You would think that a movie about one of the biggest toy brands of all time would be an obvious cash grab. Make a movie to showcase toys, get kids to buy toys. It’s a tried and true formula that was the backbone of 80s and 90s animated shows, and you can still find merchandise being a huge selling point for a lot of shows and movies today. But every now and then someone tries to go beyond the simplicity of the IP and turn it into something special. Look at The Lego Movie. This could have been a generic, by-the-numbers story that does nothing interesting with the IP and only exists to sell products. Well, they actually did do that. It’s called The Playmobil Movie. Barbie could have very easily fallen down that hole, but who would’ve thought having a director with an interesting vision would prevent that? Greta Gerwig has been killing it over the past few years, seamlessly transitioning from low budget indie darling to a substantial voice in Hollywood. Her A24 film Lady Bird pushed her a bit more into the public eye, while her followup adaptation of Little Women really started to get her name out there. A lot of Gerwig’s work is very personal, usually pertaining to coming-of-age and womanhood, so honestly she sounded like a great fit. In 2021 she signed on with husband and writer of Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted, Noah Baumbach, to write the story and while also directing herself. She was allegedly given complete creative freedom from both Warner Bros and Mattel, which…if you’ve seen the movie, that’s more than apparent.

Barbie is one of those films that could have gone so wrong yet gets so much right. The film is both honorable and critical of the doll’s legacy, contextualizing the brand’s impact on society and modern values. It’s highly satirical, both in ways that I thought did and didn’t work, while being visually stunning thanks to an admirable attention to detail when it comes to crafting the world of Barbie and all its plastic glory. The cast is top notch and the script is one of the funniest I’ve seen this year, and while I think the story occasionally misses the mark on its commentary, I still consider this a best case scenario given Hollywood’s track record. 

Not far away from the real world exists Barbieland, a blindingly pink matriarchal society inhabited by an assortment of Barbies of all shapes, sizes, backgrounds and careers. But one day a stereotypical Barbie begins to have an existential crisis over her own existence, leading her to journey to the real world in order to find the truth behind these intrusive thoughts. This leads her down a path of self-realization that not only picks apart womanhood, but also what it means to be human. 

Greta Gerwig really lays bare her thoughts and feelings on women’s place in the world under a patriarchal society, to a point where I have to reiterate that I cannot believe this was okay’d by Warner Bros and Mattel, and I mean that in a good way. This is such a big, weird swing for a modern blockbuster to take, but it benefits all the more from it. At times it’s as simple as a fish out of water comedy, while other time’s it’s incredibly meta, breaking the 4th Wall while playing with the boundaries of conventional storytelling. It attempts to dissect not only the modern world, but also Barbie as an icon and even Mattel as a company. There’s quite a few dissections of gender and the patriarchy, which…some of you may roll your eyes at, but I think the film mostly covers these themes pretty well. A lot of people have walked away thinking this is an anti-men film, and I feel like that’s just a misread of the satire. There’s plenty of jokes at men’s expense, but it also addresses issues that men themselves face in our society, like an expectation to meet certain masculine standards. And it may surprise you that it even addresses issues in how women can treat men in society, which always seemed to be suspiciously glossed over in other reviews I’ve read. At the end of the day…its satire. Is it good satire? Well, we’ll talk about that in a minute.

I do want to gush over the cast for a bit, because I think everyone here is phenomenal. I don’t think you could ask for a better representation of the classic Barbie look than with Margot Robbie, an actor who has been killing it for a while now. Robbie manages to bring the bubbly joy expected from the character while also tapping into some surprisingly heavy existentialism. Her Barbie carries an unsureness about her place in both Barbieland and the real world, struggling to find her own identity outside of the mass produced image sold to children. Her character gets a lot deeper than I anticipated, and Robbie’s performance remains entertaining as well as endearing throughout her odyssey. Now I hate to rob a film about girl power by saying a man stole the show but…c’mon. Ryan Gosling as Ken? One of the most perfect casting decisions of all time. If you’re unfamiliar with Gosling’s comedic chops then 1. Go watch The Nice Guys, and 2. Buckle up, because he is a gut buster. Gosling’s goofy, impressionable Ken is a riot every time he’s on screen. Sometimes he doesn’t even have to talk; just the way he occupies space can be equally as funny. But he’s more than a punchline, as Ken has one of the more layered character arcs when it comes to the ensemble. It ties into the idea of those expected pressures of being a man, having to act a certain way and try to control everything just because that’s how it’s been for centuries. His journey is a surprising one, and damn hilarious if I do say so myself. The supporting cast ranging from variations on Barbie and Ken are also a delight, with some of the standouts for me being Issa Rae, Kate McKinnon, Kingsley Ben-Adir, while America Ferrera, Rhea Pearlman, and Will Farrell all have some impactful moments as characters residing in the real world.

