REVIEWS

Review: Greta Gerwig's 'Barbie' is Both Hilarious & Thought-Provoking

by Manuel São Bento
July 24, 2023

The Barbenheimer phenomenon has marked the last few months leading up to this opening weekend in July with exponentially intense levels of excitement. After watching a heavy, haunting Oppenheimer (my review here), nothing like a light, fun Barbie to restore the standard mood... that is, if Greta Gerwig had, in fact, chosen to create a film without any substance. With the help of filmmaker Noah Baumbach (director of Gerwig's Frances Ha and Mistress America) as a co-writer on the script, the filmmaker responsible for memorable movies such as Lady Bird and Little Women takes advantage of the worldwide reach of the most popular doll in history, as well as a packed cast, to deliver one of the most surprising stories of the year.

I use the term "surprising" because, truth be told, most viewers probably anticipate Gerwig's Barbie movie to be nothing more than a silly, innocent comedy targeted at a female audience, without great narrative care, complex character arcs, or sensitive themes. After all, it's a film about a doll for girls... right? Completely wrong. Only people completely unaware of Gerwig's filmography and the unique qualities that make her one of the most interesting filmmakers working today would expect this movie to not be worthy of our attention.

Observing what 2023 has offered us to date, Barbie delivers, without a doubt, one of the richest narratives of the year. From the extraordinarily thought-provoking social commentary – which may annoy a certain group of people who have tremendous difficulties accepting the world as it truly is – to the deep arcs of lead characters Barbie (Margot Robbie) and Ken (Ryan Gosling), Gerwig and Baumbach craft a screenplay that will leave no one indifferent, something audiences perhaps only expected from Nolan's blockbuster.

Robbie's Barbie, referred to as "Stereotypical Barbie", goes on a journey of self-discovery by experiencing how the real world works. Basically, she suffers a reality shock that triggers an existential crisis, forcing the protagonist to search for her place in a world dominated by the opposite sex in an oppressive patriarchy. It's right here that the aforementioned group will flare up and attack Barbie, blindly accusing Gerwig of pushing political agendas and feminist messages, as well as turning men into "enemy number one" of society.

The problem is that this group not only ignores the film's context and interprets all dialogue even slightly critical of the truths about the real world as something offensive and pretentious, but above all, they "forget" a whole storyline entirely dedicated precisely to the opposite experience as lived by Gosling's Ken. At no point in Barbie does Gerwig imply that Barbieland is an example of a perfect world, quite the contrary. This "realm" is characterized as a utopian matriarchy, and it's really through Sasha (Ariana Greenblatt), a pre-teen in the real world, that the influence of the doll on the societal role of women is severely criticized.

This group may also be quick to accuse Barbie of transmitting messages of female empowerment, but the movie's most empowering moment is when Ken arrives in the real world and feels seen, heard, respected, and hopeful for a future full of potential, where he can genuinely make a difference and not be "just Ken". I consider this Gerwig's smartest and most impactful creative decision in the entire movie: to demonstrate through Ken's arc – and the other Kens – what Barbie, and all of the other Barbies, feel in the real world.

Are there moments of dialogue where the approach to discussing the female experience in the patriarchal world suffers from a dangerous generalization? Perhaps, but Barbie never forcibly interrupts her narrative to issue any kind of statement. A good example is the monologue of Gloria (America Ferrera), Sasha's mother, which will inevitably be debated for a long time. It works both as honest social commentary – the so-called "hard truth" about life as a woman – and as necessary exposition for the other Barbies. But, as already mentioned, Gerwig's flick doesn't focus exclusively on a single topic.

Australian actress Margot Robbie is obliged to deliver a performance that is much more emotional than comedic due to her character's weighty feelings throughout the movie. Barbie is also an excellent character study, not afraid to tackle sensitive themes such as personal identity, depression, self-love, and even sexual harassment. The target audience is clearly female, but in the same way that men interpreting this film as "anti-men" is simply illogical, women leaving the cinema hating the opposite sex also lacks any reason.

That said, don't let my comments deceive you. Barbie has more than enough content to make viewers burst out laughing from start to finish, and the musical numbers with hilarious choreography and lyrics almost had me crying with laughter. Gerwig strikes an efficient tonal balance between the more dramatic narrative and the purposefully over-the-top, cringy comedic sequences. Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt's soundtrack consists of a collection of original songs created by some of today's most popular pop artists – Billie Eilish's "What Was I Made For" is wonderful – but it's Gosling with the iconic "I'm Just Ken" song who grabs the spotlight by featuring in the most unforgettable musical moment of the year.

Frankly, Gosling quite literally steals the show from the rest of the cast. Robbie was born to represent Barbie as much as Gosling was born to represent Ken. Both deserve all the praise and then some. Though possibly because Gosling has the freedom to be more exaggerated and "extra", the actor stands out a bit more. His comedic timing is incredibly impressive and, for those who criticized the actor in the past for delivering too stoic performances, there's no way anyone can accuse him of this again. The extremely high levels of Kenergy are too much to handle.

The remaining Barbies and Kens are just as remarkable. All the actors understand perfectly how to act in the extremely silly environment, putting their bodies and souls into flawlessly portraying the countless versions of both dolls. In my experience, I couldn't stop laughing with Simu Liu and Kingsley Ben-Adir on the Kens' side, while Kate McKinnon – impeccable casting as the "Weird Barbie" in Barbieland – and Emma Mackey and Issa Rae are just as captivating interpreting the other various Barbies. There's even time for a cameo that will absolutely leave every moviegoer on the floor from so much laughing...

DP Rodrigo Prieto's cinematography distinguishes the two worlds brilliantly, virtually always using the same "face-front" angle when the action unfolds in Barbieland, avoiding sudden, shaky movements, while in the real world, the cinematographer utilizes dynamic, less-controlled camera work. Thus, viewers can feel the difference between the two worlds, without being aware something has changed following the subtle transitions. I admittedly don't know whether the news about the movie exhausting the reserves of pink paint is true or not, but honestly, it wouldn't be that surprising. Not only is the film beautifully colored, but the constructed sets are so mesmerizing to look at that at times I got lost looking around the screen in pure awe.

That said, not all of the jokes land. Not all of the thematic dialogue is that impactful. But overall, Barbie is nothing short of exceptional in all areas.

Final Thoughts

Barbie is hilariously meta, containing spectacularly funny musical numbers, and an efficient tonal balance between over-the-top comedy and rich, thought-provoking social commentary. Inevitable awards are on the way to the brightly colored production design, costumes, and makeup. Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach's narrative unapologetically tackles quite serious topics, from sociopolitical matters like patriarchy and sexual harassment to questions about existential crises, personal identity, self-love, and, of course, the roles of women & men in today's society. Margot Robbie was destined to play Barbie just as Ryan Gosling was born with Kenergy in his veins. They're both absolutely fantastic. It's a must-see in a packed theater.

Manuel's Rating: A-
Follow Manuel on Twitter - @msbreviews / Or Letterboxd - @msbreviews

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