And the Barbie hype continues...

 

First off, a round of applause for Miss Greta Gerwig.  At this point, everyone has either seen Barbie or has heard so much about it to the point that it feels like they've seen the movie, but regardless, there is no question in my mind that Gerwig deserves all of the accomplishments she's achieved with this film. Finally, female directors are getting their dues!

But for those of you who've been living under a rock...

Gerwig's 2023 smash hit Barbie stars the phenomenal Margot Robbie in the titular role and Ryan Gosling as her Ken.

In the film, all of the Barbies and Kens live in Barbieland, where all of the Barbies are striving as powerful women. Along with Robbie's "stereotypical" Barbie, there's a Nobel Prize Barbie, a Doctor Barbie, a Journalist Barbie, and President Barbie, among many others. The Barbies have the best day, every day, as they continue to inspire young girls in the Real World to be whoever they want to be all thanks to their hard work (or at least that's what they think).

As for the Kens, they're just Ken. 

Gerwig does a great job blending the two worlds with the not-so-subtle jabs at the patriarchy. As Barbie and Ken venture to the Real World, Ken learns all about patriarchy and decides to take everything he's learned and teach it to the other Kens and take over Barbieland. This creates the biggest dilemma within the film, which criticizes the concept of patriarchy by alluding to the idea that it is the root of most (if not all) of our problems in the real world. 

As Barbie and her human friends, Gloria and Sasha, work to "reprogram" the other Barbies and take back Barbieland, there are several moments within the film that add great commentary to the struggles and real-life experiences of everyday women. (Cue America Ferrera's "It is literally impossible to be a woman" monologue). The movie very clearly centralizes itself in the idea of "girlhood" by showing women standing together. 

One thing I REALLY enjoyed throughout the film was the soundtrack. Every song fit so well, but it defiantly takes a few watches/listens before you can truly appreciate how cohesively the film and the soundtrack go together. 

Also, in terms of mise-en-scene, you really have to hand it to the production team in their commitments to create Barbieland. There was literally a global shortage of the color pink before the film wrapped up production!

However, I think my only critique of the film is the ending. 

I feel like Barbie's wish to be human kind of came out of nowhere. It felt a bit abrupt and didn't really fit with the rest of the plot of the film, but it was still fun to watch.

Overall, my rating of Barbie sits at a solid 8/10. It's a great feel-good movie, and I'll forever appreciate what the film has done for theaters and the overall movie-watching experience.