‘Barbie’ Movie Review: Greta Gerwig Delivers Barbie To The Modern Era
Photo from Warner Bros.
From Joe Peltzer
Behind Barbie’s stunning set pieces adorned with an outburst of a pink palette and just under the sharp, frequent, and always effective humor lies an intelligent takedown of gender norms, societal expectation, and toxic masculinity wrapped in well-deserved celebration of the iconic doll.
Baribie’s (Margot Robbie) perfect world begins to unexpectedly crack when strange emotions infiltrate her being, leading to a journey to the real world with Ken (Ryan Gosling) and a realization that all is not as expected, a reality that soon rocks the very foundation of Barbieland. I was certainly one of the skeptical many who were unsure as to whether a Barbie movie would ever work. Enter Greta Gerwig, here with her third directorial effort (after Lady Bird and Little Women), from a script she wrote with her husband and creative partner Noah Baumbach. It’s safe to say that she is 3 for 3 as Barbie delivers on all fronts: humor, heart, and a dissection of gender expectations. The laughs are frequent and heavy, even the dumbest lines landing thanks to a cast that came to play. Margot Robbie is simply phenomenal, somehow embodying the character of Barbie in both look and temperament with such ease, opposite a crazy and cooky Ryan Gosling as Ken. Let me be clear: PUT GOSLING IN MORE COMEDIES. The man knows comedic timing and delivers not just with his words, but his body language, as well. The two of them together are charming, even as their individual storylines diverge to open the door for a mirror to be held up to modern day society.
Robbie and Gosling are joined by an incredibly talented cast from Kingsley Ben-Adir to Simu Liu, Emma Mackey to Alexandra Shipp. Issa Rae and Kate McKinnon are standouts as their respective Barbies, the former the Barbieland president and the latter the culmination of being played with too hard (“Weird Barbie”). But it’s America Ferrera who is the surprising through line of emotion here as a mother struggling to connect with her growing daughter (Ariana Greenblatt) and revising her love for Barbies. She delivers a monologue midway through the film that is simply exceptional and sure to be one of the most memorable film moments of the year, as well as a TikTok sound. It all just works so well thanks to a story that is authentic to Barbie’s history while modernizing the messaging to examine whether the dolls truly represent women or set an unachievable ideal. Gerwig delivers a true feminist rallying film here that doesn’t have to stop there as its messaging could easily extend to all who are impacted by a structured patriarchal society.
It goes without saying that the set and costume design here is superb, every detail popping out and bringing this world to life. Barbie is one of the most visually pleasing films in recent memory and also boasts an incredible album that compliments every aspect of Barbie’s journey. My only gripe, aside from a ton of the laughs being shown in the marketing, is that I am not sure who this is made for. It would seem that the target audience skews towards older generations who have the memories of playing with Barbies throughout the years (especially when it comes to references to discontinued versions that provide excellent comedic moments). Younger kids may find the story to be a bit over their heads, ditto for many of the jokes. There are moments, such as when the Kens are battling, that I sat back and wondered “is this silliness it?” Take Will Ferrell, who is as funny as ever in classic Ferrell fashion, but does little to help the story aside from reminding you that Mattel exists. But it all became worth it once the embedded themes were tied up nicely with a beautiful nod to history and a shifting of focus on how we look at Barbie.
This is a true achievement, one that should play well during Oscar season when it comes to technicals especially, but also in the major categories. Barbie has been made relevant in 2023 in a way I never thought possible. Gerwig simply gets her.
Barbie hits theaters on Friday.
Rating: 4/5
