Barbie (2023) is everywhere now. With that in mind, I thought it appropriate to cover one-half of the "Barbenheimer" phenomenon (I will get myself to see Oppenheimer (2023) sometime soon) for myself. This analysis will include spoilers, so if you haven't seen this yet or don't mind getting spoiled, this is your final warning. With that said, on with the analysis.
The story for Barbie follows Stereotypical Barbie (played by Margot Robbie) as she leaves her seemingly perfect home of Barbieland after suddenly experiencing thoughts of death and disruptions in her daily routine like bad breath and flat feet, and heads to the real world along with Beach Ken (played by Ryan Gosling), where she experiences what it is to be human and a woman within society, along with several realizations about how topsy-turvey real life's treatment of women is, thanks in part to Mattel employee Gloria (played by America Ferrera) and her tween daughter, Sasha (played by Ariana Greenblatt). Meanwhile, Beach Ken makes discoveries of his own regarding the ideas of patriarchy and toxic masculinity and the harm they inflict on everyone, regardless of gender.
First off, this film's performances are excellent, from Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, America Ferrera, Ariana Greenblatt, Kate McKinnon, and Rhea Perlman to Michael Cera. Robbie sells this movie as the titular lead with her natural charisma, comedic wit and timing, and emotional range. My favorite scene featuring her is set in the real world, where Stereotypical Barbie observes humans in a park experiencing different emotions via a montage, culminating in her shedding a single tear from her eye. It is then followed by a heartfelt moment of her telling an older woman sitting on a bench (played by Oscar-winning costume designer Ann Roth) that she is beautiful, to which the woman smiles and responds, "I know it." The fact that writer-director Greta Gerwig had to fight to keep this moment from getting cut from the movie illustrates how backward society is regarding women in the film industry and the workplace in general.
Gosling as Beach Ken is a show-stealer, for he is absolutely hilarious and charismatic in every scene; even when his character acts like a macho bro in the second act, he remains likable and goofy. He gets a moment to shine in an elaborate (and equally funny) musical number inspired by the likes of Singin' in the Rain (1952), West Side Story (1961), and Grease (1978), where he sings an '80s-inspired power ballad titled "I'm Just Ken". I can tell that Gosling was having a blast filming this movie, as he nearly always appears to be on the verge of cracking up when delivering his lines.
Moving on to the supporting characters, Ferrera's performance as Gloria is the standout from this movie, as somewhere between the second and third acts, she delivers an impassioned monologue about the hardships of being a woman in society and its warped and contradictory expectations that should singlehandedly earn her an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress. Greenblatt gives an equally strong performance as Sasha, who starts off growing emotionally distant from her mother before gradually reconnecting through their shared actions of saving Barbieland. McKinnon as Weird Barbie is delightfully freakish, a role she fits into like a glove. Her quirky but insightful persona feels like a natural addition to the film's in-universe world, given that her character has scribbles drawn on her face, much like how a child plays with and takes creative liberties with dolls. Perlman makes an emotionally profound cameo appearance as the spirit of Ruth Handler, Mattel's co-founder, who shares two scenes with Barbie that are perhaps the movie's most heartwarming and inspiring scenes, one of which has Billie Eilish's beautiful ballad "What Was I Made For?" playing in the background. I could describe the scenes more, but they must be seen for oneself.
Cera's comically awkward performance as the infamous one-off doll Allan is a highlight, and the scenes where he acknowledges that he is an anomaly are hilarious, but his character arc of wanting to escape Beach Ken's shadow is largely ignored by the end, much like how most of the characters treat him. The same goes for Midge (played by Emerald Fennell), whose sole identity is that of Barbie's pregnant friend, and I would have loved to have seen more of her character, possibly in a spin-off with Allan. While I understand that this movie is Stereotypical Barbie and Beach Ken's film, and the whole joke about Allan and Midge is that they are obscure one-offs, the fact that both their arcs are left unresolved is a little disappointing. Also, Will Ferrell appears in this movie as Mattel's CEO, and he is funny here but feels more like a shoehorned addition to this picture for the sake of including a man-child character in a position of power.
