Barbie (2023) Review!!

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.

My Take – As of today, this first live-action film based on the Barbie fashion dolls by Mattel has made $1.052 billion worldwide, an unsurprising but laudable feat indeed, especially considering how one would have initially believed that the brand’s target audience would probably just be pre-teenage girls.

Mainly because the film is not one would casually categorize – a chick flick, particularly due to its handling by director Greta Gerwig, who has already made a name for herself in the Indie space with excellent features like Frances Ha (2012), Lady Bird (2017), and Little Women (2019).

Co-writing with Noah Baumbach (Marriage Story, The Meyerowitz Stories), here, the talented actress turned filmmaker took on the monumental task of unraveling the enigma that is Barbie, the iconic doll that has fascinated and polarized society for decades, and infuses the narrative with a blend of self-aware meta comedy, fantasy, and romance.

Resulting in a weird and unique adventure that also makes a thought-provoking exploration of Barbie’s role as a feminist symbol in today’s society.

With Margot Robbie as the eponymous character, Ryan Gosling as Ken, and an ensemble supporting cast, that includes the likes of America Ferrera, Kate McKinnon, Issa Rae, Michael Cera, and Will Ferrell among others, and a meticulous production design, the live-action rendition masterfully navigates the treacherous waters of the branded material, all the while being totally hilarious throughout, with a few emotional scenes that will make you tear up with its messaging.

It’s just immensely satisfying to see a Barbie film been made on this scale.

Narrated by Helen Mirren, the story begins in Barbie Land and follows a Stereotypical Barbie (Margot Robbie), who lives a very happy life along with her fellow Barbies, who are all self-confident, self-sufficient, and successful. Meanwhile, their Ken counterparts don’t have jobs and don’t contribute much, especially the Ken (Ryan Gosling), who merely hangs out at the beach all day trying to impress Stereotypical Barbie, seeking a closer relationship, but Barbie always rebuffs him in favor of independence and female friendships.

However, during an epic dance party full of glitz, glam, and synchronized choreography, Stereotypical Barbie suddenly begins to question her own mortality and existence bringing the vibes to a (temporary) screeching halt. But the next day, she’s unable to carry out her usual flawless routine of getting dressed, making breakfast, and floating from her roof into her car.

In search of answers as to why she’s suddenly experiencing her first existential crisis, she visits Weird Barbie (Kate McKinnon), the type of Barbie that got played around with too much and has marker streaks on her face, who informs her that each Barbie is emotionally connected to whomever is playing with her in the real world.

So, she must take a trip to the real world to find her human owners, a jaded tween named Sasha (Ariana Greenblatt), and her mother Gloria (America Ferrera), a Mattel employee, so she can return back to normal. That’s simple enough until Ken decides he wants to tag along on the trip.

What follows could have been a very niche story, but instead turns out to be quite a universal one with a powerful emotional core that will take its audiences by surprise. The film starts off well, being smartly self-aware and offering a tongue-in-cheek critique of itself with many winks to the audience. They come from the insularity of an idyllic, pink-hued realm and the physical comedy of fish-out-of-water moments and choice pop culture references as the outside world increasingly encroaches.

But because the marketing campaign has been so clever and so ubiquitous, you may discover that you’ve already seen a fair amount of the film’s inspired moments, such as the 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) homage and Ken’s self-pitying power ballad.

The ingenious script is not only laugh-out-loud funny, but it also asks important questions and is surprisingly layered and laced with social commentary on all the issues and topics we may scoff at in the real world. This is a film that acknowledges Barbie’s unrealistic physical proportions-and the kinds of very real body issues they can cause in young girls-while also celebrating her role as a feminist icon. But the film’s comedic yet incisive commentary on toxic masculinity is its strongest through line, as it infects Ken, and eventually all of the rest of the Kens and Barbies.

Whenever the film is joking about the patriarchy and the very idea of the men’s rights movement, it sings. It also literally sings, with frequent in-jokey background songs, and a sequence where all the Kens bore their respective Barbie girlfriends to tears by whipping out acoustic guitars to sing at her rather than to her.

Despite the heavy topics, it’s all done with so much energy and exuberance, that it feels it was a film made on steroids. Greta Gerwig‘s direction is excellent, getting the bigger budget she absolutely deserves and uses every penny. Magnificent dance numbers, a fun car chase and a Barbie Land that is as vibrant as possible and despite fully embracing its own artificial nature it feels more real and visually stunning than so much of what’s out there.

Without a doubt, Margot Robbie has been perfect cast as Barbie and as the film’s star she finds just the right balance between satire and sincerity. Her performance is a joy to behold. However, Ryan Gosling is the scene-stealer as he fully embraces his impeccable comedic timing and dials it up to eleven. America Ferrara scores in one of the biggest speeches of the film and her relationship with Ariana Greenblatt adds a lot of heart to the film whilst allowing it to have it both ways when it comes to acknowledging the history of Barbie.

Will Ferrell is essentially Lord Business again, and Kate McKinnon is her usual hilarious. In other roles, Michael Cera, Issa Rae, Simu Liu, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Emma Mackey, Sharon Rooney, Alexandra Shipp, Connor Swindells, Hari Nef, Ana Cruz Kayne, Jamie Demetriou, Marisa Abela, Ncuti Gatwa, Dua Lipa, John Cena, Scott Evans, Ritu Arya and Rhea Perlman are clearly having a blast. On the whole, ‘Barbie’ is a very pink crowd-pleasing extravaganza that delivers on both laughs and emotions.