Barbie review

At its best, Barbie is a visual spectacle with charming performances, catchy music and some savvy social commentary. That’s not always the case with Barbie, which has the occasional hiccup and pacing issue, but overall it’s one of the year’s more thoughtful and fun films of 2023.

Helen Mirren narrates life P.B. – Pre-Barbie — and the revolution that sparked after her arrival. Right from this opening sequence director/co-screenwriter Greta Gerwig (Lady Bird) shows an ideal blend of scorching satire and a genuine appreciation for all things Barbie.  That’s a tricky balancing act, but Gerwig and co-screenwriter Noah Baumbach navigate it smoothly.

Stereotypical Barbie (Margot Robbie) is living her usual fantastic life. She’s enjoying all the comforts of life in Barbieland — her Dream House, car and a day on the beach. She enjoys hanging out with other Barbies like President Barbie (Issa Rae), Physicist Barbie (Emma Mackey), Mermaid Barbie (Dua Lupa) and Writer Barbie (Alexandra Shipp).

Stuck on the sidelines until the Barbies looks their way are the various Kens including Ken #1 (Kingsley Ben-Adir, Secret Invasion), Ken #2 (Simu Liu, Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings) and Ken #3 (Scott Evans). The one whose heart is fully set on Barbie is Stereotypical Ken (Ryan Gosling), who is locked in a “rivalry” with Ken #2 for Barbie’s attention. In Barbieland there’s no coupling, which is an interesting decision from Gerwig and Baumbach.

Beyonce would be proud of Barbieland as the Barbie girls Run the World. The Kens may as well be another accessory.

Stereotypical Barbie starts feeling a wave of emotions that don’t jibe with the whole everything is perfect reality of Barbieland. To resolve the issues, SB gets marching orders from Weird Barbie (a fun Kate McKinnon) to venture into the Real World and find the girl whose distraught mindset is affecting her.

Desperate to earn her affections, Ken goes along for the quest and the two have decidedly different experiences in the Real World. Barbie doesn’t know what to make of the catcalls and being derided for her cheery attitude and sensational wardrobe. Ken finds a reality where dudes are treated with respect and have “the power.”

Barbie and Ken’s Real World experiences are the highlights of the film. It’s where Gerwig and Baumbach can launch a variety of smart salvos at the modern status quo and how different it is from Barbieland.

Robbie is excellent as the good-natured, naive Barbie facing the harshness of the real world. Gosling is equally fun with Ken’s revelations. No, Barbie isn’t the standard Oscar fare — it’s too cheery, good-natured and funny to be a typical contender — but it’d be disappointing if both Robbie and Gosling don’t receive acting nominations. Their committed, all-in performances take the film to another level.

Barbie running around in the Real World isn’t great news for brand distributor Mattel, headed by Will Ferrell. One of the film’s best gags is the makeup of the board room making decisions on Barbie. As always, Ferrell is game for some outlandish comedy although the film needed more Ferrell/McKinnon interaction.

Eventually, Barbie meets the source of her dilemma — Gloria (America Ferrera) and her teen feminist-in-training daughter, (Ariana Greenblatt, Ahsoka). This doesn’t go as smoothly as Barbie intended, but she hopes a trip back to Barbieland will help them.

Unfortunately, Ken’s taken the lessons from the Real World to Barbieland and effectively staged a coup with the dudes now running the place. To restore the natural order, Barbie and her new friends will have to rally the other Barbies and take back the land from the Kens.

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On some occasions, Gerwig and Baumbach paint too wide a brush in blaming women’s issues of self-worth, value, priorities and shattered dreams at the feet of men. That feels too pat and easy an answer from some problems that are more nuanced.

The final act being more Barbies vs. the Kens seems to miss the point. In Barbieland, the Kens are casually dismissed and disregarded by the Barbie ruling class. Ultimately, that leads to a full-scale revolt and upheaval of the status quo with the aware Barbies trying to get things back to normal. Barbie understands her complicity in this society and apologizes to Ken, who still somehow ends up treated like a goof.

Besides the way too long battle of the Kens, which goes from inspired to losing its effectiveness, pacing is generally solid. The film doesn’t feel overly long despite its nearly two-hour length.

Credit some of that to set designers Katie Spencer and Ashley Swanson’s magnificent sets, costumer Jacqueline Durran and director of photography Rodrigo Prieto for keeping the film visually stimulating. And the poppy, upbeat soundtrack and musical numbers from Mark Ronston and Andrew Wyatt.

Maybe Gerwig and Baumbach don’t need to envision a better world where everyone has value — Barbieland is a fictional place anyway — but the Barbies’ victory somewhat came off as a celebration of the same old same old. Was there a moral to the story? Or was it that those in power really should do everything in their control to maintain the power? It feels like the wrong takeaway.

Barbie’s highs more than make up for its shaky third act. The game cast’s commitment to the tone, dazzling visuals and spirited direction prove it’s not a bad thing visiting Barbie’s World even if it’s just a break from the real one.

Rating: 8 out of 10

Photo Credit: Warner Bros.