Barbie

Released July 21, 2023

Directed by Greta Gerwig

Written by Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach

* No spoilers - comments on the setting and basic structure. Also my feelings on the ending without revealing what happens *

Despite having a relatively recent debut in 2017, Greta Gerwig (Lady Bird, Little Women) has shown her prowess as a director and demonstrated a talent for presenting characters with a strong sense of realism and authenticity. That is why I was so curious to see her take on Barbie, a toy that is known for its lack of realism. Add Noah Baumbach (Marriage Story) as co-writer and the casting of Margot Robbie (Suicide Squad and I, Tonya) and this absolutely had my attention.

Barbie is an ironic satirical comedy, full of whimsy and pastel colours, but also a harsh critique of the absurdity of our society. In the face of being produced by Mattel (the company that created Barbie), Gerwig attempts to dissect the popular, and equally problematic pink phenomenon.

The movie takes place both in the real world and in Barbieland, a fictional reality where everything is pristine, carefree, and seemingly perfect. It’s a utopia in the full sense of the term. They are living without any real emotions or negativity and a big part of the plot is how Barbie and the other characters navigate what it means to be human.

The story is straightforward and full of allusions to other movies like, 2001 A Space Odyssey, Grease, and The Matrix, poking fun at Hollywood as much as the toy itself. Barbie is meta, self aware, and tongue-in-cheek, not pulling punches and going straight for the jugular by directly and specifically telling you what its message is. It is on the nose and not at all shy about what is trying to say…literally. Characters give speeches expecting applause and reactions from the audience, it is not trying to be subtle. I appreciate that it was intentional but the movie might have benefited from having more “show” rather than “tell”.

The first third of the movie is great, showing us Barbieland and then putting Barbie into the real world as a fish out of water. It’s a clever take on a classic set up, and it's fantastic to see Barbie reacting to the world and experiencing emotions while being oblivious to what they are. It is spot on and hilarious. Unfortunately, the second half and especially the very end of the movie felt confused and disjointed from that brilliant set up. It did not commit and failed to give most of the characters a meaningful conclusion, or at least one that stayed consistent with the satirical perspective we started with. Its hard to talk about this without spoiling things so I will be vague...but a character tells Barbie that she needs to be informed before deciding to do something big. They end up showing her something very one sided, making her choice feel ill informed and contrary to the rest of the story. That aside I still had fun and enjoyed where things were going up until the very end.

The production and set design was incredible. Barbieland is a plastic paradise that looks and feels like a child’s dream, its sanitized and artificial with funky backdrops and even the waves on the beach were cardboard cut outs. The sets, costumes, and make up capture the feeling of a toy land perfectly. The stylized depictions of characters moving around the spaces are excellent, especially when shown from a flat two dimension perspective.

Similarly, the so called “real world” is clearly an exaggeration. Most humans are caricatures or over the top stereotypes. These aren’t real people and so the commentary on the real world is also exaggerated and deliberately a generalization. It is explicitly and intentionally facetious and self-aware. One dead give away is how they depict Mattel. The view from their top floor boardroom shows the Hollywood hills as a cartoonishly painted backdrop. It’s also obvious from how ridiculous Will Ferrel (Anchorman) and all the Mattel employees are. They feel just as artificial as the toy characters. It signals to the audience that this is not supposed to be a hyper realistic depiction of our world but absurd and stylized like Barbieland. So if some of the meta commentary is ruffling your feathers, you might be taking things too seriously.

While not a full on musical there are plenty of choreographed dance sequences where characters break out into song. They are a blast and you'll be humming along well after you’ve left the theatre. Musical numbers aside, the soundtrack is a massive collaboration of musicians like Nicki Minaj, Lizzo, Dua Lipa, Sam Smith, and Billie Eilish. There are even some songs that repeat throughout the movie adding slight changes to the lyrics as the character arcs and plots progress.

Margot Robbie is the spitting image of Barbie and it was uncanny how much she embodies the character even down to her movements. She doesn’t walk like a human and instead has the rigidity of a doll who can only move at certain joints. You can tell she is having a ton of fun and it’s contagious. Her comedic timing and dramatic performance is phenomenal, especially how she can switch from a care free “step-ford” smile to the dread of experiencing an existential crisis.

I don’t know if this was intentional or not…or if it is even appropriate to have this opinion …but the stand out and highlight of this movie is by far Ryan Gosling (La La Land, Drive) as Ken. He excels, and surprisingly, completely overshadowed Barbie and the rest of the cast, especially in the final act, getting better and more compelling as the movie went on. The musical scenes are all fun but the one focused on Ken is so catchy and represents a significant turn for that character.

The supporting cast of other Barbies and Kens were great and Simu Liu (Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings) and Kate McKinnon (Saturday Night Live) are both having a great time. McKinnon suits Weird Barbie so well and plays the unhinged oracle of Barbieland exactly as you would expect. Liu is the main rival to Gosling and their dynamic as head butting beach bros is ridiculous and hysterical. There is a big brawl between a bunch of Kens that was so over the top and outrageous, I loved it.

Unfortunately, the human characters are the least developed and their stories deflate with little resolution or development. America Ferrara (Ugly Betty) is fine and would have delivered a solid performance if she was given more to do. Likewise, Ariana Greenblat (In the Heights, Avengers: Infinity War) as Sasha starts off as a firecracker, full of attitude and skepticism. Her first few scenes burst the audience and Barbie’s bubble, offering a critical voice for the film. Sadly that is not followed through and her arc falls flat at the end. I wish they did more with her character because her performance and set up had a lot of promise.

Overall, Barbie was very good. It starts off strong and has many memorable and impactful moments but the movie loses its magic right at the eleventh hour. Gerwig and Baumbach do not fully commit to the satire and the resolution for a lot of characters is unsatisfying. In some cases there is no resolution at all. Even the main character has a montage conclusion that feels shoehorned and didn't have an adequate set up. It's also incongruent with the rest of the movie, opting for an attempt at being serious that feels out of place rather than earnest and nuanced.

7/10 - A fun and whimsical satire that pokes fun at society, gender, and even the character that is is based on. On the nose and not subtle about its message but still full of laughs and overall a fun time. Unfortunately it doesn’t follow through on its potential or commit to its tone and ended confused and unsatisfying. Still very good, but falls shy of being great right at the finish line... but who cares what I think... I'm just Ken.

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