Title: Barbie
Release Date: July 21, 2023
Director: Greta Gerwig
Production Company: Heyday Films | LuckyChap Entertainment | NB/GG Pictures | Mattel Films
Summary/Review:
“To be honest, when I found out the patriarchy wasn’t about horses I lost interest.”
Some might say this movie is just a promo by a big corporation for a toy, but Barbie has been a significant cultural artifact since the doll’s introduction 64 years ago. In the hands of Greta Gerwig (Lady Bird, Little Women), I figured the movie would be a lot of fun with some sociological messages worked in, and I was correct.
In the movie, Barbie (Margot Robbie, often referred to as “Stereotypical Barbie” because she’s the standard model) has an existential crisis. She learns she has to leave Barbieland for the Real World to find the girl who is playing with her, reluctantly allowing Ken (a.k.a “Beach Ken,” Ryan Gosling) to accompany her. She meets up with Gloria (America Ferrera), a woman estranged from her teenage daughter Sasha (Ariana Greenblatt) and they begin to help one another.
I won’t go into too much detail to avoid spoilers, but the underlying themes of the film deal with feminism through the lens of Barbie. The denizens of Barbieland believe they have solved the Real World’s problems by empowering women but reality is of course very different. The movie deals pretty well with the positive and negative effects fashion dolls like Barbie have on society. Through Ken’s story, we see that feminism is also for men as his story arc is akin to a teen boy being radicalized by Men’s Rights Activists, before he ultimately realizes self-actualization.
The cast of the movie is strong especially with the various versions of Barbie and Ken. I’m particularly fond of Weird Barbie (Kate McKinnon) and Allan (Michael Cera), a discontinued “friend of Ken” character. Lizzo’s musical commentary and Helen Mirren’s droll narration are also well done. And the dance number lead by Gosling and Simu Liu as competing Kens is a showstopper! On the downside, Will Ferrell’s role as the CEO of Mattel feels kind of extraneous and derivative of the character he played in The LEGO Movie.
Barbie the movie isn’t perfect, but as we learn from this film, perfection is not an attainable goal. It is great as a fun summer blockbuster that makes you think as well.
Rating: ***1/2
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