Barbie, 2023.
Directed by Greta Gerwig.
Starring Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, America Ferrera, Will Ferrell, Kate McKinnon, Ariana Greenblatt, Issa Rae, Rhea Perlman, Hari Nef, Emma Mackey, Alexandra Shipp, Connor Swindells, Michael Cera, Helen Mirren, Simu Liu, Sharon Rooney, Dua Lipa, John Cena, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Scott Evans, Jamie Demetriou, Ncuti Gatwa, Nicola Coughlan, Emerald Fennell, Ana Kayne, Ritu Arya, Annie Mumolo.
SYNOPSIS:
To live in Barbie Land is to be a perfect being in a perfect place. Unless you have a full-on existential crisis. Or you’re a Ken.
This piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strike. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, Barbie wouldn’t exist.
In co-writer/director Greta Gerwig’s Barbie, there is a song by Grammy-winning/Oscar-winning singer-songwriter Billie Eilish asking, “What was I made for.” Yes, this Barbie (the stereotypical interpretation of the doll embodied by Margot Robbie) is having an existential crisis.
Living in Barbie Land (a stunningly elaborate world created comprised of dollhouse homes, beaches, pastel colors, and gorgeous vistas), Barbie’s life is perfect. She and the other Barbies (takes on other variations of the dolls, encompassing several different jobs, personalities, and races) enjoy their days while the Kens seek to impress them. Specifically, Ryan Gosling’s Ken (the blonde everyone thinks of when they hear the name) craves affection from stereotypical Barbie. At night, glamorous parties are full of music and dancing, where the Barbies inevitably ditch the Kens for slumber parties.
It’s also important to note that in Barbie Land, these characters do have doll traits while appearing human. No water comes from the showerhead, no liquids pour out from inside cups and have an odd-looking walk. Sad thoughts are also nonexistent, meaning there is a surprise jolt when stereotypical Barbie casually brings up fearing death, but not before quickly changing the subject as everyone else looks on confused.
The next day, she wakes up further discombobulated, shedding a depression tear, as if she is transitioning into a human body. As a result, she seeks out advice from a banished outcast, “weird and ugly” Barbie (Kate McKinnon in a perfect piece of casting), making an impression of what a crazy cat lady would be like in this world. Nevertheless, this Barbie explains that someone in the real world must be playing with stereotypical Barbie in a sad mood or roughing up the doll in a way that reflects back onto her personality in Barbieland. The only solution is to travel to the real world, find this young girl, figure out what’s wrong, and resolve that situation. Barbie also has conflicting feelings of wanting to tackle this journey alone but wishing someone could come along. Naturally, Ken sees this as an opportunity to stow away in the back of the car. A multi-tiered, whimsical multivehicle process of traveling from Barbie Land to Earth is one of many charming touches here.
Writing alongside her partner, Noah Baumbach, Greta Gerwig takes the Mattel license to interrogate what, exactly, these dolls have done for a society of women who still seem to be living on eggshells in a world of inequality, and the unrealistic standards some of the dolls have imposed. In addition to functioning as a clever concept, it’s also a gutsy one that isn’t afraid to point fingers at Mattel itself. Yes, the company’s CEO is a dimwitted man played by Will Ferrell, but that’s the broad stroke of something much deeper at play here.
To clear up any confusion that might be brewing, this is also not a standard fish-out-of-water story. That aspect exists (and does contain funny bits such as Barbie and Ken repeatedly getting arrested, most notably when Barbie fights back against crude sexism, something that doesn’t exist in her world), but mainly to further the plot and parallel differences between these worlds. Barbieland is a fantasyland in a literal sense, but also metaphorical sense for whoever thinks big issues are solved, or that because they don’t have those problems, the rest of the world doesn’t anymore. It’s an indictment that simply putting out a toy meant to promote an idea will not fix anything. Even this movie itself might not fix anything, but it will damn sure start some thoughtful conversations about gender roles, feminism, corporations, and humanity.
The film also explores what happens when a Ken gets a taste of a world where most men are authoritative hotshots. Without saying much, those results are consistently hilarious, with Ryan Gosling tapping into that transformation in a way that feels specific to this playful tone and the character’s energy. He is nothing short of phenomenal in the role, complete with an equally riotous musical number. There is also no denying that Margot Robbie is brilliant as the emotional core of the piece. However, it’s America Ferrera, playing the mother to that daughter stereotypical Barbie is searching for, is handed one of the best scenes; a scathing monologue about what it means to be a woman today. It’s every bit as powerful as what Saoirse Ronan pulled off in Great Gerwig’s outstanding take on Little Women.
Given that once Barbie somewhat reveals what it’s about, only to become something else entirely quickly, it’s also an unpredictable, meta work that coasts along with humor and creativity. There are elements here and there that feel slightly shortchanged, but factoring in how ambitious Greta Gerwig’s work is as a whole means it’s difficult to be left with anything other than spellbinding admiration. It’s a true work of imagination that will surely spark vital conversation while dazzling through its visual splendor.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★
Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association and the Critics Choice Association. He is also the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor. Check here for new reviews, follow my Twitter or Letterboxd, or email me at MetalGearSolid719@gmail.com
