Barbie (2023), Dir Greta Gerwig, Warner Bros. Pictures.

3.5***: Matthew Alicoon

Runtime: 114 Minutes

Barbie and Ken are living the high life in Barbie Land. However, one night Barbie suffers a crisis that leads her onto a journey of self-discovery within the real world.

Barbie features a strikingly imaginative play on Barbie Land, as it truly comes to life through Rodrigo Pieto’s dazzling cinematography. The film starts off with an extremely cool and ingenious meta angle of having the Barbies and Kens separated from the real world living in Barbie Land, featuring an all-star ensemble cast playing different Barbies and Kens. Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling were picture-perfect casting for the film, as Robbie looks the part of Barbie and Gosling gets some superb one liners. They both share startling first scenes with Robbie appearing in a whimsical scene demonstrating Barbie’s true importance for children. Even though, Ken’s catchphrase of “Beaching Off” is revealed in the trailer, it is hysterical due to Gosling’s timing and delivery during the scene. The film proposes a high amount of frenetic energy within its initial phase, showing a predominant personality to the film.

However, the film starts to disintegrate when Barbie and Ken go into the real world, as whilst it is fun to see these characters placed in unordinary circumstances, it starts to lose track of the quirky side it was showing in Barbie Land. Will Ferrell plays the CEO of Mattel and he was extraordinarily out of place in the film, as every time he shows up, he comes and then he goes. You forget about Will Ferrell’s role in the film to the point where he becomes inconsequential. Where the film pivots massively is in the second half, as it has a lot to say on the patriarchy of Barbie Land, as for example why is Ken not in the name of their world?

It is an amazingly courageous angle Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach have gone for within the script. However, at times the dialogue feels slightly forced and by going in this direction it will alienate the target audience of children, as it has not taken a simplistic approach to the story. It is an admirable direction that resounds in a spectacular Ken song but the film lost track of what made Barbie a fun doll for children. Greta Gerwig has made the Barbie film she wanted to make and on this occasion, it is perhaps a film to appreciate more than actually like. The film takes the patriarchal issue very seriously and respectfully by having an interesting dynamical breakdown between the Barbies and the Kens. Unfortunately, in the end Barbie was overhyped too much. The trailer was misleading but you can perhaps then see it as an intelligent marketing move from the creative team.

All the talent is involved within the film. Unfortunately, Barbie is a film that is less than the sum of its parts.

Barbenheimer Winner: Oppenheimer

Cast

Margot Robbie as Barbie

Ryan Gosling as Ken

America Ferrera as Gloria

Michael Cera as Allan

Will Ferrell as Mattel’s CEO

Helen Mirren as The Narrator