Greta Gerwig’s Barbie The Movie is seemingly doing well in theatres. After releasing alongside Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, the film has steadily created a ground for itself. The critics are raving about the film and so are some viewers. But, there are also people who are calling this film “anti-men” and we are here trying to hear and understand all opinions floating out there.
Gerwig directed the film and wrote the screenplay for this movie with her longtime partner, Noah Baumbach. The cinematography is by Rodrigo Prieto with the runtime being 144 minutes.
Margot Robbie stars in the titular role of this film along with Ryan Gosling as Ken. The film has an ensemble cast featuring America Ferrera as Gloria, Rhea Perlman as Ruth Handler, Will Ferrell as the CEO of Mattel, John Cena as Kenmaid, Helen Mirren as the narrator, Michael Cera as Allan, Ariana Greenblatt as Sasha, Jamie Demetriou as a Mattel employee and Connor Swindells as Aaron Dinkins. We will see various versions of Barbie played by Kate McKinnon, Issa Rae, Hari Nef, Alexandra Shipp, Emma Mackey, Sharon Rooney, Dua Lipa, Nicola Coughlan, Ana Cruz Kayne and Ritu Arya. Kingsley Ben-Adir, Simu Liu, Scott Evans and Ncuti Gatwa will play different variations of Ken.
After watching Barbie, even we feel split about if we love the movie or absolutely hate it. We did spend some time on what the film means to us and the places the film took it a little too far possibly making us bring to you both sides of the coin when it comes to this latest release.
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3 Reasons Why We Hate Greta Gerwig’s Barbie
Too Woke To Handle
Barbie tackles important themes of patriarchy and feminism. But, the social commentary in this film is downright blunt, so much so that it is too radical to make any sense or for us to engage with it in a meaningful manner actively. It is very TikTok-y- if you are not aware of the ‘Bimbo Barbie’ trend where content creators are now reclaiming the bimbo tag by giving rise to ‘bimbo feminism’ that is about women embracing femininity while supporting other women none of the film will make sense to you.
It is similar to the reclamation of the ‘queer’ tag by the LGBTQ+ community but, with a satirical tone that might offend you or offer you insight (really depends on who you are as a person).
The Most Important Plan is Devised by a Teenager, What?
Listen, Sasha is the teenager who hates Barbie and she is the one who is in charge of drawing the plan that will help the Barbies get back Barbieland? That is the stupidest thing this film has to offer. If it was Sasha’s mother, Gloria, it would be understandable. We would applaud if it was Robbie’s character who took charge. But, it was Sasha- the one who insulted Barbie when the latter was nothing but sweet and kind to her, laughed at all the archival dolls and costumes and hated her mother for God knows what. Sasha has the least character development and the most important work in the entire film which is absolutely ridiculous!
The Doomed Ending
We understand Greta foreshadowing Milton’s Paradise Lost in this satire. It is incredible how she is able to tell such a complex story in her fantasy comedy-drama and, we appreciate her for it. However, the ending for Barbie somewhere felt like a lost cause. This Barbie is Eve and, all she gets is mortality, a natal curse and, ends up visiting the gynaecologist in the real world when she starts living there. You can read a more detailed explanation of the ending, here.
3 Reasons Why You Should Still Watch This Film
Ryan Gosling (and others)
He is not ‘just Ken’ here. Ryan Gosling is everything. There is no other character you would enjoy more than Gosling’s Ken and, we will bet his extremely varied filmography (From Drive to La La Land) on it. The man really knows how to be funny, dramatic, evil, emotional and so much more. Watching Gosling on screen was a delight with a performance that was impactful enough for us to tell you that Ken was more of the protagonist of this film than Barbie can ever be.
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Having said that, let us tell you that Robbie did an incredible job too. America Ferrara is charming and our very own Jo March replica in this one. In fact, the cast really makes the film worth the watch.
Funniest Film of the Year So Far
Let us be clear, the script might be radical but, it is too funny. In fact, the first half of the film will have you in splits, be it Bill Clinton and horses or Barbie and her misjudgement of the Supreme Court in the real world. Even the second half delivers some good pieces but, not all black comedy is to be laughed out loud, right?
An Important Watch
Barbie as a film has no solution to offer but, it is an important watch- why? Because this is one helluva satire about the present world we live in that will help us reflect on the mockery around us so badly that we will finally be able to have open, honest and crucial conversations about gender, consumerism and more. If we could, we would call this one a mockumentary and, the best of its kind.
Barbie Trailer
Barbie is now streaming in theatres near you. So go and check it out! To read our review of the latest film, click here.
Let us know in the comments below what you feel about the upcoming film!
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