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Dragonlord’s Review of BARBIE (Minor Spoilers)
Bottom Line: Smart, funny and silly, Barbie sparkles thanks to a clever script, great cast and stellar performances by Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling.
In the same vein as other high-concept toy or video game movies like The LEGO Movie, Wreck-It Ralph and the more recent Free Guy, Barbie centers around the main protagonist who experiences an existential crisis and undergoes on a journey of self-discovery. Though it doesn’t reach the same greatness as the first two films mentioned, Barbie is still a smartly-written, funny satirical comedy thanks to director/co-writer Greta Gerwig that tackles themes of identity, purpose and gender inequality in a fun, wink-wink jab without it being too harpy or mean-spirited.
Stereotypical Barbie (played by Margot Robbie) lives in a fantasy utopian place called Barbie Land with all the other Barbie toys. Since it’s a toy catered to little girls, Barbie Land is ruled and run by the different types of Barbies while the Kens are just accessory cheerleaders who hang around the beach. When Barbie starts thinking of death, her perfect life comes undone as she starts getting flat-footed ang gaining cellulites. She is advised by Weird Barbie (played by Kate McKinnon) to go out in the real world to find Barbie’s toy user who is having these mortality thoughts and try to fix it.
Margot Robbie is stellar as Barbie. Aside from being downright gorgeous and a perfect match to play the stereotypical Barbie, the actress’ constant shift between comedic and heartfelt dramatic performances was impeccable. Whether it was Barbie’s naïve but sweet innocent outlook or her reaction to the harshness of the real world or to her growth as a character by the film’s end, Robbie was amazing as the lead.
As great as Robbie was, Ryan Gosling arguably steals the show as Ken. Representing his best film comedic performance ever, Gosling is just hilarious in here as he goes all in his love-struck himbo character. His musical number “I’m Just Ken” (which deserves an Oscar nomination) is so infectious and the accompanying scene is hilarious and batty. As much as this is Barbie’s story, it’s also equally Ken’s hysterical journey about himself and his discovery of the patriarchy system in the real world and bringing that back to Barbie Land with disruptive results – basically Ken created Sherdog Land.
A few of the standouts in the loaded cast was Kate McKinnon who was terrific as Weird Barbie. She’s depicted as a Barbie with cut-off/burnt hair, crayon markings on her face and constantly doing the leg splits because that’s how some of the kids in the real world have mishandled their dolls. Noticeably absent from live-action features, Michael Cera is back and playing Allan, Ken’s inconsequential, ambiguously gay friend. He just looks so awkward among the rest like he doesn’t belong which I just found very amusing.
Ugly Betty star America Ferrera was great as Gloria, the Mattel employee who is having a midlife crisis but reinvigorates herself when she helps out the Barbies. Her impassioned speech near the end will be a source of controversy to some but there is still some truth to it if you are open-minded enough. Will Ferrell was enjoyable enough as the CEO of Mattel but found some of his antics too jarringly cartoonish especially since he is supposedly from the real world. Helen Mirren as the narrator and Rhea Perlman as the founder were notably good. Simu Liu and Kingsley Ben-Adir were also entertaining as the other Kens.
The production design was incredible with the actual creation of the Barbie Land set houses and landscaping. The set extensively used so much pink paint that it created a worldwide shortage for a period of time. The visual gags and Easter eggs were abundant. I didn’t catch all of them but a lot were self-explanatory enough for viewers to still enjoy. There’s no post-credits stinger but I love the ending credits where they showed the actual discontinued controversial toy lines. It’s also commendable how Mattel was game enough to allow the film to humorously roast the company, their products and the negative impact the toys had in our culture.
In 2014, Mayberry’s favorite comedian Amy Schumer was attached to co-write and star in a live-action Barbie movie but the project was scrapped three years later due to creative differences. In an alternate world, Schumer’s Barbie would have been released and I doubt it would have been that good. Truth is making a Barbie movie is a very risky endeavor with so many difficult aspects to balance, but Gerwig and co-writer Noah Baumbach have managed to aptly fabricate a fun summer popcorn flick that’s equal parts heartwarming and smart with loads of meta humor goodness.
PRELIMINARY RATING: 7.5/10 or 8/10
(Please leave a Like if you appreciate my reviews. Thanks.)
