There are chase scenes, remarkable examples of stagecraft, great original songs and fun uses of storytelling with color, makeup and hair. Along the way, Ferrara delivers a strong monologue summarizing the state of "being a woman today" that is sharp and genuine and ought to end up in theater exercises for years to come. It leads to outfoxing the dopey Kens (there are some "mansplaining" jokes in here that kill there's even a Pavement gag, a recurring Gerwig bone of contention!) that climaxes in a truly terrific choreographed fight-dance between Ryan Gosling, Simu Liu and several other well-accessorized hunks. The bulk of the remaining picture is Barbie (with her real-world comrades played by Greenblatt and her mother, America Ferrara) trying to bring balance back to Barbieland. Gosling's Ken (and the other Kens) aren't bad dudes - they are simply overwhelmed by the power Patriarchy holds and how this nefarious system can so quickly brainwash people. And here comes one of Gerwig and Baumbach's key successes. Ken, on the other hand, is blown away by Patriarchy (Sly Stallone factors into this more than you might think) and sneaks off to introduce the concept back to Barbieland. There is no way to deny that this is, indeed, still an ad.Surprisingly resonant social commentary.Barbie and her bozo pal Ken (a spectacular Ryan Gosling) stand out in a crowd, and while he loves all the attention, Barbie quickly notices that the attention she's receiving comes with "an undertone of violence." The feminist paradise of Barbieland is a stark contrast to the Patriarchy of the real world (and this is discovered in a menacing-but-still-funny way at a construction site during lunch hour.) The fish-out-of-water sequences (shades of Elf, shades of Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home) are a blast but also get to the heart of what makes this movie special. After consulting with Barbieland's oracle - Kate McKinnon's "Weird Barbie" (i.e., a toy that has been played with too much, stained with magic marker, and left singed hair and wonky legs) - Barbie must travel to our world to remedy the situation. But whoever is "playing" with Robbie's Barbie (shades of the Users in the original Tron, and also Toy Story) has somehow crossed the planes of reality to infect Robbie with flat feet, irrepressible thoughts of death, and, heaven forfend, a smidgen of cellulite. In Barbieland, everything is kitschily perfect in an #OnBrand way. Some of this depends on just how old you are, but I'll simply share that my older sister never had Barbies growing up because our mother thought they were anti-feminist trash. It's a bold act of blatant advertising, truly bizarre considering how much screen time is given to voice the very real anti-Barbie sentiment that exists in the world. Barbie dolls are righteous and noble, and the accessories (big-screen representations of actual products) are gorgeous and fun. Strangely, this marriage of art and commerce makes for a compelling movie in original ways.Īssuming you buy the story (and I think most will), you come away from the film itching to buy the product. Mattel, the multinational toy manufacturing company, definitely shares authorship on Barbie, the highly anticipated feature film directed by Greta Gerwig, written by Gerwig and her partner in life and art Noah Baumbach and midwived into existence by producer and star Margot Robbie. But as toy commercials go, it's definitely the best one ever made. It is, it's important to remember, a toy commercial.
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