Barbie Review: A World of Life in Plastic!

Calling all the Barbie girls!!! The anticipated summer film we have been looking forward to is here! Greta Gerwig’s Barbie is a hilarious, cute, and campy movie full of notable faces, fun music, and insightful messages! Barbie aka “Stereotypical Barbie” (Margot Robbie) finds her journey to the real world after unexplainable things occur in Barbieland, primarily affecting her and her everyday routine.

The film opens with a narration as little girls play with their baby dolls, displaying a maternal approach as the meaning of its purpose, until Barbie emerges changing the toy game forever. As we get a glimpse into Barbieland, where all the Barbies live, it is structured as a matriarchal society. All of the Barbies are smart and successful, holding titles such as politicians, authors, lawyers, and doctors, while all the Kens spend their time engaging in recreational activities. Ken aka “Beach Ken” (Ryan Gosling) often expresses interest in Barbie, yet she enjoys her independence and female friendships. One night during a party, she questions thoughts about death, stunning everyone on the dancefloor. The next day her feet are suddenly flat and she has cellulite.

She turns to the help of Weird Barbie (Kate McKinnon), a smart, disfigured Barbieland outcast always in splits, who tells her that she must travel to the real world and find the child who is playing with her in order to stop the weird occurrences. As she begins her journey to the real world, Ken hiding in the backseat insists on joining her as they make their way to sunny Los Angeles for an unforgettable, life-changing adventure.

From the writing to the acting to the homages, this movie was everything! The comedy in Barbie was top tier from the non-stop jokes to memorable nostalgia the Barbie fans know and love! The performances from Robbie and Gosling were outstanding because they embodied the characters of Barbie and Ken perfectly! They were made for this role! The messages in the film were also authentic and relatable, exploring the topics of feminism, ideology, and more!

Greta Gerwig delivered another phenomenal film, dominating the box office ranking as the ninth-highest grossing film of 2023, and receiving praise from numerous positive reviews. Not only do Robbie and Gosling shine in this film, but the supporting cast including America Ferrera, Issa Rae, Simu Liu, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Michael Cera, Will Ferrell, and more deliver! Barbie is a fun movie for everyone to enjoy, and behind every great movie are skilled writers, talented actors, creativity, visionaries, and an amazing soundtrack!

Barbie is currently playing in theaters. Rated PG-13 for some language and some suggestive sexual references with a runtime of 114 minutes.