‘Barbie’ review: Greta Gerwig’s pink, plastic fantasy is a hilarious, feminist satire
- Starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, the film breathes new life into the story of the doll and reflects on humanity and the struggles of being a woman in society
- Movie speaks to people of all ages, from teen girls to mothers to men who doubt their capabilities
Ryan Gosling and Margot Robbie star in “Barbie.” Photo: Warner Bros Pictures via APIn 2023, Barbie feels like an outdated stereotype that the modern world wants to ditch. Yet Greta Gerwig, the mastermind screenwriter and director behind Lady Bird and Little Women, has breathed new life into the plastic doll and given her a feminist makeover in a film packed with satire and reflections on humanity that resonates with audiences on a profound level.
Set in the fictional dreamscape Barbieland, the story finds the iconic doll, played by Margot Robbie (I, Tonya; Birds of Prey), embarking on a journey to explore life beyond the fantasy land after she begins to malfunction. A visit with “weird Barbie” (Kate McKinnon, of Ghostbusters fame) reveals that the only way to return to normal is to travel to the real world. Together with Ken (Ryan Gosling from La La Land), she leaves her pastel paradise for Los Angeles.
In Barbieland, the power dynamics are reversed, and women hold the reins. Women can pursue any profession without fear of discrimination or gender-based barriers – they can be president, win the Nobel Prize (without questioning if they really deserve it) and sit on an all-female Supreme Court. Even though the glass is always empty in this dreamland (Barbies cannot drink or eat), their hearts are always full because, as the film satirically puts it: “all problems of feminism and equal rights have been solved”.
The film gets a lot of things right about life as a woman: the unrealistic expectations society places on them, the inevitable power struggles between the genders, misogyny, and even the troubling effects that perfect Barbie dolls can have on young girls’ self-esteem. But most notable of all is the all-too-human experience of forgetting what it means to be truly alive.
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Beginning with Barbie pondering death, the film poses a compelling question: What if Barbie, like any other human being, were to experience an existential crisis?
Seeing the world through the eyes of Barbie as she enters the human world is profound; in one scene, she sits and simply appreciates the nature around her as Billie Eillish’s mellow tune, “What Was I Made For?” plays, adding an extra layer of depth to the experience.
Having lived in this world, it is a shock when Barbie gets to Los Angeles and finds that real life isn’t so perfect. Although she is finally breaking free from the confines of an orchestrated, superficial life, she is also exposing herself to the challenges young women face, including the male gaze and the objectification embedded in a male-dominated society.
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The film boasts many stellar performances. Among them is Robbie’s Barbie, who is not a prize to be won. Her drive to stay human instead of being reduced to an idea for men or a commercial icon represents a woman’s agency at its best.
Meanwhile, Gosling is indeed the perfect Ken; his effortless humour and “Ken-ergy” shine throughout the film. The way he feels incomplete without Barbie and struggles to find himself will resonate with people who attach their self-worth to their romantic partners. In comparison, Simu Liu’s version of Ken is less remarkable and interesting.
Michael Cera (Scott Pilgrim vs the World, Arrested Development) plays the film’s sole Allan doll. His character is a pleasant surprise, representing people who don’t conform to conventional gender roles. The film is also very diverse, showing Barbies and Kens from different racial backgrounds and abilities. It also offers a satirical take on capitalism while, ironically, advertising brands throughout the film, and compares Barbie’s superficial, plastic world and its lack of individuality with the real world and corporate life.
Gerwig’s illuminating script, co-written by her real-life partner and fellow filmmaker Noah Baumbach, speaks to people of all ages: from teen girls who spend hours scrolling on social media to mothers struggling to connect with their daughters and even insecure men who doubt their capabilities.
Describing Barbie as a film about female empowerment would be an understatement. Poignant and deeply relatable, the film isn’t only for women but everyone out there who has, at one point, struggled with their sense of self. It will leave you laughing, crying and clapping with its deftly crafted, on-point takes about womanhood, the patriarchy and the struggles of being human.