The moment I saw the first look at Margot Robbie as Barbie, I have been so hyped for this film. The Barbie brand alone had me really intrigued about this film. It’s safe to say I went into the theatre with high expectations and the film did not disappoint me. Before I get into this review, beware of the spoilers ahead. Also, this piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the film being covered here wouldn’t exist. Please consider donating to the resources linked towards the bottom of this review to help the writers and actors in need.
"Barbie" is one of the most visually stunning films I've ever seen. Barbie Land in particular takes you to a whole new world. And of course, that’s sort of what films should do, but anyone who played with dolls growing up, likely had such a huge imagination where they were able to escape from their reality into their own world. Watching "Barbie" reminded me of that. I have to applaud all the filmmakers who helped bring this vision to life because they absolutely nailed it. I’m an adult, but those visuals transported me into Barbie Land and I started to feel like a kid with that huge imagination again. Everything being plastic, it’s literally a world you would expect Barbies to live in. The Barbie dream houses are spot on. Barbie Land also has its own Statue of Liberty, Mount Rushmore, and White House, in this case, Pink. Even the way the time of day changes from day and night, I loved it.
The color palette of Barbie Land was perfect. Of course, there are lots of pink, but there are also bright blues with some touches of yellow. All bright colors and it just captivated me. Also, the visuals during the journey to the real world were such stunning scenes to see. I don’t really know how to describe it. It has this realistic look, but you can tell it's not quite the world we know. Then we get to the Real World and what we see is what we know. The dramatic change in setting is so important from Barbie Land to the Real World. I think it was interesting how Barbie and Ken’s outfits in the real world, remain in the same color palette as Barbie Land with neon pink, blue, and yellow. Color can be really intentional in film even down to the outfits, so with the outfit change, Barbie is still wearing her bright pink, but now Ken is wearing black with that touch of pink. So, I wonder if that possibly represents his shift in mindset with all that he’s seen in the real world. These are just my thoughts so I might be reaching, but I think it’s an interesting use of color and the contrast of what we’ve seen from Barbie Land.
There are so many memorable moments in this film. From start to finish, so many moments just stand out. For starters, when we see Barbie in Barbie Land doing her perfect morning routine and having her perfect day. I loved the use of plastic and imagination. Barbie is not really taking a shower with real water. There is no real water in Barbie Land. When Barbie is leaving her dreamhouse, she just gracefully glides into her pink convertible. So not only do the plastic props provide context, but the sense of using your imagination for the shower water or a hand putting a Barbie into her car, I believe heightens this film even more for me.
Also, I loved the parallels between Barbie’s stereotypical perfect life compared to her first bad day. She has the same morning routine as I just described but for her bad day, the imaginary water for her shower is now a cold temperature, and instead of a graceful glide she just falls to the ground. And for those who paid attention to the song playing which was "Pink" by Lizzo, I believe I heard the lyrics change from her perfect day to her bad day. Also, some parts of Lizzo’s singing for Barbie’s bad day seemed a little less enthusiastic. But while I’m still on the topic of Barbie’s bad day, this is the first time she experienced flat feet and I thought the reaction was hilarious.
Another memorable moment in the Barbie film for me was seeing the pooping dog. I know that sounds gross but that was an actual toy that came with Barbie. The dog’s name was Tanner and I had that toy as a kid. Tanner could eat his food and I believe when you push the tail, he poops it out. So when I saw it, I was like, "oh my gosh, they really thought of everything for this film." And I thought it was pretty funny that Tanner stayed with Weird Barbie who was always in the splits. There was also a really funny moment with Weird Barbie later on in the film where there’s like this jump scare moment. I can’t believe how funny this was to me.
More memorable moments are the Barbie outfits, and I do mean all Barbies. What a wardrobe. But the scene where Ken starts throwing Barbie’s clothes from her dream house and they freeze midair in perfect display of how you would expect to see Barbie’s clothes was so fun to see. Staying on the topic of Ken, I can’t help but remember Ken’s instant love for horses. We see the major horse influence Ken has brought into his now Kendom when he returns from the real world. Fun fact: there was actually a Horse Lovin Ken doll released in the 80’s so it’s no wonder the Kens love horses. The "I’m Just Ken" scene, particularly the dance sequence with all the Kens, I loved that.
Something that I thought was really iconic in the "Barbie" film was when Barbie was at Mattel headquarters and the executives tried to get Barbie inside of a box. We all know how Barbie is packaged and once again the filmmakers nailed this moment. Even down to the twist ties they use to hold the Barbies in the box. I don’t know if this is anything major that the average viewer may remember, but to me all the details no matter how big or small are so cool to see. Also, the chase scene at Mattel was epic. Not only are the visuals great with the executives all dressed in their suits in this semi-dark office area with the cubicles, I loved how Barbie just stood out in her pink. Also, the music. I listened to "Speed Drive" by Charli XCX before the film premiered and with it being such a high-energy song, I sort of knew the scene for this song would be pretty tense and this scene with the song was perfect.
