Rent Barbie on Amazon Video (paid link)
Written by: Greta Gerwig & Noah Baumbach, based on Barbie by Mattel
Directed by: Greta Gerwig
Starring: Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, Issa Rae, Kate McKinnon, Alexandra Shipp, Dua Lipa, Simu LIu, Kingley Ben-Adir, Ncuti Gatwa, John Cena, Michael Cera, America Ferrera, Reha Perlman, Helen Mirren (voice), Will Ferrell, Lucy Boynton
Rated: PG-13
Watch the trailer
Plot
Barbie suffers a crisis that leads her to question her world and her existence.
Verdict
It's a smart, clever, and funny movie. That's not something I initially expected. It never loses sight of the message, and it never gets bogged down in unnecessary details. It uses the toy as a springboard for a poignant message about femininity, both the ideal and reality. It's impressive this story was created based on a toy line, and this does such a great job of building on an idea that provides viewers something to ponder and discuss.
Watch It.
Review
When I first heard about the idea for a Barbie movie I was skeptical. It seemed like a commercial. When I read that Gerwig and Baumbach were writing, I knew this was going to be more than just an ad.
What got me from nearly the beginning is how funny and clever this is. The first few scenes are the evolution of dolls from baby dolls that encourage girls to be mothers to the Barbie that encourage girls to be anything. That leap forward begets a 2001 reference.
Barbie dolls have solved feminism, at least in the Barbie world. Every toy or character is named Barbie, and they represent possibility. Girls can be a doctor, writer, lawyer, or anything else. Stereotypical Barbie (Margot Robbie) is at the center of this world, but things change when she mentioned she thinks about death. The first day is perfect, but after mentioning death day two is nowhere near as perfect. We're also introduced to Ken (Ryan Gosling) and his unrequited love for Barbie. The Ken's profession is just "beach."
 |
| Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling play Barbie, Ken |
Weird Barbie (Kate McKinnon) informs Barbie that to solve her anxiety she must head to the real world to find the child playing with the doll counterpart. There are parallels to the real world and Barbie world, but the movie doesn't try to explain too much. There's no way you can, so shortcutting it is a smart move. Barbie must choose between the Birkenstock or the pump. The pump represents her current world and the sandal will take her to reality. She doesn't want to go to the real world, but there isn't actually a choice.
Ken accompanies Barbie to the real world where she discovers the ideal Barbie world didn't translate to reality. The progress Barbie imagined had been made isn't the case. She has a rude awakening. She's informed of the unrealistic beauty standards Barbie has created. When she storms into the conference room at Mattel, she's shocked that there are only men a the C suite level.
 |
| Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling play Barbie, Ken |
Ken's revelation is that men rule the world. He discovers patriarchy and develops an affinity for fur jackets and horses. Ken manages to transform Barbie land in the image of patriarchy. Part of what helps fix Barbie land is a rant about the difficulties of being a woman and the contradictory expectations. The conclusion isn't one sided. The Barbies acknowledge that Barbie land wasn't perfect, and that the new world needs to be more inclusive of Ken.
I was curious what Gerwig and Baumbach would do with this property. They created something so clever and funny. This is really smart, but it also manages to find the humor in these situations. It's a movie with a message, but it's not weighed down by it.
No comments :
Post a Comment