers,” etc.
Heck, Mumolo and Wiig were even nominated for writing “Bridesmaids.” (They lost to Woody Allen‘s “Midnight in Paris.”) Wouldn’t it be fun if they finally win?
