Barbie

Hey Barbies! Finally, Barbie has arrived. My theater was filled with 20-somethings in wigs and pink and more wigs and more pink. Not an empty seat in the house. Couldn’t have asked for a more perfect atmosphere. The stage was set for greatness… …and Gerwig came through. Barbie is insanely funny, a treat for the eyes, and an immaculately-constructed commentary on modern-day womanhood. Gerwig is no stranger to the female-centric coming-of-age story, but even in her third swing at this genre (maybe fourth, I have not seen Frances Ha), she continues to impress. The creativity in this movie is on another level. Moments like narrator Helen Mirren leaving notes for the filmmaker, the Depression Barbie ad, and the 2001: A Space Odyssey homage are just a few of the many bits that take Barbie to another level. Robbie is the perfect casting for this role. She is obviously exactly what a human Barbie would look like (how is she so hot). But also she is so good at portraying the sunshine-and-rainbows, nauseatingly positive Barbie, as well as the existential, grief-stricken, directionless Barbie. Selling importance and seriousness as a doll is a Herculean feat, and Robbie gets that done effectively. It also feels so wrong to say this considering what this film is about, but I could not take my eyes off of Ryan Gosling as Ken. He absolutely knocked it out of the park in every scene. His innate comedic brilliance is on full display throughout Barbie. I cannot believe people really doubted his ability to do this role justice. Please give this man more funny roles because he is truly one of our best. Outside of the two leads, the supporting cast were all extremely good as well (special mention to America Ferrera). I want to talk about the comedy in this movie. I don’t know if I’ve seen a movie encapsulate Gen Z humor as well as Barbie has. References to Pride and Prejudice as a coping mechanism or The Godfather and Push by Matchbox 20 as markers of toxic masculinity drew gasps from the theater because Gerwig understands and resonates with her audience so well. Truly a director for the people. Barbie is an amazing film that is truly worth all the hype. I wish it was longer because I absolutely could have watched another hour of Ryan Gosling waltzing through downtown LA, learning about horses and trucks. Go watch it now and then watch it again.