"I like looking at wicker but I don't like sitting on it."
"Hmmm."
Written by its stars, Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo, Barb & Star is one of those modern comedies that looks as if the actors had a much better time making the film than the viewer will have watching it. The initial premise bodes well, as its two-middle-aged protagonists' world comes crashing down around them and find salvation in the promise of the excitement of the Vista Del Mar resort, but as they get thrown into a truly bizarre and silly plot of a criminal mastermind intent on wreaking revenge on the (very specific) holiday town, it falls flat very quickly and scenes blur into a parade of oddly kitschy, camp and gaudy pointlessness. Whilst there may be some mileage to be had in the two friends' characters and their relationship, the oddly weightless tone of the performances here is very unengaging, and the antagonists mostly come across like those moments in the Austin Powers movies when Mike Myers hangs on to a joke for far too long (and Jamie Dornan clearly out of his comfort zone). A strange film, Barb & Star really struggles to hold interest.
No comments:
Post a Comment