The Best Beach Movie Of 2021 Just Hit Hulu & You Need To Watch It

It’s been a wild year, but summer 2021 has finally arrived in all its sweltering glory. And sure, it’s great to soak up the sun and (safely!) live it up with the friends you’ve been missing. But sometimes a hot summer day leaves you wanting to enjoy a good movie in air-conditioned peace. Luckily, the best beach movie of 2021, Barb and Star Go To Vista Del Mar, just dropped on Hulu, so you can enjoy all the fun without melting in the sun.

ICYMI: The movie follows Midwestern best friends Barb (Annie Mumolo) and Star (Kristen Wiig), who decide to shake up their ho-hum lives with an eventful trip to Vista del Mar, Florida. But the friends’ delighted search for seashell gift stands and novelty shirts is inevitably disrupted when they both become entangled with hunky himbo Edgar (Jamie Dornan). He’s a henchman for evil mastermind Sharon Gordon Fisherman (also Wiig), who’s plotting to destroy the town with an army of mosquitoes after an unfortunate childhood incident involving a cannon and a cruise ship. As their tropical getaway descends further into chaos, Barb and Star must find a way to save their vacation and their friendship.

It’s a wild premise, but Barb and Star (which originally debuted on video-on-demand back in February 2021) is a zany, heartfelt comedy with all the trappings of a cult classic. With its colorful montages, music numbers, and unexpected celebrity cameos, it’s truly a beachy adventure worth taking.

Fans will no doubt recognize Wiig from Saturday Night Live and her iconic, Oscar-nominated comedy Bridesmaids. And yes, watching her play two equally wacky roles is an absolute delight. Her co-star, Mumolo, may not have as much name recognition, but she’s just as accomplished; Mumolo actually co-wrote Bridesmaids with Wiig and she played a nervous plane passenger in that movie. In Barb and Star, the two comedy geniuses’ effortless chemistry is on full display. Buddy comedies can easily fall apart if you don’t believe in the main characters’ friendship, but whether Barb and Star are chattering about how much they love the name Trish or taking on a literal supervillain, these outlandish characters still genuinely seem like people who have known and loved each other for decades.

As more and more people get vaccinated and start to emerge from the weird hellhole that was the past year, finally getting to see our best friends and spend long, summery days together can sometimes seem as weird and wonderful as the situation Barb and Star stumble into in Florida. Comedies about guys getting into wild shenanigans are a dime a dozen, but wacky female friendship films are where it’s at. Especially after so many of us have spent time away from our best friends, watching Barb and Star’s test their bond and ultimately grow even stronger after a zany odyssey is both hilarious and unexpectedly cathartic.

So, next time it’s too hot to hit the beach or you’re craving a movie night with your favorite people, why not have a blast with some wonderfully strange comedy from these iconic Bridesmaids ladies? You can thank me later.

Barb and Star Go To Vista Del Mar is now streaming on Hulu.