Barbie
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PG, 114 minutes
Three stars
It turns out life in plastic is fantastic - until those irrepressible thoughts of death start creeping in.
That's what sets Margot Robbie's Stereotypical Barbie on a journey of self-discovery in Greta Gerwig's pop-culture-influencing big screen outing for the iconic Mattel doll.
The hype around Barbie has been so enormous and all-encompassing - you can even get pink burgers to celebrate the film's release - that by the time it starts, it's laden with expectations.
For the most part, the film is a fun ride with dedicated and hilarious performances by leads Robbie and Ryan Gosling, and a very heavy feminist bent. But it's not without its flaws, which might be more easily forgiven if everyone wasn't going into this film with such a critical eye.
Shocked that her perfectly manicured life is starting to go awry (her once-arched feet are touching the ground, her waterless shower is too cold, her imaginary milk is out of date), Barbie seeks the help of the wise sage Weird Barbie (Kate McKinnon) to get her life back on track. Resistant to change, she's sent on a journey to visit the real world and find the person who is playing with her - and thus affecting things in Barbieland - so everything can return to the way it was.
When her needy Ken (Gosling) tags along for the ride, we're gifted to some fun fish-out-of-water stuff, and it looks like the film could be heading in the direction of 2000 Disney comedy Life-Size, where Tyra Banks' Eve doll comes to life and makes the world better. But Barbie goes in quite a different and unexpected direction.
Even with all the promotion around the film, writers Gerwig and Noah Baumbach still manage to pull out surprises.
![Ryan Gosling is just Ken and Margot Robbie is Barbie (she's everything) in Greta Gerwig's Barbie movie. Picture by Warner Bros Ryan Gosling is just Ken and Margot Robbie is Barbie (she's everything) in Greta Gerwig's Barbie movie. Picture by Warner Bros](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/Fd5uVpbrX8JfWMnDvsnePi/0f7d4346-d2eb-44c2-95a6-155528d7e3df.jpeg/r255_0_3979_2097_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
One of the best surprises is the strength of America Ferrera's character, Gloria. A frustrated and overlooked mum and Mattel employee from the real world (not Barbieland), Gloria is excited to meet the real-life Barbie and go on an adventure.
She is the lead feminist force in this film, and delivers a stirring if obvious monologue that is likely to draw applause from a receptive audience.
Given she's barely featured in the promotional materials, the power Ferrera brings to her role is pleasantly shocking. The Ugly Betty star is a highlight, and her performance is something you'll remember after the credits roll.
Despite this, some of the handling of sexism and harassment towards women in the real world is too heavy-handed, and threatens to undermine the writers' point by being overblown. The moment Barbie and Ken arrive in the real world, she is cat-called and ogled, and even has her rear end slapped by a passer-by. It's just a bit too much, and the same point could have been achieved more successfully with a lighter touch.
Without giving too much away, Ken's journey is just as important, if differently aligned, as Barbie's, and really kicks off once he sees the real world.
Gosling plays the roll with such openness and child-like glee, and helps herald in the film's biggest subversive plotline. There's also a wacky dance-off sequence, Ken's own song and heavy, if a little disparaging, use of Matchbox-20's great 1996 song Push.
Outside the story itself, there's just so much to like about Barbie.
The production and costume design in Barbieland is immaculate. You'll want to watch the film a second time just to take in all the details you missed while paying attention to the story.
All of the aspirational Barbies are wonderfully cast with the likes of Issa Rae (Insecure), Emma Mackey (Sex Education), Ritu Arya (The Umbrella Academy), Hari Nef (Transparent), Alexandra Shipp (Tick, Tick... Boom) and Nicola Coughlan (Bridgerton), while fellow Kens are played by Simu Liu (Shang-Chi), Ncuti Gatwa (also Sex Education) and Kingsley Ben-Adir (Secret Invasion). That's not to mention the cameos and narration by Helen Mirren - who has a very meta moment and refers to the casting of Margot Robbie at one point.
Pop culture fiends will also be overwhelmed by the number of pop culture references crammed into this film. From an opening paying homage to 2001: A Space Odyssey to parallels of The Matrix and even subtle references to Gosling's Mickey Mouse Club past, it's a veritable smorgasbord of delights.
The Barbie aficionados in the audience are treated to so many nods to the doll's history, including discontinued toys, appearances of specific accessories and clothes from throughout the years, and also some of the history of creator Ruth Handler.
Mattel is also featured heavily throughout, and Will Ferrell leads an executive team who are trying to stop Robbie's Barbie from creating any fabric-of-time-and-space dramas. While their team elicits a couple of laughs, and ushers in a few points about men speaking for women, the Mattel team is one of the weakest parts of Barbie.