Dragonlord’s Review of BARBIE (Minor Spoilers)
Bottom Line: Smart, funny and silly, Barbie sparkles thanks to a clever script, great cast and stellar performances by Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling.
In the same vein as other high-concept toy or video game movies like The LEGO Movie, Wreck-It Ralph and the more recent Free Guy, Barbie centers around the main protagonist who experiences an existential crisis and undergoes on a journey of self-discovery. Though it doesn’t reach the same greatness as the first two films mentioned, Barbie is still a smartly-written, funny satirical comedy thanks to director/co-writer Greta Gerwig that tackles themes of identity, purpose and gender inequality in a fun, wink-wink jab without it being too harpy or mean-spirited.
Stereotypical Barbie (played by Margot Robbie) lives in a fantasy utopian place called Barbie Land with all the other Barbie toys. Since it’s a toy catered to little girls, Barbie Land is ruled and run by the different types of Barbies while the Kens are just accessory cheerleaders who hang around the beach. When Barbie starts thinking of death, her perfect life comes undone as she starts getting flat-footed ang gaining cellulites. She is advised by Weird Barbie (played by Kate McKinnon) to go out in the real world to find Barbie’s toy user who is having these mortality thoughts and try to fix it.
Margot Robbie is stellar as Barbie. Aside from being downright gorgeous and a perfect match to play the stereotypical Barbie, the actress’ constant shift between comedic and heartfelt dramatic performances was impeccable. Whether it was Barbie’s naïve but sweet innocent outlook or her reaction to the harshness of the real world or to her growth as a character by the film’s end, Robbie was amazing as the lead.
As great as Robbie was, Ryan Gosling arguably steals the show as Ken. Representing his best film comedic performance ever, Gosling is just hilarious in here as he goes all in his love-struck himbo character. His musical number “I’m Just Ken” (which deserves an Oscar nomination) is so infectious and the accompanying scene is hilarious and batty. As much as this is Barbie’s story, it’s also equally Ken’s hysterical journey about himself and his discovery of the patriarchy system in the real world and bringing that back to Barbie Land with disruptive results – basically Ken created Sherdog Land.
A few of the standouts in the loaded cast was Kate McKinnon who was terrific as Weird Barbie. She’s depicted as a Barbie with cut-off/burnt hair, crayon markings on her face and constantly doing the leg splits because that’s how some of the kids in the real world have mishandled their dolls. Noticeably absent from live-action features, Michael Cera is back and playing Allan, Ken’s inconsequential, ambiguously gay friend. He just looks so awkward among the rest like he doesn’t belong which I just found very amusing.
Ugly Betty star America Ferrera was great as Gloria, the Mattel employee who is having a midlife crisis but reinvigorates herself when she helps out the Barbies. Her impassioned speech near the end will be a source of controversy to some but there is still some truth to it if you are open-minded enough. Will Ferrell was enjoyable enough as the CEO of Mattel but found some of his antics too jarringly cartoonish especially since he is supposedly from the real world. Helen Mirren as the narrator and Rhea Perlman as the founder were notably good. Simu Liu and Kingsley Ben-Adir were also entertaining as the other Kens.
The production design was incredible with the actual creation of the Barbie Land set houses and landscaping. The set extensively used so much pink paint that it created a worldwide shortage for a period of time. The visual gags and Easter eggs were abundant. I didn’t catch all of them but a lot were self-explanatory enough for viewers to still enjoy. There’s no post-credits stinger but I love the ending credits where they showed the actual discontinued controversial toy lines. It’s also commendable how Mattel was game enough to allow the film to humorously roast the company, their products and the negative impact the toys had in our culture.
In 2014, Mayberry’s favorite comedian Amy Schumer was attached to co-write and star in a live-action Barbie movie but the project was scrapped three years later due to creative differences. In an alternate world, Schumer’s Barbie would have been released and I doubt it would have been that good. Truth is making a Barbie movie is a very risky endeavor with so many difficult aspects to balance, but Gerwig and co-writer Noah Baumbach have managed to aptly fabricate a fun summer popcorn flick that’s equal parts heartwarming and smart with loads of meta humor goodness.
PRELIMINARY RATING: 7.5/10 or 8/10
(Please leave a Like if you appreciate my reviews. Thanks.)
