Barbie is a 2023 coming-of-age fantasy comedy film directed by Greta Gerwig (Lady Bird, Little Women), who co-wrote the screenplay with Noah Baumbach (Marriage Story, White Noise). The film is based on the eponymous fashion doll line by Mattel and is the franchise's first live-action film adaptation after several computer-animated direct-to-video and streaming television films.

After being expelled from Barbieland for being a less-than-perfect-looking doll, Barbie sets off for the human world to find true happiness.

The film stars Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling as Barbie and Ken, with a supporting ensemble cast that includes Will Ferrell, Simu Liu, America Ferrera, Ariana Greenblatt, Ncuti Gatwa, Emma Mackey, Alexandra Shipp, Michael Cera, Issa Rae, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Rhea Perlman, and Kate McKinnon.

Barbie made its debut in theaters on July 21st, courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures.

THE GOOD

Hooray Barbenheimer!! This review is Part 2 of a magical movie release week alongside the EPIC biographical drama thriller Oppenheimer (Andrew’s full review here). What should and would become a national holiday if I had anything to say about it, it is a great time to be alive. When the Barbie movie was first announced I was admittedly intrigued, although I wasn’t quite sure what direction a film like this would go. I mean sure regardless of gender we all grew up with some level of exposure to the popular dolls, but did that mean I wanted to see a movie about them? But soon after they announced the primary casting and I heard the names, Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, I was all in. I didn’t need to hear anything else, I would be seeing this movie on day one.

I know some people have their opinions about Robbie as an actress but she is beautiful and a legit talent, hence why she was able to make such a massive impact in the recent Wes Anderson film Asteroid City (our full review here) with just a 30-second scene. Plus, as far as Gosling goes take your pick; Crazy, Stupid, Love, Drive, The Place Beyond the Pines (a personal favorite, RIP Ray Liotta), The Nice Guys, Blade Runner 2049, seriously what can’t this guy do?! So, was my unhealthy (but not weird) obsession with Ryan Gosling enough to make Barbie an instant classic? Keep reading to find out!

Let me just start by saying this movie did NOT disappoint! I had a blast with Barbie and man was this such a fun experience. I seriously cannot wait to see it again so I can fully appreciate all of the little details. Right from the jump the sheer uniqueness and creativity of the film had me bought in, with the vibrant colors, fun soundtrack, and just the most authentic portrayal you could hope for when it comes to human Barbies.

I loved the style of the film and the comedic element was front and center from the start which I certainly appreciated. I mean sure how serious can you really make a Barbie movie, but I was laughing right away thanks to great writing that effectively balanced adult humor without alienating the younger audience. The film is packed with talent as far as the cast is concerned, but Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling stole the show. I thought the film had a great message as well, and I was without a doubt satisfied by the end.

The story and the script were a driving force for Barbie, and we were treated to quite a talented duo in Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach. The Gerwig and Baumbach collaboration yielded a final product that was smart, hilarious, unique, and important. The film itself as far as genre is obviously a comedy, probably even more so a coming-of-age comedy, but in many ways it really shines with the satirical undertone it has pretty much throughout the film. Barbie is an icon for a reason, but she is also the focus of contention for people who strongly believe she is responsible for several serious issues plaguing young women, and I won’t go into detail on that because well first of all I am a man, but secondly, I’m trying to keep this review light if at all possible.

Now with that being said, I felt like the script was able to effectively convey its message without pissing anyone off, which is no easy task, especially in this day and age. Will we all see eye to eye in terms of what Gerwig and Baumbach want to leave viewers with once the credits roll? Of course not, but that is also sort of the point. I appreciated how they kept the tone light without seeming like they were worried about ruffling any feathers. I also really liked how they touched on the history of Barbie over the years in a hilarious way, which included a number of discontinued dolls that really had no business hitting store shelves.

