Serious times call for seriously silly comedy to help lighten the mood — and film comedies don’t come much sillier than Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar. A refreshing dip in the same bosom buddy comedy pool as Romy and Michele, the candy-colored camp-fest stars Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo as middle-aged Midwesterners Star and Barb, two besties willing to push themselves far out of their comfort zones in search of their fading “shimmer.”
The movie is just as willing to bend over backwards for a laugh, and that boldness pays off, according to co-star Fortune Feimster. “There’s so much going on in the world, like more than ever. We all need an escape at some point,” says the actress and comedian. “And so I’m really glad that we have this movie, to hopefully let people experience that. It’s obviously very silly, very crazy, but in the best way possible.”
Feimster plays Pinky, one of the ladies of Barb and Star’s amusingly awkward Talking Club, presided over by strict rules-keeper Deb (SNL vet Vanessa Bayer). Pinky and the other gals don’t make the trip to Vista Del Mar, but they add to the film’s oddball brand of kitsch, which Feimster credits to co-authors Wiig and Mumolo, Academy Award nominees for their Bridesmaids screenplay.
“In real life, Kristen and Annie are super close,” says Feimster. “And so they’re writing this movie as two people who make each other laugh a lot, two people who are very familiar with each other…. You never get tired of them, you never get tired of their journey, and you really start to care about them and want to find out what happens to them.”
Feimster brings her own brand of fun-loving energy to Barb and Star, as well as to a recurring guest role on NBC’s new sitcom Kenan, and a voice cameo as one of the stewards of the afterlife in Pixar’s animated hit Soul. “I’m the upbeat counselor. ‘Hey, Jerry, everybody inside! All right, Jerry? Hey, Terry!’ So I was the ‘Hey, Jerry/Hey, Terry’ person.”
The successful standup also hosts a podcast, Sincerely Fortune, with her lesbian partner Jax, and is more than game for a return to Talking Club. “I think we all would have loved even more Talking Club, but they had such a wealth of funny things that I was happy that we’re in it when we are,” she says. “I know Kristen and Annie are very busy, but I think they should write a Barb and Star 2, and have a whole lot of Talking Club in it.”
Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar is currently available through streaming on-demand.
Modi Rosenfeld, better known as simply the mono-monikered Modi, does not consider himself political. Primarily, he's Jewish. Then gay. His role as a comedian is near the top. But political?
"100 percent not," Modi insists. "Not at all."
Still, the Israel-born, Long Island-raised Modi knows his way around a political arena. His turn at roasting the famous in the service of Commentary magazine is testament. During the Donald Trump administration, the guest of honor was former senator Joe Lieberman. The best line, however, was aimed at one of Lieberman's senatorial siblings, in that period of Senate confirmation hearings for Trump's raft of Supreme Court nominations.
Palm Royale, the catty new comedy-drama from AppleTV+, gets off to a slow start. Not as a sunny, soapy melodrama about wealthy, backstabbing Palm Beach socialites, but as an actual comedy. Starring Kristen Wiig and Ricky Martin in a season of ten hour-long episodes, the series takes its time getting to the real laughs.
As a bold and beautiful serial tinged with sex and intrigue, however, it establishes itself right out of the gate, or, rather, as soon as Wiig's former pageant queen, Maxine Simmons, hops the fence at the ultra-exclusive Palm Beach Country Club.
Maxine's one small act of trespassing is a giant leap forward in her lofty ambitions to install herself and jovial airline pilot husband Douglas (Josh Lucas) in the luxurious Palm Beach lifestyle. Little does she realize she's throwing herself to the wolves, a pack dressed in designer clothing, who just barely conceal their fangs and claws.
These are challenging times for news organizations. And yet it’s crucial we stay active and provide vital resources and information to both our local readers and the world. So won’t you please take a moment and consider supporting Metro Weekly with a membership? For as little as $5 a month, you can help ensure Metro Weekly magazine and MetroWeekly.com remain free, viable resources as we provide the best, most diverse, culturally-resonant LGBTQ coverage in both the D.C. region and around the world. Memberships come with exclusive perks and discounts, your own personal digital delivery of each week’s magazine (and an archive), access to our Member's Lounge when it launches this fall, and exclusive members-only items like Metro Weekly Membership Mugs and Tote Bags! Check out all our membership levels here and please join us today!