There was also a depressed Barbie doll advertisement that played in the film, and it had the entire theatre laughing. Seeing the little girls playing with the dolls with their messed-up makeup and sad faces. What a moment. The most bittersweet moment in the film is when Barbie encounters this older woman in the real world. It was unclear to me who she was at first but even if you are unaware of who she is, the way Barbie’s attention sort of gravitates to her shows you the importance of her appearance. There are just so many memorable moments, I feel like I’m probably forgetting things.
"Barbie" has a really good soundtrack. I listened to some of the songs that were available before the premiere which I talked about "Speed Drive" by Charli XCX. I also talked about "Pink" by Lizzo which wasn’t out, but I was really looking forward to hearing her track in the film. Other songs that I really love are "Dance the Night" by Dua Lipa and it’s played during this epic blowout party. The song feels very disco-y which fits perfectly with the theme of the party. "Journey to the Real World" by Tame Impala was also another song I enjoyed. The vocals, accompanied by the visuals, just wow. "What Was I Made For" by Billie Ellish fits the mood perfectly for Barbie especially when you realize, she wants to be more than just an idea. What would the soundtrack be without "I’m Just Ken" by Ryan Gosling? I loved seeing Ryan Gosling’s Ken have that moment. The soundtrack wasn’t out when I saw the film so I really would love to go back to see the film after getting familiar with the soundtrack. But one song that I was really excited to hear was "Barbie's World" by Nicki Minaj and Ice Spice with Aqua. Before the release, I think quite a few people hoped "Barbie Girl" by Aqua would be in the film. And even though that original song wasn’t in the film, I really enjoyed the sample. Also, I personally loved that Nicki Minaj was included in the soundtrack because she has been repping Barbie for pretty much her entire career. Ice Spice’s addition to the track was super fun. "Barbie’s World" is personally my favorite track and was a dope track to have for the end credits.
The casting for this film is incredible. I thought everyone fit their characters really well. Before the release of the film, some photos of Margot Robbie filming the movie with Ryan Gosling surfaced online and I couldn’t help but think, "wow, Margot is the perfect Barbie." She has the looks and when I saw the trailer, I saw some of the charisma she would bring. But Barbie is so much more than what I was expecting from the film. She has funny moments that make you laugh. But she has her sad moments that make you emotional. And Margot Robbie killed it in every single aspect that she brought to the screen. Also, she brought IT to the red carpet events where she recreated original Barbie looks.
I can’t forget Ryan Gosling as Ken. I remember seeing a quote from Ryan that said Ken was a role he was born to play and that had me so excited to see him embody the character. He kills it. I think his Ken has lots of character depth. He’s really good as a jealous Ken when it comes to other Kens getting Barbie’s attention. He's good at being this impressionable Ken doll who enters the real world and sees how different it is from Barbie Land. Even his acting when he pretends to not care about Barbie, he still wants to impress her with little things like flexing his muscles. And already Ryan has received critical acclaim for his performance as Ken, so much so people believe he has Oscar potential. This is really great to see because there was some prejudgment surrounding his age. I think he was great in this role.
America Ferrera as Gloria was a great addition to the cast as a regular human in a film full of dolls. Her impact was actually kind of monumental in the film from her sort of being the reason Barbie started to feel down and entering the real world to helping un-brainwash the Barbies and saving their home, her character also deserves compliments, along with Ariana Greenblatt who plays Gloria's daughter Sasha.
The moment you find out that Kate McKinnon plays Weird Barbie who’s always in the splits, you know that role will be funny and it was. In a world full of perfect Barbies, I feel her character was definitely needed. We’ve all had that weird Barbie and Kate McKinnon brought exactly what was needed for her character.
I loved all the Barbies and Kens and I think they all brought something special for their dolls. Micheal Cera as Allan was also a very great addition to have in this world full of Barbies and Kens. He’s sort of an outcast but you gotta love it. Rhea Perlman who plays the role of Ruth Handler, the creator of the original Barbie doll, provided some beautiful and heartfelt moments. Will Ferrell as the CEO of Mattel provided more funny moments. And Helen Mirren as the film's narrator was great. Everyone brought something so special to the cast.
One thing that took me by surprise and if you’ve come this far, don’t say I didn’t remind of the spoilers, but Barbie turns human. It was just a twist that I wasn’t expecting but the lead-up to it was beautiful. Also, with the ending being Barbie being ecstatic to see her gynecologist, honestly, how can you be mad at that?
In conclusion, I enjoyed this film so much. Growing up as a little girl who played with Barbie dolls and currently being a film lover, I am confidently saying director Greta Gerwig understood the assignment. The end credits with the actual Barbie dolls were a great way to end. I smiled a lot during this film. It just made me think back to a simpler time in my life surrounding Barbie. The moments that were meant to make you feel sad did, and the moments that were meant to make you feel empowered did. I think it’s easy for people to think the "Barbie" film is strictly for kids because it's Barbie, but honestly, I think adults will have fun and like this film a lot too.
The director, actors, writers and filmmakers involved all created a really incredible film and I just can’t see how this would’ve been possible without them. Actors and writers deserve to make a livable wage for their hard work. If anyone that sees this, is able to donate for the strikers in need, I’ve added the links below. Thank you so much for reading.
RESOURCES TO HELP STRIKERS
https://www.wga.org/members/finances/good-welfare-emergency-assistance-loans https://members.sagfoundation.org/donate
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