Barbie Cast: Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, America Ferrera, Kate McKinnon, Issa Rae, Rhea Perlman, Will Ferrell
Barbie Crew:
Written by Greta Gerwig, Noah Baumbach
Narrated by Helen Mirren
Cinematography by Rodrigo Prieto
Edited by Nick Houy
Music by Mark Ronson, Andrew Wyatt
Produced by David Heyman, Margot Robbie, Tom Ackerley, Robbie Brenner
Directed by Greta Gerwig
Barbie Movie Rating: 2.25/5
Margot Robbie has become one of the most popular stars of Hollywood. Greta Gerwig has won Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay. She has proved herself beyond any doubt as a filmmaker with great mettle. She and Margot have decided to make a movie on popular doll, Barbie. The doll has become famous has it stereotypes ladies as being highly beautiful with thin waistline and great curves. To break it, Barbie dolls have been changed over the years and new versions have been produced too. Addressing this, Barbie has been made with Ryan Gosling has Ken. The movie has been marketed as a great satire against patriarchy. Let’s discuss about how Barbie fares in terms of comedy and satire.
Barbie Plot:
Barbie(Margot Robbie) is streotyped and is left in a box. She experiences differences in her characteristics. She wants to understand why she is having “human traits”. She is placed in her perfect “Barbie Land” and these changes make her breatheless. So, she asks weird Barbie(Kate McKinnon) for suggestions and she tells her to go into “real world” and find out what is happening to her “owner”. Ken(Ryan Gosling) follows her and her boss(Will Ferrell) asks her to be put back in the box. Watch Barbie movie to know more.
Barbie Analysis:
Barbie makers wanted to make a feminist movie but the jokes don’t always land. The screenplay tries to flesh out the famous toy, Barbie as a human. It has popular comedians like Kate McKinnon, Will Ferrell among the cast but the material given to them is not consistent. Every joke and every one-liner tries to stage a big satire. And tries to give a twist to popular lines and takes digs at popular films too. But they don’t land and keep the proceedings boring for most parts. While some parts that have been well fleshed out work, most things don’t really work. Barbie struggles to keep viewers engaged throughout the runtime.
Greta Gerwig did a good job in creating the world. But surprisingly, she did not flesh out the characters better. She struggled at times to keep the tone comic. At times, the film turns to too serious feminism lectures and at the others, tries to be calm and casual. Greta seems to have over-worked on several things as they seem artifical and superficial at times. She did a better job in writing for Lady Bird and Little Women. With Barbie, she tried to give a funny twist to things almost like Jamba Lakidi Pamba in Telugu. But the theme seems to be inconsistent with what she has been hoping to achieve. Overall, Barbie ends being a marginally fun film with lots of promise that left untapped. The message of moving women out of stereotyping is right but the form doesn’t suit it as much as the intent.
Barbie Positives:
Peformances are good
Music is fine
Cinematography is good
Barbie Negatives:
One-liners fail
Satires doesn’t land
Few writing choices seem problematic
Barbie Bottom-line: Tries too hard to be funny!
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