Movie Review: ‘Barbie’
Director: Greta Gerwig
Cast: Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, America Ferrera, Arianna Greenblatt, Will Farrell, Rhea Perlman, Kate McKinnon, Issa Rae, Hari Nef, Simu Liu, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Scott Evans, Ncuti Gatwa, Michael Cera, Helen Mirren
Plot: Everything is perfect in Barbie Land, where the Barbies and Kens exist. When Barbie starts to malfunction she must travel to the Real World to meet the girl who plays with her. Unfortunately, Ken brings a new idea back to Barbie Land with them.
Review: A live-action adaptation of the ‘Barbie’ toy line doesn’t feel like an unusual concept in the modern era of film-making. Played straight, it would no doubt be pushed into the same corner as all media made for young girls, declared to be shallow and stupid (whilst ‘Transformers’ is fun and nostalgic!). A new-found interest piqued when Greta Gerwig was attached as the leading creative force behind the project, as the general perception of the ‘Barbie’ brand doesn’t gel with Gerwig’s usual canon of cinema. We have also been curious about what this movie actually is, as early marketing material did not make this clear. We see Barbie (Robbie) and Ken (Gosling) cross over into the Real World, but this was clearly not the whole story.
You can put aside fears that this is a more pink version of The Lego Movie (although Will Farrell as the corporate bigwig doesn’t help dissuade this notion). This is a much more complex set of ideas that addresses the role of Barbie in the changing world, a sense of identity and stereotypical gender roles. After a brief introduction parodying the opening scene of 2001: A Space Odyssey, we are introduced to Barbie Land and our protaganist, who is identified as the ‘stereotypical’ Barbie that people think of when they hear Barbie. Every day is a good day for Barbie and the other Barbies (Rae, Nef, Shipp, Mackey, et al) who inhabit their world, but for Ken its only a good day if Barbie pays attention to him. This leads to Beach Ken going out of his way to hold Barbie’s attention, leading him into conflict with Ken (Liu) and generally leaving him frustrated.
One morning Barbie finds things going wrong, most notably her feet are sitting flat instead of the classic high-heel form. After seeking out the advice of the mishandled ‘Weird Barbie’ (McKinnon), she learns that her thoughts of death and appearance of cellulite are coming from the girl who plays with her. This sets Barbie and Ken on a journey to the Real World, where they quickly find themselves unprepared for the, well, reality they encounter. The concept of Barbie being an inspiration to women, enforcing the idea that they can hold any job or role, doesn’t hold true in reality and many people are derisive of what she represents. Worse still, Ken discovers patriarchy and views it as a way to gain the respect he desires. While Barbie is captured by the Mattel company trying to repress the news that Barbie has escaped into reality, Ken brings patriarchy back to Barbie Land and dissembles the women-led government in place. Barbie, along with Gloria (Ferrera), the woman who owns her, must find a way to retake her kingdom and re-establish her role for girls worldwide.
Needless to say, this is a movie dealing with some complex emotional topics for a doll typically designed for the younger members of society. Jokes are made regarding the dolls lack of genitals, as expected, but Barbie also vocalises the feelings she has over the predatory leering she encounters very soon after arriving in LA. Conversely, Ken’s responds that he feels admired while Barbie is concerned that some men seem to want something violent from her. This specific addressing of the male gaze comes back around after meeting with Gloria and her daughter Sasha (Greenblatt), when the roles and attitudes that women are expected to fulfil get put under the microscope.
Barbie is packed with references to classic designs and accessories. The obvious, iconic items such as the Barbie Dream House, the pink convertible and the original zebra-patterned swimsuit are easy enough to pick as they have permeated pop-culture knowledge. As to how well this movie plums the nostalgia and collector references, we are out of our depth. Apart from spending several hours assembling a Barbie horse trailer for my sister, my knowledge of Barbie products is very poor. I did like seeing some of the controversial members of the collection turning up, such as Earring Magic Ken, who have been noteworthy for their missteps.
It has been noted that Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling are uniquely positioned to play this roles, being able to resemble characters who are, by definition, perfect looking people. They also both very talented performers who are able to walk capture characters who are very basic by nature but have to take on conflicts of identity and representation. In addition to that, all the actors put in strong physical performance featuring dance moves and wild reactions.
At this point, the hype behind the wide release of Barbie has it locked to become a success. With its thoughtful take on the concept and attention to detail, it’s going to be a crowd pleaser. It’s a delightful sense of mirth and a willingness to poke fun at itself make it a film worth seeing regardless of your opinions on the famous doll.
Rating: EIGHT out of TEN
