Barbie
Greta Gerwig’s summer blockbuster “Barbie,” is a technical and tonal tour-de-force. It’s an eye popping delight that serves as both a joyful respite and a call to arms. There is so much meticulous attention to detail crammed into the film that it would be impossible to catch it all in one viewing; you’d have to spend an entire showing on the accessories alone. The costume design (masterminded by two time Oscar winner Jacqueline Durran) and production design (led by six time Oscar nominee Sarah Greenwood) are always clever and colorful, reflective of the ever changing icon, and cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto (a three time Oscar nominee) gives everything a glossy sheen. It’s not just that Gerwig & Co. have recreated a bunch of Barbies from throughout her decades long history, dressed them in different outfits and hairstyles, and put them in immaculate dream houses. It’s that they’ve imbued these figures with infectious spirit and a knowing twinkle.
“Barbie” can be riotously funny, with huge laugh out loud moments scattered throughout. They stem from the insularity of an idealized, pink-washed world and the physical comedy of fish out of water scenarios as well as choice pop culture references when the outside increasingly intrudes. But because the marketing campaign has been so smart and so pervasive, you may find that you’ve already seen many of the movie’s inspired beats: The “2001: A Space Odyssey” homage or Ken’s self-pitying ‘80s power ballad, for instance. Such is the anticipation industrial complex.
So you probably know the basic plot: Barbie (Margot Robbie), who is blonde like all Barbies but most popular like no other Barbie in Barbieland, starts having an existential crisis. She must go into the human world to learn about herself and find her true purpose. Her sorta kinda boyfriend, Ken (Ryan Gosling), tags along because his own survival depends on Barbie recognizing him. Both discover hard truths and make new pals along the path to enlightenment. This bleeding of harsh reality into a meticulously engineered fantasy recalls the revelations of “The Truman Show” and “The LEGO Movie,” but through a sardonic prism that’s uniquely Gerwig’s.
This is a movie that acknowledges Barbie’s impossible physical proportions and the very real body issues they can cause in young girls while also celebrating her as a feminist icon. After all, there was an astronaut Barbie doll (1965) before there was an actual woman in NASA’s astronaut corps (1978), a feat “Barbie” commemorates by showing two suited up women high fiving each other among the stars, with Robbie’s Earth bound Barbie saluting them with an enthusiastic, “Yay, space!” This is also a movie in which Mattel (the doll’s manufacturer) and Warner Bros. (the film’s distributor) at least appear to be in on the surprisingly pointed jokes at their expense. Mattel headquarters boasts a spacious conference room on the top floor filled exclusively with men beneath a heart-shaped, “Dr. Strangelove”-inspired lamp; however, Will Ferrell’s CEO boasts about his company having “gender neutral bathrooms up the wazoo” as evidence of diversity. It’s quite a trick.
This film stars Margot Robbie, who strikes a balance between satire and sincerity. She was perfect for the role; it’s unfathomable to think of anyone else in it. Obviously, she looks the part blonde hair, blue eyes, et cetera but she also embodies the unshakeable, overblown optimism of this heightened, pastel universe. Then as Barbie’s awareness deepens, Robbie deftly handles Gerwig and her frequent co-writer Noah Baumbach’s trickier dialogue. From ear-to-ear smiles to single tears and everything in between, energy and tone are always ideal with Robbie.
Still Ryan Gosling consistently steals scenes as a Ken whose himbo frailty is off the charts. He goes from being Barbie’s needy boy toy to a strutting macho dope who dives headfirst into what he thinks constitutes manhood, viewers familiar with L.A.’s geography will get an extra kick out of where his inspiration comes from. Gosling sells every square jawed character’s sincerity while getting to tap into his “All New Mickey Mouse Club” musical theater roots at the same time, he’s a riot.
Within this movie’s ginormous ensemble where all women are Barbies and all men Kens (save for a couple) there are many standouts: gonzo Kate McKinnon as “Weird Barbie,” who sets Robbie’s character on her path, Issa Rae as no-nonsense President Barbie, Alexandra Shipp as kind and capable Doctor Barbie; Simu Liu as trash talking Ken who torments Gosling’s Ken, America Ferrera in crucial role as Mattel employee oh yeah, and then there is Michael Cera as one Allan bumbling awkwardly among hunky Kens (everyone else forgets Allan).
However! While “Barbie” is excitingly all over the place ambitious it can also be frustratingly all over the place inconsistent. After coming hard with joke after joke zip, the film bogs down in the middle when it starts introducing more serious themes. It’s impossible not to admire Gerwig for swinging so big with such heady notions during our mindless blockbuster season, but she gives us so many that the movie sometimes just stops dead in its tracks to tell us what it’s about and then tells us again and again. Actually, the wisest way she communicated her thoughts on toxic masculinity and entitlement was through that satirical edge she established early on while also celebrating female confidence and collaboration.
At one point a character gives a long third-act speech about the conundrum of being a woman and society’s double standards. The middle aged mom in me nodded along yes, yes, this person knows me! feeling seen and understood; but the longtime critic in me cringed at such an obvious momentum killer. How preachy can you get? Even if it makes lots of good points.
Still! If a movie is this much of a crowd pleasing spectacle and still provokes those sorts of conversations after we’ve all seen it, then it has cleared several hurdles at once. It’s like sneaking spinach into brownies or blondies, as it were.
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