Barbie, the much-anticipated, pink-painted summer blockbuster, has generated a broad spectrum of visceral responses from critics and moviegoers since its July 21 release. The cotton-candy-colored cinematic confection has been described as everything from a $100 million–plus Mattel commercial to the fourth wave of feminism to yet another pop culture manifestation of progressive ideology with the film’s inclusion of transgender actor Hari Nef. Written and directed by the talented Greta Gerwig (Lady Bird), co-written by Gerwig’s equally gifted professional and personal partner Noah Baumbach (The Marriage Story), and starring two of Hollywood’s method actors du jour, the marvelous Margot Robbie (Barbie) and the remarkable Ryan Gosling (Ken), expectations for bringing the iconic doll and her dream house to the silver screen were stratospheric.
Barbie’s reviews to date have been a curious mélange of praise for its creative execution and criticism of its dark messaging, blatant commercialism, and wokeness. Consequently, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I truly enjoyed the film.
It’s a visual masterpiece. The art direction masterfully showcases Barbie Land in the full bloom of its pinkness. No detail is spared in the layout of Barbie’s dream house, the community, and the beach, not to mention the fashion. Furthermore, the film is rip-roaringly funny. Much of this can be attributed to Gerwig and Baumbach’s sharp writing and the performances of the film’s principal actors, which also include Will Farrell (CEO of Mattel), America Ferrera (Gloria, a Mattel employee), Ariana Greenblatt (Gloria’s daughter, Sasha), Kate McKinnon (Weird Barbie), and Rhea Pearlman (Ruth Handler). There is also a delightful cameo performance from the real Ruth Handler. The film’s biggest kudos go to Robbie and Gosling, two very physical actors who imbue their doll characters with palpable authenticity.
The plot concerns Barbie’s existential crisis, which precipitates her journey from Barbie Land to the Real World. In Barbie Land, the Barbies hold all the leadership positions, including the presidency and all nine seats on the Supreme Court. The Kens, by contrast, are merely friendly companions who bask in the sunlight of the Barbies but have no real authority. Everything is seemingly perfect, and the Barbies and the Kens are content with their designated roles. Trouble comes to paradise when Barbie starts musing about death, leading her to visit the Real World. Barbie is shocked to learn that, in the Real World, everything is the antithesis of her previous environment. Here the men are the true political and industry leaders, and the women happily occupy subordinate positions. While Barbie is disturbed by this patriarchal structure, Ken relishes in his newfound power status and, consequently, sparks an insurrection back in Barbie Land, where the Kens stage a coup against the Barbies.
Barbie Comments on Cultural Trends
Gerwig’s film uses the Barbie doll as a catalyst for addressing the state of gender equality. She raises important questions about the actual success of the women’s movement. When Ruth Handler invented Barbie for Mattel in 1959, the vision for the doll, named for her daughter Barbara, was to allow little girls to imagine their futures. And these futures were not confined to motherhood alone. Not only was Barbie beautiful, perfectly proportioned, and fashionably dressed, but she also could have her choice of careers, including fashion designer (1960), business executive (1963), and surgeon (1973). In fact, the first astronaut Barbie doll was introduced in 1965, four years before Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on the moon. As of this writing, there are at least 200 Barbie professions. Furthermore, Ken was introduced in 1961 due to public demand that Barbie needed a boyfriend. Said another way, Barbie was born liberated; it was society that dictated she have a male companion.
In Gerwig’s film, however, the Barbies are only in charge in Barbie Land. In the Real World, the men still hold the lion’s share of the important positions, and they’re bent on maintaining their balance of power while the women have to constantly cater to the men’s fragile egos.
Gerwig also addresses the role of the Barbie doll in the female psyche. The film includes a funny but thought-provoking scene between Barbie and Gloria’s daughter Sasha, who accuses Barbie of being a fascist who sexualizes young girls and creates unattainable expectations. Does Gerwig truly believe that an 11.5-inch mannequin is responsible for contemporary society’s unhealthy preoccupation with physical perfection? Or is she just spoofing our collective tendency to create simplistic causal links?
Gerwig is posing these broader social questions from a satirical but hopeful perspective as opposed to a cynical one. This is evidenced by the fact that the film ends on an optimistic note, with Barbie, Ken, and their cohorts finding new ways to find happiness and self-actualization. Barbie additionally includes some touching scenes where the heroine helps the mother-and-daughter duo, Gloria and Sasha, to reconnect and find common ground. Gerwig is to be commended for creating a film that asks important questions about the evolution of societal roles but also manages to be funny, touching, visually stunning, and refreshingly nostalgic.
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