Well this is a treat! A glorious burst of colour (mostly pink), brimming with wit, charm and just the right amount of bite. Barbie has arrived in theatres and it’s here to save cinema from its worst excesses with a breezy, smart romp.
Greta Gerwig’s adaptation of the beloved toy range begins in Barbieland, a matriachal utopia, and focuses in on Margot Robbie’s Barbie (although, be warned, most of the characters are called Barbie and Ken) whose blissful existence is beginning to fall apart. It’s up to her (and a tagalong Ken) to venture to the real world and restore balance to their world.
Gerwig, who stood out with brilliant coming-of-age works Lady Bird and Little Women, demonstrates a confidence here, drawing off Golden Age Hollywood musicals of the 50s & 60s to create a dayglo paradise (Sarah Greenwood’s production design here is for the ages). The marketing has used the tagline ‘She’s everything. He’s just Ken’, which, as well as being a witty way to sell the film, is the thematic crux of the film. The weight of these two statements for their respective characters drives the conflict here and explores gender roles both in Barbie’s world and our own. There’s a healthy wedge of politics to Barbie but it is deftly handled, with much of its more progressive traits coated in a pink gloss. First and foremost this is a joyful romp. But that extra bite of Gerwig and Noah Baumbach’s script makes this a surprisingly smart affair, and explains the appeal for some of the cast.
And what a fantastic cast it is, headed by a career-best performance from Margot Robbie, who continues to impress with a beautiful turn that complicates as the narrative weaves to her fabulous last line. But the film is often stolen by Ryan Gosling’s Ken, a comedic embodiment of blonde fragility. Gosling has been mostly absent from cinema for the past five years (does Netflix’s The Gray Man really count?) and his return reminds us all of why he’s such fun to watch on screen. It is interesting to this viewer that many of the funniest moments are handed over to Gosling and his fellow Kens.
In fact everyone is great here, committing to the bit of playing their respective toy range. The film delights in introducing figures like Midge (the pregnant Barbie) or Kate McKinnon’s 'Weird' Barbie. There’s fun work from Will Ferrell’s Mattel CEO (and this film shares a lot of DNA with the last postmodern toy commercial-turned-film The Lego Movie) and Helen Mirren’s narrator. And my favourite showing comes from Michael Cera’s Allan, a delightful, slightly heartbreaking performance (another Lego link as Cera stole The Lego Batman Movie as another wonderful sidekick).
It’s safe to say I had a terrific time with Barbie. But if there is a critique to be had it’s that Gerwig’s film takes on a tad too much and some of the storylines get less focus then needed. Many of the glorious ensemble can feel a bit lost in the shuffle and the film could have defintely done with deciding more what it wanted to do with America Ferrera’s character (a beautifully delivered monologue aside). But by the time we reach the final dance sequence to the wonderful ‘I’m Just Ken’ (and Mark Ronson & Andrew Wyatt’s music is a stand out) the film regains the giddy thrill of its opening act.
Barbie is a coup of blockbuster cinema, offering audiences something that hasn’t been felt for a while. Something original, fun and spiky, wise enough to treat its audience with respect but always on hand to offer them a comforting hand of support. What a fabulous time to be a film fan.