Anthony's Film Review - Barbie (2023)

This movie based on a well-known toy doll brand is clever and more than just a comedy...

Let me make one thing clear. The 2023 film Barbie really has broad appeal. Just because you may not be part of the target market for Barbie dolls doesn't mean you won't enjoy the movie. When I was a boy, I played with Ninja Turtle action figures, not Barbie dolls. Yet, many years later, I would still be curious about this movie because of two questions about it. One, how do you make a movie based on dolls that are imagined to be just living life and having fun, unlike action figures depicting heroes and villains? Two, can such a movie still be good, even for non-fans of the toy?

Barbie is not the first cinematic toy adaptation. The Transformers movies and the Lego movies came before. But Barbie takes a rather fresh approach with portraying toy characters. Instead of having the toy characters be characters that the movie audience won't see as toys, Barbie portrays the doll characters as human characters who still retain some of their toy properties from the start. For example, when Margot Robbie's Barbie takes a shower, she stands in a shower stall that has no water coming out, the same way that a little girl playing with Barbie may put the doll in a playset's shower stall that has no actual plumbing. Same goes for imaginary liquidless drinking from a teacup.

With that in mind, the movie presents two worlds in different dimensions. Barbieland is a predominantly pink utopia for women of all walks of life, all named Barbie. There are men living in Barbieland and they're all named Ken, including Ryan Gosling's blond Ken. Here, everything is perfect and everyone is happy, or so it seems. Then there's the Real World, which is the one we inhabit. One day, Barbie learns that certain things occurring in the real world affect Barbieland, after unusual things start happening to her.

Therefore, Barbie ventures into the Real World, specifically Los Angeles, California, to uncover the origins of the strange phenomena. Ken also goes with her unexpectedly, and he ends up on a bit of adventure of his own. This is where you can expect the humor of culture clashes and misunderstandings. This is also where I wondered if the movie will go too far with innuendo to the point of being a mean-spirited movie that ruins the Barbie image. Thankfully, it only skirts that line without crossing it.

The main reason I admire this movie is the willingness of writer and director Greta Gerwig to cross the boundaries set by traditional play of Barbie dolls. Once the two worlds collide, Barbieland really gets turned upside down. The story now involves situations that I doubt little girls ever role-played with their Barbie dolls and playsets (at least, most girls). The concern about going too far toward mean-spiritedness did come up again, but I'm glad the movie maintained the humor of Barbieland while mixing it with the crisis situation that has unfolded.

Let me take a moment to talk more about the cast. Margot Robbie is good as a Barbie who is more three-dimensional than what her doll nature suggests. Ryan Gosling plays a Ken who is not just amusing but also complex, especially as he constantly sees himself as secondary to Barbie. The rest of the cast is also good too, including Kate McKinnon as a Barbie, Simu Liu as a Ken, America Ferrera as a mom in the Real World, and Will Ferrell as the CEO of the company Mattel that makes and sells Barbie. Yeah, talk about sort-of breaking the fourth wall.

There's one more thing I should mention. While this movie can make you laugh, it may also make you cry, too. There are moments when certain characters arrive at important epiphanies. We feel for folks in Barbieland as much as we would with people in the real world, especially the main Barbie who, by this point of the movie, starts to feel like she's one of us. What ultimately happens with her is certainly hard to forget. It's bittersweet to say the least.

This is a good movie, I have to say. It's not the greatest, but it's not dull or average. It has an unusual yet unique and wonderful mix of playful fun and semi-serious social commentary that will leave us smiling, crying, or both. The movie ultimately appeals to everyone, across all ages and genders. The last thing I'll mention is how this movie is, in a way, a celebration of all of Barbie since the toy's inception. Barbie fans will love that for sure. Overall, this movie has a nice mix of humor and heart, even for those who never played with Barbie dolls.

Anthony's Rating:

For more information about Barbie, visit the Internet Movie Database.