On the technical side I thought Barbie was awesome thanks to its sheer creativity and out-of-the-box thinking, pun intended. I felt immediately immersed in the world of Barbieland, and it was just so cool watching these actors portray dolls as they ”pretended” to drink from a milk carton, shower, drive, or even attempt to surf a plastic wave with hilarious consequences. The set design was just so damn good, and you could tell that they put a ton of thought into every little aspect and detail. I also really enjoyed the soundtrack which was a big part of the film right from the opening, with a ton of fantastic original songs and we even got a little bit of Aqua’s 1997 hit single Barbie Girl. Everything just looked great, and I am personally extremely happy this film was made and it feels like the right people came together to deliver the best Barbie movie we could have asked for.

The film is packed with talent as far as the cast is concerned, but as I previously mentioned, Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling definitely stole the show. Robbie was the perfect choice for Barbie, and at one point a voiceover even points out the fact that if you want audiences to buy into the main character feeling “unattractive”, don’t cast Margot Robbie. She is one of the most attractive actresses working today, and the fact that she is so talented is pretty damn impressive. I’m not going to sit here and act like Robbie was able to utilize her full range but her believability as Barbie was a big reason why the film works so well especially once they are in the real world.

Now I have to talk about my guy Ryan Gosling, and he was so damn good. He contributed to the majority of the humor in the film once again reminding us why he can take on intense roles but is able to flip the switch and be the funny guy without missing a beat. Gosling has great timing and delivery as a comedic actor, but his mannerisms and facial expressions made him the perfect actor to play Ken. The only other character that even came close to having as much of an impact on the humor of the film was Michael Cera, who had a small but fantastic role. Cera is just great in general, but I really liked how they used him here.

The core of the supporting cast was led by America Ferrera, who is best known for her role in the 2006 sitcom Ugly Betty. Ferrera plays Gloria, who is Barbie’s connection to the real world along with her daughter. I thought Ferrera was great here and showed why she deserves more opportunities. I’m a Will Ferrell guy and I won’t apologize for it, and he was great as the out-of-touch Mattel CEO. The supporting cast was absolutely stacked and they all crushed it, including Simu Liu who served as the “Evil Ken” to Gosling’s “All-American Ken”, and comedy icon Kate McKinnon deserves a shoutout because she was just so, so good and fit the feel of the film perfectly. Aside from those already mentioned, other absolutely necessary shout-outs include Ariana Greenblatt, Ncuti Gatwa, Emma Mackey, Alexandra Shipp, Issa Rae (obviously), Kingsley Ben-Adir who is a BEAST as of late, and Rhea Perlman. The bottom line, the cast in this film is next level.

THE BAD

As much as I enjoyed Barbie it did have a few minor issues. First, not all of the jokes landed and if you didn’t buy into the wackiness of the film right away, it was going to be a long 2-hours. What I mean by that is Barbie is very goofy and unique by design, and that really shouldn’t be a knock on the film as it is one of its greatest strengths, but you still have to allow yourself to be immersed in the very pink and colorful world of Barbie. So I guess just watch the trailer, and if that leaves you intrigued, you’ll be good. Now I am not one to complain about the length of a film especially considering one of my greatest life experiences in quite a while was the glorious 3-hours I spent in the IMAX watching Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, but I did feel like they could have shaved maybe 15-minutes off. That may be a bit nitpicky on my part, but it felt a bit slow at times. Who am I kidding, I could watch Robbie and Gosling for 24-hours straight, so maybe just ignore what I just said entirely.

THE VERDICT

A super creative and hilarious comedy drenched in a vibrant bright pink with a hefty dose of tasteful satire, Barbie powers into the real world with a terrific screenplay and a legendary duo in Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling. This movie must have been such a blast to make, and I am personally glad it was made and couldn’t be happier to see it doing as well as it is. As I touched on in the review it’s not a perfect film but the good far outweighs the bad by a long shot, and I seriously applaud the creativity and originality. If you have any reservations about seeing Barbie I say give it a chance, because if we really want filmmakers to generate content that feels fresh and new, we need to show up to support these projects.