Few movies are as hugely-hyped as Barbie it practically colors the world pink with anticipation. I’m tickled pink by the Barbie craze despite not having grown up with Barbie dolls at all. I was more into stuffed animals than human-shaped dolls. Yet with such a marketing juggernaut as this one where, one can’t help but get caught up in the anticipation for Greta Gerwig’s new movie, co-written by Gerwig and her creative partner/husband Noah Baumbach. 

Narrated by Dame Helen Mirren, the movie gives homage to the Barbie doll origin story, created to symbolize post-war female independence in 1959. Riffing 2001: A Space Odyssey ‘Mankind evolution’ complete with Strauss’ Also Sprach Zarathustra theme, we see young girls destroy their old dolls upon arrival of the shiny, exotic, perfectly-proportioned Barbie in the striped swimsuit. It’s a brilliant opening that leads to the bubble-gum pink world of Barbieland where every version of Barbie lives in an open-air DreamHouse so they can cheerfully greet each other ‘Hello, Barbie!’ 

Margot Robbie perfectly embodies as Stereotypical Barbie, what with her perfect figure, million-dollar smile, and wavy blond hair. It’s not just her looks, but her vivacious, bubbly personality with a dash of naiveté just screams ‘Barbie.’ But there is diversity in Barbieland, reflecting the fact that per Mattel’s website, there are 170+ various types of Barbies with 35 skin tones, 97 hairstyles, and 9 body types. Residents of Barbieland hold various professions, from construction workers to medical doctors (Emma Mackey), astronauts, Nobel Prize winners, even a President (Issa Rae). But of course, no matter how accomplished or career-minded these Barbies may be, they always have time to party in girls’ dance night routine in their glitzy pink outfits. No fear of anyone judging them for not being a responsible adult or partying too much. In this fantasy realm, the Barbies rule the world and are living their best life.

The Barbieland ‘every day is a great day’ routine montage reminds me a bit of the opening of The Lego Movie with the protagonist Emmet yelling ‘Everything is awesome!’ mantra. Mirren’s narrator tells us “Barbie has a great day every day, but Ken only has a great day if Barbie looks at him.” That is especially true for Stereotypical Barbie’s boyfriend Ken (Ryan Gosling) whose face glows with incandescent joy whenever Robbie’s Barbie notices him, which is not often enough for Ken’s liking. The Ken doll is rather pathetic as his identity is strongly tied to Barbie as he’s created solely as Barbie’s companion. But this Ken ends up being one to be rec-ken-ed with (pardon the pun!) as Gosling struts his comedic prowess.

Barbie’s perfect life suddenly comes to a halt when she wakes up one day and things are less than impeccable. Her hair is messier, her toast is burnt, she falls to the ground instead of landing nicely right on her pink convertible, and worst of all, she has thoughts of death. When she shows her friends that her typically high-arched feet have turned flat, they urge her to see ‘Weird Barbie’ (Kate McKinnon) whose kookiness is a result of being played on too harshly, hence her frizzy short haircut and extreme makeup. 

It’s a hilarious, decidedly meta sequence that feels something straight out of an SNL skit that leads Barbie’s journey to the real world, with Ken in tow. She drives in her toy car, travels through toy-world oceans and space, then suddenly they’re rollerblading in Venice Beach in colorful neon getups you’ve seen in all kinds of memes. It’s best not to ponder just how the toys travel from their fantasy realm to the real world. Unlike the toys in Toy Story, it’s not even clear if the Barbies are aware that they’re toys or not.

The movie’s satirical power loses its potency in the second act when Barbie and Ken go their separate ways. While Ken discovers patriarchy (which he presumes is all about cowboys and horses), Barbie makes it to Mattel headquarters. Will Ferrell basically reprising his President Business role in The LEGO Movie as president of Mattel. Apparently, the company is aware that the dolls sometimes stray away from Barbieland as he says ‘This has happened before,’ which is odd that they don’t ensure any kind of security to prevent that from happening. In any case, the dimwitted all-male board members want to put Barbie back in the box, literally. 

But not all humans are bad of course. While on the run from Mattel’s board, she runs into one of its employees Gloria (America Ferrera), and her teen daughter Sasha (Ariana Greenblatt). They end up becoming her allies, even though earlier in the day Sasha calls Barbie a fascist and that she has ‘set the feminist movement back 50 years,’ ha! The movie doubles down on skewering the patriarchy, with Gloria’s long, passionate monologue about womanhood crafted to be a viral sensation. It reminds me of a similar monologue delivered by Saoirse Ronan’s Jo March in Gerwig’s Little Women but while that speech feels organic and personal, this one feels like a coordinated lecture. Under different circumstances, I’d yell ‘Preaching to the choir, sister!’ but it’s never pleasant to be hit over the head with anything while watching a movie, even if it’s something one is already in agreement with. 

At times, the movie seems paradoxical, for instance, SPOILER ALERT – how did the Kens manage to brainwash the supposedly highly intelligent, independent-thinking Barbies when they take over Barbieland?? Even President Barbie falls under the spell, though they all snap out of it just as quickly. It’s ironic that for a film about female empowerment, the watchable energy shoots up whenever Ken is on screen. I’m not saying Robbie’s Barbie is a slouch, but Gosling’s Kenergy is so hilariously magnetic that he easily walks away with the movie. Out of all the songs in the movie, the standout is definitely ‘I’m Just Ken’ by Mark Ronson, thanks to the soul-baring (and bare-chested) performance by Gosling. The musical number and the ‘warring Kens’ sequence are riotously funny, further accentuating the themes of male fragility, which certain groups confuse with being ‘anti-men.’ Michael Cera is quite memorable as ‘Just Allan,’ while talented actors like Simu Liu and Kingsley Ben-Adir did their best with their roles despite not being given much to do.

Overall, Barbie is an enjoyable experience, and all things considered, Gerwig did a tremendous job crafting what’ll likely become BCU (Barbie Cinematic Universe). This is definitely her most successful film thus far, but I wouldn’t say it’s her best. It’s technically proficient all around with stunning production design by Sarah Greenwood and colorful costume design by Jacqueline Durran. Barbie works best when it operates as a deliriously fun fantasy comedy, but it’s not as shrewd nor profound as it imagines itself to be. 

Have you seen the BARBIE movie? Let me know what you think!

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