Written By: Cyrus Chiang
Plot: 4.5/10
Directing: 7/10
Cinematography: 7/10
Visual Effects: 5/10
Sound Design: 5/10
Soundtrack: 8/10
Editing: 6/10
Costume: 8/10
Casting: 8/10
Overall: 6.5/10
The Issue With Reviewing Barbie
Behind the bright pink aesthetics and pop songs, Barbie presented a glaring issue: I was unable to understand what the demographic was. The aesthetics and the brand gave the impression that the movie was aimed towards kids, yet the themes were dark and the jokes darker. Children, expecting to watch Barbie: Life in the Dreamhouse, ended up exposed to dirty adult humor and Ice Spice. There was a general lack of focus in developing the true moral of the story, and many of the themes were too dark for children to understand. Normally, darker themes are not a problem, but definitely not so on the nose and blatant especially in a movie supposedly marketed to young girls.
Feminism
Obviously, I wasn’t even close to being the target demographic for this movie, so my opinions may not reflect the majority of viewers. Despite this, I couldn’t help but feel as though feminism could have been better portrayed. It was not subtle in its approach- each and every scene screamed feminism- so much so that the plot ended up dissolving into a puddle of sad plastic as the movie tried to cram in as much empowerment as possible. Greta Gerwig (the director) tried incorporating so many different aspects of feminism, yet none were very well developed and overgeneralized. The climax of the film was extremely unsatisfying: the problem was resolved effortlessly and the stakes were laughable. Despite Ryan Gosling’s stellar acting, the conclusion did not tie the story neatly together and instead raised confusion amongst the audience.
Non-Existent Writing
Many of the lines were throwaways and one liners that quite frankly added nothing to the plot or character, instead opting for a cheap chuckle that never came. The humor was also very polarizing throughout the film. There were funny moments that cracked me up, but then there were jokes that left the entire theater silent. The Mattel board provided nothing to the entire story, and Will Farrel’s role in the movie was completely wasted. If the movie had cut out every scene with the Mattel executive board, the runtime would have been much shorter, which was also an issue in this movie. Additionally, there was no need for Ruth Handler (who was the creator of Barbie) to appear anytime in the movie(And definitely don’t joke about your tax evasion in front of a child audience).
A Ryan Gosling Acting Masterclass
Ryan Gosling’s acting truly brought the character of Ken to life with his bold, melodramatic acting alongside his surprisingly good dancing. Despite Ken’s subpar, contrived character development and even more subpar one liners, Ryan Gosling truly gave a memorable performance as Ken.
Where Barbie Did Find Success
Other than the Ryan Gosling acting masterclass, Michael Cera as Allen was also a delight to watch with his awkward, relatable humor. Barbie also had a fitting soundtrack, with a great opening sequence featuring Lizzo (I won’t talk about the controversies surrounding her) and beautiful dance sequences. The set design was also stunning, perfectly capturing the plastic dollhouse aesthetic. Margot Robbie played a great Barbie, and I felt like she was a perfect fit for her role.
So Was This Movie Kenough?
Despite my heavy criticism, I did find this movie enjoyable to watch. Its Brechtian, self-aware humor was quite enjoyable and the melodramatic acting from Ryan Gosling was also a major highlight. The overall message is great, but the execution was lacking and fell short of expectations. In my opinion, the movie was greatly overhyped, but I still recommend people to watch it just to have some fun and relax. Once again, I would like to reiterate that I was not the target audience, so I did feel disconnected from the movie and as such my views may not reflect the masses.
I rate this movie 1 tax fraud charge out of the 0 times Ryan Gosling said “I drive.”
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