“Barbie suffers a crisis that leads her to question her world and her existence.” – IMDb
Barbie (2023)
Starring
Ryan Gosling, Margot Robbie, Issa Rae
Directed by
Greta Gerwig
Box Office:
$1,345,183,126 Gross Worldwide
Review
Let’s just get this out of the way- Barbie made me cry. Yup, a movie based on a children’s toy had me wanting to sob to the point where I had to stifle my tears. Whether it was due to the storyline itself or the feelings of nostalgia the film provoked, I was taken aback by how the film pulled on my heartstrings.
Cast
Ken (Ryan Gosling)
I have been a fan of Ryan Gosling ever since Remember the Titans, Murder by Numbers, Half Nelson, and of course, The Notebook. Is he a sight for sore eyes? Sure, but that’s not what I like most about him. I believe that he’s a good actor, which is what keeps me coming back for more. From what I hear, it was Gosling had quite the competition for the role.
“Among the performers in the running were “Saturday Night Live” comedian Bowen Yang, “Schitt’s Creek” writer-star Dan Levy and “Pitch Perfect” singer Ben Platt. But those actors were edged out due to COVID-19 restrictions, Jones said. Alas, they never got to move into Barbie Land’s countless Dream homes or turn them into Ken’s brewski-peddling mojo dojo casa houses.”
LA Times
With this being said, does Gosling play a good Ken? I believe so. If someone had asked me who should be cast in the role, I would’ve said Brad Pitt circa 1999 or 2005. However, since time travel isn’t a factor, I think Gosling was quite a good pick, considering who could’ve snagged the role.
The LA Times continues to explain, “Hopeful actors sent in videos or did readings over Zoom, and Gerwig talked to some before sharing the script because she “really wanted to get to know them as people,” Bevan said. “That was very important to her,” she added. “On the key Barbie and Ken roles, she got a very good idea of what an actor was like from talking to them.”
Barbie (Margot Robbie)
From portraying Harley Quinn to being Barbie- that’s quite the jump in characters. However, anyone who has seen Margot Robbie act knows that she is quite the flexible actor. Ever since I saw her in The Wolf of Wallstreet, I knew Robbie would quickly become an even bigger Hollywood favorite. Of course, she’s stunningly beautiful but more importantly, she’s not too shabby of an actress.
In an interview with Vogue, Margot Robbie admits she wasn’t a Barbie fanatic as a child. In fact, she admits to not even being sure that she owned a Barbie:
“I know my cousin had a bunch of Barbies, and I’d go to her house.” Growing up on Australia’s Gold Coast, Robbie spent a lot of time outside. She and her cousin would make mud pies. They’d play with trucks. And they’d play with Barbies. Mostly they’d build forts, “cubbies” to an Australian. “Building cubbies was what we did all day, every day.”
Vogue
I must say, even though I like Anne Hathaway (who was also a contender) I’m very happy that Robbie got the leading role. She does a brilliant job of offering the right level of emotion, innocence and strength.
Secondary Characters/Actors
Since I hadn’t stayed in the know of who was in the film, I was pleasantly surprised by the rest of the cast. Will Ferrell, Michael Cera, Kate McKinnon, Isa Rae, Simu Liu, Emma Mackey, Rhea Pearlman, Connor Swindells, John Cena (who is just in everything now, apparently)… there was never a boring moment with such a supporting cast. They all brought their own talents and enhanced the film in their own ways. To be honest, just seeing Will Ferrell made me laugh. I was quite pleased!
Overall…
I enjoyed Barbie more than I thought I would. I suppose it helped going into it not fully knowing what to expect. It felt advantageous that I had been able to avoid most of the previews and press releases for it. With the exception of one of my best friends raving about it, I had heard very few things about the movie itself.
Now that I have seen it, would I bring a younger child to see it? Probably not. I wouldn’t be against it, and the more “adult” references would probably go over most children’s heads. I would simply suggest being prepared to answer any and all questions possibly inspired by the film. In this case, it would be a great conversation starter to initiate open dialogues with your kids. There is a lot to discuss depending on the child’s age! All in all, to err on the side of caution, it would perhaps be best for the adults to watch it once before watching it with children. This article from parents.com may help you decide whether or not to share the experience with (your) kids.
There are several important messages in the movie. In fact, there are so many that I won’t even begin to discuss them all in detail. (CBR has a great article if you’re interested, though). What I will share, is this bit of wisdom from America Ferrera’s character, Gloria:
“It is literally impossible to be a woman. You are so beautiful and so smart, and it kills me that you don’t think you’re good enough. Like, we have to always be extraordinary, but somehow we’re always doing it wrong. You have to be thin, but not too thin. And you can never say you want to be thin. You have to say you want to be healthy, but also you have to be thin. You have to have money, but you can’t ask for money because that’s crass. You have to be a boss, but you can’t be mean. You have to lead, but you can’t squash other people’s ideas. You’re supposed to love being a mother but don’t talk about your kids all the damn time. You have to be a career woman, but also always be looking out for other people. You have to answer for men’s bad behavior, which is insane, but if you point that out, you’re accused of complaining. You’re supposed to stay pretty for men, but not so pretty that you tempt them too much or that you threaten other women because you’re supposed to be a part of the sisterhood. But always stand out and always be grateful. But never forget that the system is rigged. So find a way to acknowledge that but also always be grateful. You have to never get old, never be rude, never show off, never be selfish, never fall down, never fail, never show fear, never get out of line. It’s too hard! It’s too contradictory and nobody gives you a medal or says thank you! And it turns out in fact that not only are you doing everything wrong, but also everything is your fault. I’m just so tired of watching myself and every single other woman tie herself into knots so that people will like us. And if all of that is also true for a doll just representing women, then I don’t even know.”
– Gloria, Barbie Movie
Did anyone else feel like applauding and crying all at the same time after hearing that? Wow.
While we only saw the film because it was the sole movie that fit into a quiet part of our mini vacation to Kingston, I’m happy that we saw it. Thankfully, I didn’t feel the need to check my watch several times throughout the film (which, is nearly 2 hours long). There were a few moments when I thought it felt a bit long, but in general, it passed quite quickly. Even as an emotional person, I still can’t believe that it made me cry. Oh well. Perhaps it’s just a sign that if you have some unreleased emotions and if reminiscing can make you emotional, then this is the movie to watch in order to let everything out.
Please excuse me while I try to get Aqua’s Barbie Girl out of my head…. again.
Related:
Oppenheimer (2023) *Coming Soon*
Ticket to Paradise (2022) Movie Review
Why It Took Oppenheimer 6 Weeks To Beat Barbie At The Box Office (& When Will The Battle End?)
