Movie Review: Barbie
Let’s find out if life in plastic is fantastic. After Barbie suffers a crisis, it leads her to question her world and her existence. I was not prepared for this movie at all, and I’m really glad about that, too. I saw one trailer and basically didn’t know much, and whoa, what a surprise with the story.
A Phenomenal Cast
Margot Robbie as the lead Barbie? She is stunning and wonderful, and her commitment to portraying the doll, I found amazing. When she descends from her house or travels down her slide, even smiling and waving at everybody, she maintains this stiff but friendly smile and pretty much never blinks. Now, throughout the course of the movie, she blinks like any normal person, so she doesn’t come across like a psychopath. But in Barbieland, she retains a lot of doll-like mannerisms that really work to sell the performance and her character.
But she’s also way more than just a doll. Robbie showcases this huge range of emotions; they’re both heartfelt and touching, and when she experiences deep feelings, I felt them, too. Her performance transcended the screen and delivered the emotions to us as the audience.
Ryan Gosling as Ken gets to steal a bunch of scenes. Now, he’s at first playing a sort of sidekick or tag-along to Barbie, but it’s his own moments where he becomes the central focus, and his persona carries so many messages with it. Some are funny and silly, others biting with truth, and portions of his arc were a bit of a shock to me, but in a totally awesome way.
There are a lot of other Barbies and Kens, and some get to shine as well. A lot of them just get a bit of screen time and maybe a couple of lines so that they’re not just background performers: Issa Rae, Simu Liu, Hari Nef, Alexandra Shipp, Emma Mackey, Kate McKinnon, Ncuti Gatwa, and Kingsley Ben-Adir, and there are so many more.
World-Building and Production Design
The story starts out fairly simply with Barbie experiencing a crisis of sorts, and then that leads her to travel to the real world in search of a fix. Ken tags along, and they have an adventure which then begins to have unforeseen ramifications for all of the Barbies and Kens.
Okay, so first: the sets are wonderful. It was reported that there was a worldwide shortage of pink paint because of this production, and it’s really easy to see why. Barbieland is expertly crafted to be this convincing mixture of reality and fantasy. Like the beach—it’s not really a beach, but is instead just mounded plastic with texture to look like sand. And the homes, they’re all without walls, just like a real Barbie Dreamhouse would be. It’s fantastical, and it creates a fun and vibrant make-believe reality for the Barbies. And because it’s real to them, it is real.
When Barbie travels to our world—the real world—it really reminded me of *Elf*, when Buddy travels to New York to find his dad. We watch Barbie and Ken travel through multiple landscapes and terrains, each with coordinating outfits and motifs. It really added to the visual awesomeness and general fun of the scene. It’s totally fake-looking, and it’s absolutely meant to be that way. I love that the film isn’t trying to trick us into thinking that Barbie’s world is fully real and functional, and the sets totally reflect that fakeness.
Humor, Heart, and Social Commentary
There are a lot of different emotions that course through this narrative. There’s a bunch of humor, and many times I laughed out loud at either the ridiculousness of something or because of the scathing truth that’s delivered. But then there are some gut-punch moments and even a few key scenes that almost make you want to stand up and applaud right in the middle of the scene because the dialogue and the emotion are so poignant and right on target.
You may be aware that this has a pretty large social commentary woven through it, but it may not be exactly what you think it is. There’s an arc that addresses stereotypes and job functions, even archaic roles, and there’s a lot to do with self-worth and self-confidence. I mean, it’s a huge and powerful one, too. And then there’s also an arc that addresses the “bro culture.” I found that one absolutely hilarious. Really, the funny thing is that this isn’t an “all men bad, only women good” type of narrative, but it also doesn’t shy away from addressing the flaws and inherent dangers of an overarching patriarchy. There are a couple of times when the commentary addressing different areas could feel a tiny bit preachy, but they also are spot on, and sometimes it really needs to be pointed and overt so that those in the cheap seats can hear it.
I love how often the movie was subverting expectations. I did expect this to be a little funny and even silly, but I wasn’t expecting the level of depth to the message that it really contains. There’s a moment when America Ferrera’s character delivers a speech, and you may just see that as the clip if she’s nominated for Best Supporting Actress. My jaw was hanging open at the passion and ferocity with which she was delivering it. It was powerful, touching, relevant, and searing. I absolutely loved it.
Music and Pacing
I am somebody that appreciates musicals, and while this isn’t that at all, there are a couple of dance and musical numbers that really blew me away. Ryan Gosling performs one of the songs, and I was pleasantly surprised at how great his voice is. The song is captivating, fun, and actually really catchy, and the same goes for the dance numbers. They are highly stylized and choreographed, and they’re meant to come across that way. It’s even mentioned that they’d be doing it that way, so the areas of self-awareness are great additions to the story.
Because this is *Barbie*, I can see a lot of parents looking to take maybe their younger kids to this. I don’t think they’re gonna be into it at all. There was a kid in our audience sitting right in front of us, and they were bored and squirrely after about 30 minutes. Tweens and older will certainly get a lot more out of this because, while the visuals are bright and cheery, the messaging, humor, tone, and emotion are all directed towards a more emotionally aware crowd.
The movie is just short of two hours, and through almost all of it, I wasn’t aware of the time. But there is a moment toward the finale that is both necessary and emotional, but it also feels like a shift in the storytelling, and that made me aware of time—it had me really wondering how much was left. I was still completely engaged and loving the story, but that momentum towards the end wavered and faltered some.
There are also some areas of the story that feel a little clunky. There’s a point when a group is traveling, and we watch a small part of that, which I think is all we need because we’ve already seen that journey a few times with other people. But then the scene shifts and occurs over the course of a full day, or maybe even two, and that group that was traveling feels lost or forgotten in the story, and then they show up abruptly and a bit clumsily. Some of the transitions between scenes are just a bit smashed up or abrupt. But really, all of these minor issues didn’t ruin the storytelling or even the experience for me; there are just some areas that could benefit from some adjustment.
Final Verdict
If you’re looking for a fun time at the movies with an excellent cast and an even better story, *Barbie* more than delivers. We’re given laughs, tears, painful moments, relevant social commentary, and a heartfelt narrative that’s going to resonate with so many people. I absolutely adored it, and I can certainly see this one becoming one of those that I watch repeatedly.
Overall, *Barbie* transcends the make-believe world to craft a narrative relevant to today, while not losing sight of the simplicity and pureness of a toy. Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling are absolute standouts, embracing their roles with abandon and passion to create wonderfully relatable, flawed characters in pursuit of meaning. The social commentary can be overt and even a little preachy at times, and there are some moments of clunkiness, but on the whole, this is an excellent escape while also providing encouragement and strength to viewers.
Rating: I give Barbie 4.5 out of 5 couches.
So, have you been looking forward to this one? If you’ve seen it, I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!
