Barbie (2023) Warner Bros./Comedy-Fantasy RT: 114 minutes Rated PG-13 (suggestive references, brief language) Director: Greta Gerwig Screenplay: Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach Music: Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt Cinematography: Rodrigo Prieto Release date: July 21, 2023 (US) Cast: Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, America Ferrara, Ariana Greenblatt, Kate McKinnon, Issa Rea, Rhea Perlman, Will Ferrell, Michael Cera, Connor Swindells, Annie Mumolo, Ann Roth, Helen Mirren (narrator). Box Office: $636.2M (US)/$1.4B (World)
Barbies: Alexandra Shipp, Emma Mackey, Hari Neff, Sharon Rooney, Dua Lipa, Nicola Coughlan, Ana Cruz Kayne, Ritu Arya, Mette Narrative, Marisa Abela, Lucy Boynton.
Kens: Simu Liu, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Scott Evans, Ncuti Gatwa, John Cena, Rob Brydon, Tom Stourton.
Rating: ***
Bathed in pink and awash in satire, Barbie is one of the more interesting movies of the summer. Based on Mattel’s line of dolls, this self-knowing comedy-fantasy stars the resplendent Margot Robbie (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood) as the title character, the must-have doll for young girls since its inception in 1959. Feelings about Barbie are sharply divided. Some see her as a symbol of female empowerment while others blame her for setting unrealistic standards for girls who will someday be women. I don’t have a stance on the issue; I never gave it much thought until I saw Barbie, the first live-action movie to feature the blonde-haired jill-of-all-trades created by Ruth Handler (played here by Rhea Perlman).
Life couldn’t be more perfect for “Stereotypical Barbie”. She lives in idyllic Barbieland, a sunny, pink-hued matriarchal paradise where all the women are named Barbie and all the men are Ken except for one forlorn fellow named Allan (Cera, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World). Like all Barbies, she lives in a pink Dream House and gets around in a pink Dream Car. She never has to make an effort to do anything as she’s a doll and things like getting dressed and making (pretend) breakfast are all done for her by the child playing with her. Her Ken (Gosling, La La Land) wants to be her boyfriend, but she’d rather hang out with the girls than be tied down.
Her transformation from Stereotypical Barbie to Existential Barbie begins during a dance party when thoughts of death suddenly occur to her from out of nowhere. Soon thereafter, her feet go flat and she discovers cellulite. Understandably freaked out, she goes to Weird Barbie (McKinnon, Rough Note), a disfigured outcast who resides in a modern art-inspired house with discontinued Barbies, who informs her that somehow a portal into the real world has been opened. The only way to set things right again is for Barbie to go there, find her owner and help fix what’s ailing her.
Along with Ken who stows away in the back of her Dream Car, she makes her way to L.A. where she discovers a world very different from her own. Naturally, the two living dolls being in the human world causes all kinds of problems. When alerted to their presence, the Mattel CEO (Ferrell, Anchorman) does everything he can to put Barbie back in her original box before she creates a real disaster. He should have been paying more attention to what Ken’s been up to. He’s the one that causes big problems back in Barbieland. It’s up to Barbie, with the assistance of a Mattel employee (Ferrara, Ugly Betty) and her angry tween daughter (Greenblatt, 65) to fix things.
I’m hearing a lot of talk about “wokeness” and “agenda” in regard to Barbie and I’d just like to say this. To coin a tagline from an old horror movie: “It’s only a movie…. only a movie…. only a movie….”. Why do some people have to put a label on everything? Of course Barbie deals with female empowerment. Wasn’t that the idea of Barbie in the first place, to let little girls know they can be anything they want to be? There are Barbies that are doctors, lawyers, judges, astronauts and even President. This is an awesome message for the little girls watching. Sure, the word “patriarchy” is thrown around a lot, but why is that a bad thing? Can we not see it as an opportunity for younger audience members to learn something new? And can we not just see Barbie for what it’s meant to be? It’s a cute little movie with a knowing, wink-wink sense of humor. It’s also a pointed satire of societal gender roles. It’s a silly movie with heart and a brain. It’s NOT indoctrination and it definitely DOES NOT release any kind of demons. What idiot came up with last idea?
The director of Barbie is Greta Gerwig, the indie actress who also directed the smart teen comedy Lady Bird and the wonderful 2019 adaptation of Little Women. She co-wrote the script with creative and romantic partner Noah Baumbach, the poison pen behind biting films like The Squid and the Whale, Margot at the Wedding, Frances Ha (starring Gerwig) and Marriage Story. I’m really surprised to see his name on a movie as light-hearted and pleasant as Barbie. I didn’t know he had it in him, but his work is brilliant here as is Gerwig’s. In her third solo project, she cements her reputation as one of the finest young filmmakers of the 21st century. Barbie is fun and entertaining. It’s also funny, riotously so at times. The opening, a wonky nod to Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey, is an instant classic.
Both Robbie and Gosling are perfectly cast as Barbie and Ken. Robbie doesn’t just nail Barbie’s sunny, carefree persona, she takes it to the next level with the doll’s existential crisis. I feel weird saying it, but she’s totally believable in every aspect of her performance from her horrified reaction to her flat feet (the feet stuff ought to make Quentin Tarantino very happy) to her confusion over crying for the first time. Robbie’s enjoyment of the character is infectious. Gosling is also good as Ken, the ignored partner who comes down with a case of toxic masculinity. Seeing him turn into an insufferable alpha male is one of the film’s funniest bits.
As for the rest of the cast, Ferrara delivers a third-act monologue about the paradoxical nature of womanhood that’s both right on and a bit too preachy. She’s good though as is Greenblatt as the politically aware tween who tears Barbie a new one for the damage she’s done to women with the unrealistic standards of beauty she represents. Ferrell is funny as the clueless CEO that literally can’t contain the problem. And Cera nearly steals the show as Allan, the doll marketed as Ken’s best friend. Perhaps the most fantastical element of Barbie is the idea that Cera could beat anybody up (Scott Pilgrim notwithstanding).
Barbie is a literal feast for the eyes with its incredible set design and costumes. Barbieland looks just like what little girls must see in their mind when they play with their Barbies. This movie is total eye candy! It also has a couple of good dance numbers and an infectious spirit. Okay, it’s a little longer than it really needs to be, but so what? It’s enjoyable throughout. And to the parents debating whether or not to let their children see the PG-13 movie, I say let them. The suggestive references- e.g. all the “beach off” remarks- will probably go over their heads. They’ll enjoy it and so will you.
