Director: Greta Gerwig
Starring: Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, America Ferrera, Kate McKinnon, Michael Cera, Issa Rae, Rhea Perlman, Will Ferrell
Certificate: 12A
Run Time: 114 mins

Barbie is the hotly anticipated live-action film centred around the familiar Mattel doll. The film is directed by actress and screenwriter Greta Gerwig, who is two-for-two with the coming-of-age dramas Lady Bird and Little Women. Both of her efforts were polished and insightful character studies, with Lady Bird having a particularly strong impact with its hard-hitting portrayals of loneliness, depression and uncertainty.  

This decidedly bigger-budget film sees Stereotypical Barbie (Margot Robbie) reside in Barbieland, a matriarchal society where all women are self-confident and successful. Meanwhile, their Ken counterparts spend their days lounging around the beach. Beach Ken (Ryan Gosling) takes a particular shine to her, but Barbie rebuffs him in favour of her independence. 

One day, she is suddenly overcome with worries about mortality and visits Weird Barbie (Kate McKinnon) for advice. Weird Barbie advises her to visit the real world and find the child who is playing with her to remove these feelings. Things, however, take a twist when Barbie discovers Ken stowed away in the convertible as she drives towards reality. 

Barbie has a well-paced and energetic first half. Unfortunately, the latter half struggles in incorporating too many ideas are thrown and I found its message overly preachy. Starting with the positives, Gerwig explores some interesting themes, including existentialism and the impact both Barbie and Ken have had on modern culture. There are obvious references to Groundhog Day, Toy Story, The Wizard of Oz and The Lego Movie in its storyline and I also appreciated Gerwig’s personal and loving nods to her Sacramento roots, which also worked wonders for Lady Bird. Despite its 12A rating, Barbie isn’t particularly suitable for children and I suspect most of the themes and jokes will go over their heads. 

There’s some great performances here too. Margot Robbie is perfectly cast as the titular character, deftly balancing the likeability, humour and pathos needed for the crisis she undergoes.  Even Helen Mirren’s satirical narration points to her suitability. 

Ryan Gosling’s an excellent match for Robbie, who explodes with charisma but also convinces in the character’s darker moments. We already know Gosling can sing well from his Oscar-nominated turn in La La Land and he has a phenomenal sequence in the film’s final act called ‘I’m Just Ken’.  Other highlights include Rhea Perlman as Ruth Handler, Barbie’s creator and Mattel co-founder and Simu Liu shines as an alternative Ken who belittles Gosling. 

It’s a shame Will Ferrell is rather wasted in what is essentially a reprisal of his role from The Lego Movie as the CEO of Mattel. All of the character’s jokes felt forced and distracted from the focal relationship between Barbie and Ken.

Barbie also looks top-notch for its relatively high $145 million budget, with excellent production and costume design. The film is lusciously shot by Martin Scorsese-regular Rodrigo Prieto with its bright and vivid colour palette. 

The film’s second half just didn’t work for me. It introduces too many ideas and ties itself in knots and it struck me as preachy in tone. In fact, there is one character who delivers an extended speech late into the film about what it means to be a woman in current society which although inspirational, is incredibly heavy-handed. It doesn’t leave any room for nuance whatsoever. While its exploration of gender is interesting on the surface, the resolution the film ultimately reaches borders on unsettling and sexist. 

Barbie is the first film to be directed by Gerwig where she has collaborated with another individual on the script, in this case her partner and fellow filmmaker Noah Baumbach. While I can tolerate Marriage Story, I’ve not been a fan of the vast majority of Baumbach’s filmography. That lots of Barbie’s humour didn’t work for me, nor did it seem to work for large swathes of the audience in the packed cinema screening, suggests his contributions to the script are why the film falters. The film feels as if Gerwig was in charge of the film’s first half, with Baumbach piloting the second, although this isn’t necessarily the case. 

Ultimately, Barbie is a real mixed bag with a fun and energetic first half that then fizzles out. There’s a lot to admire, especially the performances, visuals and the fact Gerwig has effectively created a feminist fantasy comedy under the guise of a corporate property. It’s just a shame it cannot hold its momentum throughout and the film would have worked a lot better if it had dropped some of the themes and tangents it takes in its second half. 

⭐⭐⭐ (Good)