TL;DR Review: Barbie is exactly the pink-explosion, summer party movie sold in the marketing, paired with a delightfully silly but also sharp satirical view on being a woman in the 21st century and the impact of the brand on young women. Though there are some pacing issues and a weaker 'real world' subplot that makes the plot feel a tad rushed, its Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling’s sublime performances, as well as Greta Gerwig’s warm, playful directing and writing style that makes this a blast overall.
From the moment the first images of Margot Robbie as Barbie dropped on the internet, social media has been aflutter about this film, a unique blockbuster in that its (glorious) marketing unapologetically targeted women and girls. Based on the trailer and posters, some might have expected a non-stop, extravagant girls’ night out film (a Barbie dream ride if you will), and others more familiar with Greta Gerwig may have expected a nuanced deconstruction of a capitalistic and controversial symbol of femininity. What the film ends up being is a blend of both, landing as something of a compromise depending on your expectations. The best way to enjoy the film is to do as Barbie would – sit back and enjoy the ride. Because, for the most part, the blend of comedy, heart and biting satire is great.
Much like the duality of Barbenheimer, Gerwig’s Barbie has two sides to every aspect of it. It’s a film that’s both witty and biting, but also delightfully silly and whimsical. It’s got the glittery girl-power of the 2000’s (a la Legally Blonde), but also the world-weary, dark outlook on the female experience of the 2020’s (a la Fleabag). It’s a meta and insightful dissection of one of the biggest brands in the world, and yet still a multi-million dollar toy advert.
Ultimately, all these things come together because of Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie. Naysayers of the film might not be familiar Gerwig and Noah Baumbach (her real life ‘Just-a-Ken’ partner and co-writer)- I definitely heard a lot of people dismissing the movie as a purely vapid advert before they even gave it a chance. However, for those who knew Gerwig was attached to it as writer and director, it was clear that there would be something deeper beneath the plastic facade. She's known for her modern, warm encapsulations of the millennial female experience: Frances Ha (which she didn’t direct but co-wrote and starred in), Lady Bird and Little Women. Oddly, it’s the latter that’s the best comparison to Barbie – taking a seemingly dated depiction of the feminist ideal and repackaging it into something a modern audience can resonate with. As for Margot Robbie, she’s continuing to prove her place as this generation’s best movie star, able to effortlessly switch between awards prestige like Babylon and I, Tonya, and hold her own in blockbusters like The Suicide Squad, Harley Quinn and Barbie (many of which she has produced as well as acted in).
My first instinct after exiting the theatre (apart from wanting to watch it again) was to mull over its depiction of feminism. Was it empowering? Refreshing? Stale? Overly simplified? I’d been able to read the many many internet reactions to the film ranging from women declaring it to be the perfect encapsulation of the female experience, all the way through to right wing ‘critics’ like Ben Shapiro who damned the film as entirely too woke and ‘man-hating’ (his opinion, like his initials, is complete B.S of course). As a Gen Z female for whom this movie was practically made for (I have seen my fair share of animated Barbie movies and obsessively played with the dolls as a child), my first thought was that I would have loved for the movie to delve even deeper into certain aspects of its themes, and that perhaps the character of Ken overshadowed Barbie in the second half and wondering if it ends up being more of Gosling's chance to shine than Robbie's.
Then, I realised that this reaction was probably exactly what Gerwig and her co-writer/partner Noah Baumbach anticipated...
Barbie will be hotly debated until the end of time about its depiction of feminism (does it pander to audiences? Does it veer towards white feminism? Is it out-dated? On the nose? Surface level? Too reliant on pop culture? Too focused on Ken?). Women – and by extension this movie – are frequently critiqued for how they choose to express their take on ‘the right way’ to do feminism, as touched on in America Ferrera’s much talked about monologue in the film. It will never ever satisfy everyone.
Barbie™ has never been about subtlety, and so neither is this film – why should it be? Ultimately, the film, just like the doll, is an Idea that allows women to conceptualise their own feelings on feminism, even if it means rejecting the brand and what it stands for altogether, or embracing it as a way for girls to project their dreams.
Stray Thoughts:
The production design, costumes and soundtrack are sublime!
The nostalgic details were so well-done: plastic packaging, fold out toy sets, inexplicable wardrobe changes, fake food and drink, matte painted backdrops, slapstick action, merchandise references (which reminded me of that one wardrobe scene in Toy Story 3!). One of my favourite little details is how in wide shots Robbie is made to look like a little plastic doll.
Robbie gives a fantastic Giselle from Enchanted-esque fish-out-of-water performance – I would have loved to see a bit more of ‘Barbie in the real world’ in the first half, which for me was the biggest missed opportunity.
Ryan Gosling’s performance is a thing of comedic beauty. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him land a Golden Globe in the Comedy category. He gets the biggest laughs in the film for sure.
The pacing, particularly in the first half, can be a little flat and lacking momentum. It means that some of the 'real' non-Barbie characters come off feeling a shallow and under-developed, when they should be the opposite. I also think the transition from ‘Barbieland’ to reality feels rushed in a way that, say, a movie like Enchanted gets pitch perfect. The version of 'reality' is depicted in a similar heightened style to Barbieland, which can make the contrast feel weak.
A few of the pop culture references were absolutely brilliant, from a 2001: A Space Odyssey parody, nod towards The Matrix, playful poke at male fans of The Godfather and acknowledgement of this generation’s shared obsession with Pride and Prejudice.
Will Ferrel's subplot is a sly dig at Mattel, which starts off promising but never really comes together, and so ends up feeling a bit half-baked. It's interestingly similar to The Lego Movie, in which Ferrel also stars.
What was everyone's favourite Barbie outfit? Mine might be Cowgirl Barbie.
Thanks for reading! You can check out my review of Oppenheimer here.
I do not own any of the images used in this post.