Before “Barbie’s weekend premiere, a divide in the reviews started to appear. Greta Gerwig’s Barbie movie dazes with hidden depth beyond its trailer façade. Yet, it indulges in its own intelligence, incessantly winking at humor. By the end, you’ll like to exclaim, “Okay, we get it; you’re brilliant.” Unraveling enlightenment with a self-aware frown.
One can’t disregard the clever planning that Greta and her husband, Noah Baumbach, put into the scripting of Barbie. The fact that a married couple makes up the writing room is helpful because, at its core, Barbie is a struggle between the sexes. It contrasts the real world with Barbieworld, where women dominate, men are subservient, and yin and yang, feminism, and Ryan Gosling’s Ken and Margot Robbie’s Barbie.
Know the Plot of the Movie Barbie
In the movie, Margot recreates the typical Barbie character who begins encountering issues because of a planning flaw from the manufacturer, Mettle. Barbie and Ken journey together in the outside world to fix the crisis. Along the way, Ken learns about patriarchy, and Barbie discovers women’s challenges in the real world.
Barbie – The Character of Thinking
Here, Barbie experiences a severe existential crisis. She completes a circle in this scene, going from having body parts act like she’s entering puberty, to learning about eve-teasing in the real world, to being gaslighted by Kens, to coming to terms with who she is.
Greta humanizes her just enough for her to stand on her own as a woman while still using her as a symbol of capitalism to critique consumerism, patriarchy, and beauty. She emphasizes how, even though many girls felt inadequate because of Barbie, she herself is conditioned not to know any better.
Margot Robbie’s portrayal of Barbie is exceptional, effortlessly blending being a mannequin and a catalyst for change. With her serene smile, her first tear tugs at our heartstrings, evoking a mix of sympathy and fulfillment. She embodies the character’s grace and transformation with ease.
Ken with Vengeance
In the Barbie universe, Ken represents the opposite of patriarchy. However, Ryan Gosling plays Ken so delightfully that when he finds A-Z about patriarchy. It makes for an insightful, self-deprecating study of masculinity. Watching him admire his muscles while he talks or walks like a real-life cowboy from an old Western. Ryan Gosling understands the instructions, makes a meal out of his part, and isn’t against using his disarming machismo as a means of challenging patriarchy.
A Fantastic Pink World
We are immediately taken to a world where pink is the new standard. Greta hardly allows any frame to go by without adding color, from hot pink energy to rosy sunsets, pink cactus tops, candy-coated homes, and more. Sarah Greenwood, the production designer, and Jacqueline Durran, the costume designer, meticulously create a brand-new environment that makes garish appear natural and organic.
Greta is pretty liberal with her satire and keeps repeating how she changes the Barbie myth’s perception. Thus, the humor only occasionally works, even though one quietly appreciates the shots fired with each phrase. But the tone, which is a blend of self-awareness and outlining everything, stays the same throughout.