Perhaps one of my favorite aspects of the film is the set design, specifically with the Barbieland architecture and world. The crew did a phenomenal job replicating the plastic feel of the Barbie playsets, while the world around them has the kind of bright, hokey charm to it that I was looking for. And yeah, it’s very pink. So pink that it actually caused a national shortage of pink paint for a short while. There’s also a lot of cutouts for backgrounds and environments that give some of the sets a more theatrical feel, which reminded me a lot of this year’s Beau is Afraid. The human world is expectedly not as interesting to look at, so I did find myself yearning to return to Barbieland more often for not. Yet there’s still some silly little designs I found to be fun, like the Mattel office. The soundtrack was another highlight, featuring a great mix of modern pop and hip hop, along with a surprising lack of Barbie Girl by Aqua. I think we hear it for like 5 seconds at one point, so the team must have thought that fruit hung a bit too low. The rest of the film’s soundtrack is a lot of fun and integrated pretty well, with some standouts being a narrating opening track that gives us the rundown on Barbie and her day by Lizzo. Then of course there is what I predict to be the future Oscar winner for best original song: I’m Just Ken, performed by Ryan Gosling. A song that let’s us enter the tormented and downtrodden soul of Ken; an undeniable earworm that also accompanies a pretty great beach dance battle. 

As for the script, this is where I harbor some praise as well as criticism. I can confidently say this is probably the funniest movie I’ve seen this year, due in part to the mix of solid comedic writing and a cast that knows how to deliver it. Not every joke lands but there’s a great assortment of one liners, visual gags and a hint of slapstick. While the dialogue is often funny, I do find it to be a bit overwritten at times. There’s a trend of characters that will have long winded or tightly worded responses and that’s supposed to be the joke, but I’ve never really been a fan of that kind of writing. Something like “Oh, I’m really feeling the encroaching oblivion spawned by the patriarchal chains which tie us down”. I don’t know how else to describe it, it’s like being matter of fact is the punchline, and it just doesn’t do it for me. I also thought the writing at times could be a bit heavy handed with its themes, being as direct as possible with not a ton of nuance. It can really make its feminist approach feel kind of shallow at times when you have to resort to buzzwords and slogans in place of meaningful dialogue, at least for me. At the end of the day I think the story is trying to cover a bit too much ground and isn’t entirely sure where it stands on some issues. Is this an anti-Mattel film despite the fact that it was developed under the watchful eye of the brand? I’m not so sure. It all gets very complex while also being quite oversimplified. I still had a fun time, but I didn’t leave the film pondering on what it had to say more than what was probably intended.

Even with these issues, Barbie is still a best case scenario final product when it comes to merchandise getting its own feature. The cast is great, the story is a ton of fun, and the designs and presentation are exemplary. I don’t think it’s the woke liberal feminist hit piece some people have labeled it, even if it does occasionally succumb to the pratfalls that come with being chronically online. It’s hardly offensive, so put the matches away and take your dolls out of the trash can. You’ll be fine.

Rating

Barbie’s Malibu Dreamsicle

For this drink, I wanted to capture the aesthetic of Barbie land, specifically Ken’s job: beach. Just beach. The drink is sweet and tropical, combining the flavors of pineapple, coconut and strawberry into a delightful summer drink that, if anything, may quiet those thoughts of dying for a little while. Or amplify them.

Sweet, creamy and fruitfilled, this drink is perfect for your next beach-off session, especially if you plan on beaching-off with your friends!

Ingredients

• 1.5oz pineapple Malibu rum
• 1oz coconut milk
• 1oz strawberry syrup
• 3/4oz orange liqueur
• 1/2oz lime juice
• Garnish: Strawberry

Instructions

1. Add all ingredients to a shaker and shake to chill.
2. Strain into a chilled coup glass.
3. Garnish with strawberry.