Barbie

“She’s everything, He’s just Ken”

Rotten Tomatoe - 89% | IMBd - 7.5 / 10 | REEL Reviews - 13.5 / 15

I have never been a Barbie Girl, you would catch me pretending to be Spider-man and quite literally rolling in the dirt before i held a perky blonde plastic doll in my hand, but after watching this Greta Gerwig sensation even I was prepared to run out and find a Barbie that suited me - journalism Barbie, Geek Barbie or even Emo Barbie.

You don’t have to be a lover of pink or looking for inspiration for your own Dreamhouse to enjoy this summer release, the underlying message of not everyone is perfect…not even a doll will resonate with anyone.

Margot Robbie could not have done a better job, though in the spotlight she’s seemingly flawless this movie proves that even this 5 ft 6 Aus is an ugly crier with the right lighting. The development of the character is gradual but noticeable, Barbie never lets go of how she feels the world should be and stays true to her femininity without ramming it down the audience’s throats.

Though the message behind the movie is empowering and important, Greta and Noah Baumbach ensure that the script remains light-hearted and fun for all those that attend the screening. I went from giggling to belly laughing to ugly snorting at some of the witty one-liners, the balance between childhood humour and adult innuendos allowed for the potential generational divide to blend, which meant that Barbie could not be shoe-horned into one demographic.

There was much speculation around whether Ryan Gosling was the right man to play Barbie’s love interest, and though his abs look overly contoured and somewhat sprayed on he pulled the character off with the right level of ‘cheesiness’ and even learnt that patriarchy isn’t all about horses.

The array of costumes that were pulled from the original Martell wardrobe stayed true to the Barbie brand, however, I’m not sure if it was the intention or not to make them look cheap - considering the price and quality of the actual doll I highly doubt Ruth Hadler designs were the focus behind it. Barbie stayed true to her stereotypical style, Ken seemed to have been overlooked and underdressed. There was very little inspiration and thought behind the outfits and the jumpsuits spotted in the first dance number looked as though they were about to tear. I will say, one look that caught the eye of all those in the theatre was a particular hoodie which was more than ‘Kenenough’ to make you forget about the previous outfit choices made.

RATING - 12A

GENRE - Comedy / Adventure / Fantasy / Romance

LANGUAGE - English

DIRECTOR - Greta Gerwig

PRODUCER - David Heyman / Margot Robbie / Tom Ackerley / Robbie Brenner

WRITER - Greta Gerwig / Noah Baumbach

RELEASE DATE - July 21st 2023

RUN TIME - 1 hr 54 minutes