Published Sept. 5, 2023
BY NICOLE MIRSKI
The highly anticipated movie “Barbie,” directed by Greta Gerwig, highlights the importance of Barbie (Margot Robbie) and Ken’s (Ryan Gosling) self-discovery.
The film’s aesthetically pleasing realm, Barbie Land, showcases what seems to be a matriarchal utopia. While it is true that the women, who are all called Barbie, hold all of the positions of power in their society, Barbie Land is not the utopia the dolls thought it was.
The premise of the film is that Stereotypical Barbie (Robbie) starts having thoughts of death and the dreaded cellulite. Because of this, she has to make the difficult choice to travel to the Real World in search of her doll’s owner. She is joined by Ken (Gosling) who wants to prove himself to Barbie and show off to the other dolls.
Quickly, Barbie realizes that the Real World is nothing like she imagined it would be through the numerous cat-calls and judgmental glares. On the other hand, Ken is enjoying the newfound attention and brings what he learned back to Barbie Land, which is just the start of the havoc.
(courtesy of WARNER BROS. PICTURES)
As of Wednesday, “Barbie” has made $1.2 billion according to CNN after Gerwig’s budget of $100 million, which quickly escalated to a final cost of around $145 million.
Gerwig has worked as an actor, screenwriter and director on previous films such as “Lady Bird” and “Little Women,” but “Barbie” has been her largest scale project yet.
The script, which was written by Noah Baumbach and Gerwig, applies both comedic and serious tones to convey the sensitive subject of modern-day sexism in both the home and the workplace. Whether it be
Gosling’s dramatic dance battle, the narrator’s (Helen Mirren) witty one-liners or a powerful monologue about women’s place in society, it culminates in the compelling narrative many girls go through.
Through the casting done by Allison Jones, Lucy Bevan and Kate Ringsell, many have fallen in love with Robbie and Gosling’s energy and charisma. Robbie’s ability to convey every emotion from her exaggerated optimism to her first time crying leaves the audience hanging on her every word.
Alongside the talented acting, the costumes and soundtrack all fit the nature of the movie. Award-winning costume designer Jacqueline Durran created hundreds of looks for “Barbie” while artists such as Billie Eilish, HAIM, Lizzo, Dua Lipa and Charli XCX provided the soundtrack for the film.
While it does seem like there are some plot holes with the ending, the passionate speech and the message of self-love and self-exploration carry the finish.
“Barbie” should be on everyone’s watch list, whether it be for the lessons or just the humor.
