Barbie Review: The film stars Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, Kate McKinnon, Issa Rae, Hari Nef, Alexandra Shipp, Emma Mackey, Sharon Rooney, Simu Liu, Scott Evans, Ncuti Gata, America Ferrera, Michael Cera, Ariană Greenblatt, Rhea Perlman, Will Ferrell and others. Directed by Greta Gerwig, she has co-written the story with Noah Baumbach. The cinematography is by Rodrigo Prieto. The runtime is of 144 minutes.
Plot Summary
Stereotypical Barbie (Margot Robbie) always has a great day in Barbieland with other Barbies. Stereotypical Ken and other Kens are also just existing as they should. However, when Stereotypical Barbie gets defective, she has to go to the real world to fix herself. Ken accompanies her to the real world, where the duo learns that everything is the opposite.
Sadly, things also go wrong later in Barbieland, where Kens takeover their fancy world. Along with some humans, Stereotypical Barbie has to save her world from turning into a patriarchal dumpster.
Discussion
The first hour of Greta Gerwig’s Barbie is outstanding. She sets the satirical tone from the beginning with Helen Mirren’s narration and the events happening on the screen at Barbieland. Our Stereotypical Barbie has been having thoughts of death, which changes everything. We meet Weird Barbie, who makes a lot of sense, and when the narrative shifts to the real world, the commentary on the world of men and women is impactful.
If the movie didn’t have that ironic tone, Gerwig’s film would’ve been an intense discussion on how the world is unfair to women. She highlights them subtly, where a group of men shush away a female employee. The stares and unwanted advances from men make Stereotypical Barbie uncomfortable, but she doesn’t know how to express it. Her belief in the perfect world for women is shattered, and it’s a heartbreaking scene. As Barbie’s smile fades away, she sheds her first tear, and that scene will make you cry.
On the other hand, Stereotypical Ken is having the time of his life when he learns about patriarchy and horses. There’s a scene outside a library where we see Ken being louder while talking to Barbie for the first time. Then there’s Mattel and other things with hardly any notable moments. What stayed with me from the entire Mattel sequence is that only men make these decisions for girls and their dolls. It reminded me of a scene in BoJack Horseman where a committee of men was set to discuss women’s rights and abortion.
Stereotypical Barbie gets help from humans Gloria and her daughter Sasha. In the second half, the premise shifts back to Barbieland, which Ken takes over. It’s a twist you see coming, yet it keeps you glued to see how all the Barbies will regain their power. While it starts well with Gloria’s powerful speech about being a woman, everything else after that is a big mess. A film that calls out stereotypes takes a stereotypical approach to manipulate the Kens.
Both the patriarchy and stereotypes would’ve gotten smashed harder if the Barbies didn’t act helpless, clueless or use their sex appeal to lure Kens. If they had fought back like women instead of using jealousy as a tool to make the men fight, the overall message would’ve come across much better. But that’s not the only issue in the second hour. We don’t know when the satire switches to serious conversation, so it becomes tough to take anyone seriously after one point.
The Ken Vs Ken and Barbies Vs Ken sequences are filled with so much noise, shallow conversations and monologues, a bizarre all-Ken dance number and the crying Ken in the end. Yes, I am talking so much about Ken because, in the end, our Stereotypical Barbie, who should be focusing on herself first, comforts and helps a crying blond man and advices him to find his purpose. The last 30 minutes are a mess to watch, and the ending makes me wonder – What temptation do these characters from fantasy land have towards the human world?
The entire commentary on why the doll was made, what went wrong, and what should’ve been done right comes at a point where the film loses its grip on its main premise. In the end, the sequence between Rhea Perlman and Margot Robbie is a reminder that this is still a feminist film.
Performances
Everyone was obsessed with the feet scene featuring Margot Robbie when the teaser dropped. But the actor gets all the mannerisms of a doll right! She’s a delight to watch in pretty attires, has the power to move you just with a drop of a tear and leave you in splits with her satirical approach to the character. Ryan Gosling entertains you with Ken’s silliness, dance and songs while flaunting his abs. It is visible that the actor thoroughly enjoyed oozing all the Kenegry on the screen. The rest of the cast plays their part well. But there’s hardly anything crucial established to invest in others in the story.
Barbie Review: Final Thoughts
Overall, Greta Gerwig remains consistent with her feminist approach in her new movie, but only for some time. The music is as cool as the pink sets, but the Ken dance number is something I would like to forget. The first hour gets everything right with its satire, effective dialogues and implementation, but the second hour becomes a pink mess. The narrative remains stuck in silly fights, which hardly serve any meaning to the way the story started.
The film is now out in theatres.
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