Barbie
Barbie
Starring Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, America Ferrera, Will Ferrell
Directed by Greta Gerwig
Before 1959, girls played with dolls that taught them to be housewives and invisible, but then Barbie came along and revolutionized the toy industry, showing girls that they can literally be anything - president, astronauts, lawyers, writers, the list is endless. Stereotypical Barbie (Margot Robbie) was he prototype, the original, and the one people remember when the name "Barbie" is mentioned. She lives in Barbieland with all the other Barbies and Kens (and one Allan), and every day is one big party for them. The Barbies rule while the Kens drool over them, especially Beach Ken (Ryan Gosling) who has a crush on Stereotypical Barbie, but since he's just a Ken he's relegated to the friendzone.
Soon, however, Barbie starts exhibiting strange behavior, talking about dying, and finding herself in a funk. She visits Weird Barbie (Kate McKinnon) who tells her that the girl that's playing with her in the real world must be going through something, and in order to go back to normal she must go to the real world and find her. Reluctantly she embarks on this journey with her Ken in tow, and meets the CEO of Mattel (Will Ferrell), who wants to put Barbie back in the box to keep the two worlds separate, while Barbie learns that everything is not right in the real world and she's not as idolized as she thought. With teh help of Mattel employee Gloria (America Ferrera) and her daughter Sasha (Ariana Greenblatt), Barbie returns to her world but finds Ken - having experienced what it's like to be a "man" - has taken control of Barbieland with the other Kens, and Barbie must find a way to bring the other Barbies together and fix what's broken.
The Good:
"Barbie" is a unique film, an experience that hasn't been equaled due to its extreme nature and how it managed to tell an over-the-top story in a way that actually makes sense. At any moment it could've all fallen apart like an overly used doll, but Gerwig managed to balance the outlandish with the natural in ways visually that really stimulated the senses. It's well-known that she used so much pink paint that other regular people couldn't buy pink paint for their homes during the time of filming, and it shows in the final product. Barbieland is visually spectacular, like a little girls' bedroom brought to the screen and given a life of its own. Barbie Dreamhouses are lined up, the beach is as pristine as ever, and Barbies are everywhere - the White (or Pink) House, in space, serve as doctors, lawyers, and even construction workers. All of this is imbued with a brilliant color shade Gerwig refers to as "Techni-Barbie" like Technicolor, and it works perfectly.
The contrast between Barblieland and the Real World is stunning, going from a colorful dream world to the dreary real world only reminds us that the real world oftentimes stinks, but we can always escape into our imagination (or, in this case, the theater) and be transported to a wonderful place. Greta Gerwig shows the real world for what it is, especially through the eyes of a woman: they're still marginalized despite how far they've come, and Barbie in particular is treated as a sex object to the men of the real world, while the girls look at her with contempt. She thought she'd be adored and idolized and that women would be as powerful in the real world as Barbies are in Barbieland, but is disillusioned to find the opposite. It's a thought provoking theme that I was surprised to find, especially after the laugh-out-loud comedy that preceded it.
There was a time where Amy Schumer was set to star as the titular Barbie, which is all well and good in order to show that Barbie doesn't always have to be a size 0, but Schumer really isn't that funny. Hollywood keeps pushing her for some reason as the typical woman, and I just don't see it, and I don't think she's funny at all. Fortunately she backed out of the project, and then Anne Hathaway was rumored to star. I wouldn't have minded seeing how she would've tackled the subject matter, but ultimately it went to Margot Robbie, and that was a casting made in Barbie heaven (unless you're Helen Mirren's narrator, who makes a hilarious fourth wall joke about the casting). Robbie has both the comedic and dramatic chops to pull Barbie off, playing her at one point as a mindless bimbo-type who has not a care in the world, and then learn about the harsh realities of the world and eventually finding a way to overcome it.
Yet the scene stealer award clearly goes to Ryan Gosling, who is obviously having a hoot playing Beach Ken. He's your typical himbo with a heart of gold that's only after Barbie's heart, but as with the toy line itself, Barbie is always center stage, while Ken is basically just an accessory. In the real world, Ken interacts with the men of the world and learns about masculinity, which he brings back to Barbieland, turning into a jerk but also still just a doofus, but Gosling plays it as out with a sincerity that's endearing.
The attention to detail is exceptional, and for anyone who had Barbies growing up (not me) would pick up on that right away. Not only do they showcase different Barbies, but also their accessories, vehicles, homes - everything. It's a movie to take your little girl to (with some careful consideration, as there's some adult humor - but I've noticed in my older years that movies I saw when I was a kid also had adult themes that I totally missed) and will re-ignite the child in yourself as well. This was something that could've easily been phoned in, but Gerwig brought in the best of the best. From two-time Oscar winner Jacqueline Durran's costume designs that made Barbies come to life, to six-time Oscar nominee Sarah Greenwood's production designs that constituted a clever color palette to three-time Oscar nominee Rodrigo Prieto's cinematography, everyone in front of and behind the scenes were at the top of their game.
The big supporting cast all have standout moments. Simu Liu's Ken is a constant threat to Gosling's Ken as a source of dominance. Michael Cera chews up the scenery as the only Allan in the group. Issa Rae's President Barbie and Alexandra Shipp's Writer Barbie showcase hilarity. America Ferrera and Ariana Greenblatt play the estranged mother and daughter who help Barbie and in the process find what it means to be a family. Then Kate McKinnon's Weird Barbie dominates, playing the Barbie that every little girl knows as the one they mistreat, and in the Barbie world she's even seen as the Weird Barbie, yet the one who knows what's really going on. They all give it their all, and you can tell the dedication and commitment they share with the film. Finally, Rhea Perlman plays a particular role that'll tug at your heartstrings.
There's some conservatives who are calling this movie too "woke" due to Ken being just an accessory, but they're missing the big picture (which is something not too surprising). Barbie has existed since 1959, and in and of itself she's caused both positive and negative aspects to womanhood. While she showed girls can be anything they want to be with the continual lines of Barbies, they also gave off an impression that girls have to be skinny to be adored. That topic is addressed here, but so is the fact that Ken was seen just as an accessory, and what happens when he realizes he's not just Barbie's side piece. There's an existential crisis going on in both Ken and Barbie's lives, and gives both characters well-rounded arches. Ultimately Ken finds out what it means to be just Ken without Barbie, and Barbie shows girls how to be themselves in a world that demands them to still be invisible.
The Bad:
Sometimes the tone of the movie shifts dramatically. Although mostly a comedy, it takes sharp turns going from moments where you're laughing to moments where you're contemplating the existence of the world. You're giggling at Barbie's antics then getting a speech about how women are marginalized - even though it's true - but it's done so suddenly it's like a mental whiplash.
If there's one character that really doesn't make sense, it's Will Ferrell's Mattel CEO. One moment he wants to put Barbie back in the box, and the next he's out looking for her in hopes of...doing something else, although it's not really expressed what it is. It doesn't feel like he's evil per-se, but you really don't know. His character was the most thinly written, and his subplot really served little to no purpose in the overall scheme.
The Verdict:
Tackling something seemingly impossible, Greta Gerwig and company managed to pull off a Techni-Barbie miracle with "Barbie," giving a unique film that's equal parts hilarity and emotional, showcasing how far women have come and still how much further they have to go.
The Score: A+
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