A fun and retrospective take on society’s pertinent gender inequality
When it was first announced that filmmaker Greta Gerwig was going to make a movie about the iconic Barbie doll, no one thought much of it. However, as the days went by, the movie got more and more hype around it as the world prepared itself for the canon event that is Barbenheimer, the screening of two of the most iconic movies of 2023 – Barbie and Oppenheimer.
While one half of the world wanted to see the historical movie that talks about the creation of the first nuclear bomb, the other presented itself as a fun weekend watch or a “girl’s night” at the movies. While Barbie is a fun weekend watch, the movie is a lot more than what meets the eye.
Barbie narrates the story of the ‘stereotypical’ Barbie doll who lives in Barbie land and has the same day over and over again till one day she starts malfunctioning and thinking about Death. She is sent to Weird Barbie, the doll that was ruined from being played with too much.
Weird Barbie sends Stereotypical Barbie to the real world in order to look for the little girl who was playing with her. Barbie will have to talk to the little girl to find out what’s making her unhappy in order to stop it from malfunctioning. However, things get out of hand when Mattel, the company that is responsible for the creation of Barbie dolls, catch wind of the fact that one of their dolls is on the loose.
Barbie is a fun ride down memory lane for many viewers who may have played with Barbie dolls as kids and/or have seen the animated Barbie movies as children. The film uses humour to make viewers aware of the pertinent issues in society and does not make it boring, which is the best part of the movie.
Margot Robbie is perfect for the role of Barbie but it looks like Ryan Gosling as Ken overshadows her. Gosling nailed the character to perfection and had this “Kennergy” about him to die for. From being unironically unhinged about what’s happening to Barbie, Ken is just so delusional and funny.
From his facial expressions to breaking out in song in the middle of nowhere, Ken is the only thing on your mind.
Barbie is not only a mockery of Patriarchy but presents a different take on what would happen if the tables were turned. The film tries to emphasise that having men and women as the sole people in power is not going to be good for the opposite gender.
The movie is chaotic and hilarious with its tongue-in-cheek humour but the chaos is worth it when Barbie gets emotional trying to find her own identity. America Ferrera’s character, Gloria’s, speech is hilarious but makes to think about how society has been mean to women. Women have spent years being criticised for everything they do and they are never good enough.
An issue with the movie is the lack of LGBTQ characters and it sticks out like a sore thumb. There is no gay, lesbian, bisexual, pansexual or any other Barbie that supports the Queer community and that is something that the makers should have worked on, considering how ‘inclusive’ the movie was marketed to be.
Barbie is a fun watch and this one will make you laugh in moments you would not expect it to. The soundtrack has been grabbing a lot of attention before the movie was released and after listening to Billie Eilish’s ‘What I Was Made For’ as the end credits roll, I’d say the attention is totally worth it.
The popular cameos in this movie will surprise you while the history of some Barbies like Midge, Skipper, Allan (Alan) and more will make you emotional. Greta Gerwig’s Barbie is a thrill ride for many and viewers are going to really enjoy this one, age no bar!
Read More: Barbie (2023) Ending Explained
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Verdict - 9/10
9/10