This movie has a lot going on tonally, thematically, and visually. Starting with the tone and themes, Barbie is simultaneously a comedy, an existential drama, an oversized toy commercial, and a satirical commentary on society's views of women, feminism, and toxic masculinity. All the tones and themes are balanced and handled expertly, thanks to Greta Gerwig's direction and her and Noah Baumbach's (Gerwig's husband) screenplay, all of which make for a memorable and contemplative viewing experience. As a male film reviewer, did this movie expose previously hidden biases within me that made me feel uncomfortable? Yes, but I am glad that it did. The fact that the concept of patriarchy is so widespread and affects so many men into believing that for them to be respected, they must be the dominant species and treat women as second-class citizens, which is the complete reversal of the gender dynamics in Barbieland, is upsetting. However, this movie never depicts the male characters as complete monsters but rather as misguided and misled individuals who eventually realize they are their own persons who don't need to be permanently attached to a woman or her love and attention for them to be approved of.
The overall production design and costume design are definite shoe-ins for Oscar nominations, for they perfectly capture the colorful yet artificial nature of the plastic Barbieland and its inhabitants and provide plenty of excellent sight gags, given that they are 1950s-era toys playing in a pretend world. For instance, as Stereotypical Barbie goes through her morning routine, she uses an oversized hairbrush while mimicking the motions of brushing her hair, and when she takes a shower, imaginary water comes out of the showerhead. Also, when Beach Ken rushes from the beach towards the ocean with a surfboard in hand, he bumps off the plastic waves and flies backward through the air. Not only does the playful nature of the set designs and visual aesthetic lend themselves to the in-universe's immersive nature, but this movie makes countless cinematic film references, appealing to the cinephile in me.
Speaking of which, almost every cinematic classic is referenced or touched upon in Barbie from The Wizard of Oz (1939), Singin' in the Rain, 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), The Godfather (1972), Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975), Saturday Night Fever (1977), Grease, The Shining (1980), Top Gun (1986), The Truman Show (1998), The Matrix (1999), and Pride & Prejudice (2005), to Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021) (more on that later).
For example, the movie opens with a shot-for-shot parody of "The Dawn of Man" prologue from 2001: A Space Odyssey (right down to the iconic theme of "Also Sprach Zarathustra"), a large dance party set to Dua Lipa's "Dance the Night Away" is inspired by those from the likes of Saturday Night Fever, the pink road on which Barbie drives her car out of Barbieland is a pink version of the Yellow Brick Road from The Wizard of Oz, and during Beach Ken's introduction to the concept of patriarchy, the film appears to reference Hal Ashby's 1979 film, Being There, with the inclusion of Eumir Deodato's 1973 jazz-funk rendition of "Also Sprach Zarathustra", but set to a montage of images and video clips of butch cowboys on horse-back, actors like Sylvester Stallone, U.S. presidents like Bill Clinton, and John Travolta's character of Danny Zuko from Grease. Also, when all the Ken dolls are seen riding imaginary horses together, clicking coconut shells can be heard in the background, a visual gag pulled straight from Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
On a side note, when Stereotypical Barbie finds herself at her lowest, a satirical ad promoting dolls like "Depressed Barbie" is interspliced into the movie. This editing choice feels in line with those from Todd Haynes' Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story (1987) (a short film that infamously used modified Barbie dolls to tell Karen Carpenter's tragic life story), where the story would occasionally cut to either PSAs lecturing the audience on anorexia nervosa or mockumentary-style interviews of various actors posing as interviewees. Also, Barbie and some other characters reference Jane Austin and the 2005 film adaptation of Pride & Prejudice, which I found rather charming.
As mentioned earlier, there is a moment where one of the female characters, after being woken up from being brainwashed by the Kens, says that she had a dream where she was interested in Zack Snyder's Justice League. I shook my head at the time, but I have since realized that while it pokes fun at those obsessing over it, it makes fun of a specific type of fan that will relentlessly bombard others about it. On a personal note, I enjoyed watching the Snyder Cut, for while it was more than good enough for a director's cut, I am, in no way, obsessed with Zack Snyder or his movies.
Overall, with its ever-timely themes, outstanding performances, and Oscar-worthy production values, Barbie is not only one for the history books but also one that I hope will inspire a new generation of filmmakers and scholars to analyze and critique for years to come. I know that I am biased as a male film critic, but as long as there is inequality or injustices of any kind within society, this movie and its themes will sadly continue to be relevant. It also should remind male readers who have yet to see this movie that, contrary to popular belief, it is not man-hating nor man-bashing; rather, it encourages men to be vulnerable and not use their masculinity to dominate over others and instead learn to respect and share their power and space with women and those who do not confine to either gender, thus making viewing this film a must for men's personal growth and that they are, as Beach Ken wears on a hoodie, "Kenough". Will Hollywood learn the right lessons from the success of this movie? Given that Mattel's film division is officially involved with this picture, I doubt it. Regardless of the outcome, see this movie, for it is a life-changing experience.
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