Reba McIntyre! She’s the heartland mermaid strawberry atop the made-from-scratch dump cake that is “Barb & Star Go to Vista Del Mar” (2021). Annie Mumolo and Kristen Wiig (who also co-wrote the script) star as Midwestern gal pals at a Florida resort, trying to escape a midlife rut. Hollywood has a complicated relationship with heartland values and sometimes their comic depictions come off as more mean than funny. This one rides the edge between the two, but throws in so much stunt-casting (Reba!) – and a ridiculous, Dr. Evilesque subplot – you end up finding more to laugh with than laugh at.
Archives for posts with tag: Kristen Wiig
There’s no question mark in the title of “Where’d You Go, Bernadette” (2019) and yet it’s asking us all something very important. What’s the difference between eccentric and crazy? The answer is a little too pat – the eccentric must be productively creative to keep from becoming menacingly crazy – and awkwardly told. We’re dealing with a rather serious issue and yet there’s a lot of uncomfortably wacky hijinks pitting protagonist Cate Blanchett against neighborhood ubermom Kristin Wiig. And some of the dialogue is a little over-the-top, even for a crazy person. And there’s an I-can’t-quite-place-it unlikability about Blanchett’s husband, Billy Crudup.
A bunch of crazy rednecks plan an armored car heist. Hijinks ensue. That’s pretty much all you need to know about “Masterminds” (2016). In recent years, Lorne Michaels has gotten highly efficient at taking a rotating cast of “Saturday Night Live” alumni and cranking out disposable comedies that don’t make you feel as if two hours of your life have been wasted. There’s something to say for that. There’s also something to say for Kristen Wiig. In a film full of marginally likeable characters, she deftly convinces you to root for her most of all. That, friends, is the real heist.
100wordreviews 