Barbie Review

Greta Gerwig's bubblegum-fun-meets-feminist-thesis is extravagant. Ken, on the other hand, draws its punches as it wanders between parody and advertisement.

Are Barbie dolls demeaning or empowering? In this beamingly affectionate and deliriously pink-themed fantasy comedy-adventure produced by Barbie's corporate manufacturer Mattel and starring Margot Robbie, whose own superhuman blond beauty makes her the only possible casting as Barbie herself, director Greta Gerwig and her co-writer Noah Baumbach opt for the latter theory.

‘Barbie’ delivers a feminist message dressed up in all the right accessories,the film its filled with references to producrts, yes, i mena, it is sponsored by Mattel but also existential crisis and philosophical thoughts, its a feminist bimbo -or chick flick- classic, the ones we all adore, like Clueless and Legally Blonde.

"Barbie" bursts out of the gate with an ingenuity and enthusiasm that the film may not be able to sustain. Despite the fuss that has made its release an increasingly unusual cinematic event, director Greta Gerwig's picture is an impressively bold attempt to contemplate where Barbie fits in the twenty-first century - less than it could be, but pretty close to being what it should be.

Gerwig (who co-wrote the script with Noah Baumbach) has certainly assembled all the right accessories, beginning with Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, in a film whose brightly colored Barbie Land is awash in the kind of details (mostly pink) that will likely reward repeat viewings.

The combination of those more contemplative sections with the pure giddiness elsewhere - switching between the serious and the ludicrous, between art and commerce - doesn't always match or feel as new as it should.

The overall casting is likewise superb, albeit few of the Barbies and Kens have much to do, with Simu Liu as Ken's sort-of adversary being one of the more noticeable exceptions.

On the plus side, Gerwig & Baumbach sprinkle the script with clever pop-culture references, my personal favorite being the Nsync reference!

Barbie is considered the quintessential "girlboss" by some since she is glamorous, successful, and has her own DreamHouse. According to Aqua's 1997 hit song Barbie Girl, Barbie depicts an outdated feminine stereotype - a "blonde bimbo girl in a fantasy world."

Barbie, on the other hand, fits appropriately within filmmaker Greta Gerwig's repertoire of female-centered storylines, which includes two Oscar-nominated coming-of-age films, Ladybird (2017) and Little Women (2019). Gerwig is a feminist filmmaker whose characters are inquisitive, subversive, and defy their situations. Barbie is no different.

The film follows Stereotypical Barbie (Margot Robbie), whose beautiful life in Barbieland is progressively unraveling because the humans who play with her in the real world are sad. Her arched Barbie feet go flat, she develops cellulite on her thighs, and she is plagued by thoughts of death. Lucky by Britney Spears ring any bells))

Stereotypical Barbie is entrusted with entering the real world to find her human family and address their problems with the help of Weird Barbie (Kate McKinnon) - who is comically dressed as if a child "played with her too hard"

The 'Barbie' movie ushers bimbo feminism and hyperfemininity into the mainstream

My take on this fantastic film revolves around the incredible storyline, the cast its indeed impeccable but the plot its fabulous. Barbie must learn a difficult lesson: being a woman in the real world is difficult.

However, for many of the women watching, mysekf included, the film feels like a celebration of hyperfemininity becoming popular and acceptable.

The film, which is shrouded in Barbie's trademark, hyperstylized pink, tackles significant and systemic socioeconomic concerns, addressing the complexities and ambiguities of modern womanhood. Barbie must deal with the tremendous feeling and discomfort of being human, as well as a patriarchal system that would make her a secondary figure in her own universe, as she makes her way in the real world. While Ken's "himbo" character is the source of much of the humour in the picture, "Barbie" gives Ken empathy and vulnerability in order to highlight how his character also suffers from patriarchal influences.