Barbie: Fantastic in Plastic
By Zaara Khayer
Title: Barbie
Rating: 4.5/5 stars
Director: Greta Gerwig
Classification: PG
Duration: 114 minutes
In the whimsical world of Hollywood, where imagination knows no bounds, writer-director Greta Gerwig’s cinematic reinvention of Mattel’s most (in)famous toy comes on like a sugar-rush mashup of Pixar’s Toy Story and Robert Luketics Legally Blonde. Barbie, a perennial cultural touchstone, has been celebrated as a font of girlhood pleasure and play, rebuked as an instrument of toxic gender norms and consumerist ideals of femininity. If Barbie has been a culture-war hot spot for about as long as it’s been on the shelves, it’s because the doll perfectly encapsulates changing ideas about girls and women: our Barbies, ourselves. However this movie is a riotously entertaining candy-coloured feminist fable that manages simultaneously to celebrate, satirize and deconstruct its happy-plastic subject.
After a heavily trailered 2001-parody opening, we move to a pastel pink utopia in which, “thanks to Barbie, all problems of feminism and equal rights have been solved”. This is Barbie Land, a fantasy world in which big-haired dolls can be anything, thereby inspiring equivalent feminine achievement out there in the “real world”. The incomparable Margot Robbie plays the role of Stereotypical Barbie. She starts off her day by drinking imaginary milk poured from a carton to a cup and eats a plastic waffle that pops from a toaster crowned with a perfect dollop of butter. And of course there is her male suitor, the hunky blond Ken (Ryan Gosling)—one of many in Barbie Land—who desperately tries to court her everyday. There’s a strong gay subtext to the movie’s well-coiffed and accessorized Kens. However Barbie's unnerving premonition of mortality disrupts her seemingly flawless existence.
Something is obviously direly wrong with Robbie’s pristine exterior. This habitually smiley creature eventually finds herself haunted by thoughts of sadness, anxiety and death. Worse still, she develops flat feet and (gasp!) cellulite! Barbie decides to visit the eccentric Weird Barbie (Kate McKinnon). There she learns she must journey to the real world with her Stowaway Ken and find out the root of her problems.
In the sprawling landscapes of LA, Barbie is thrust into the gritty realities of human existence such as catcalling, old age, anxiety, and the social dynamics of real-life girls, most notably a precocious tween named Sasha, who calls Barbie a fascist. However the cause for Barbie’s trouble is actually Sasha’s mother, a Mattel employee named Gloria. Barbie finds her way into Mattel headquarters, where the C.E.O. (Will Ferrell) wants to trap and twist-tie her in a display box. Instead, Barbie escapes, but, while she’s on the run, Ken—who’s read up in the school library about patriarchy—heads to Barbie Land and exports the notion there. When Barbie returns home, she finds it transformed into a manosphere, full of Kens slaking grudges against Barbies and Barbies content with subservience to Kens, and she has to plot to restore it to its ostensible original form as a feminist haven.
This film offers a fresh lens through which to view Mattel's iconic Barbie brand. It successfully transitions Barbie from a controversial figure to a vehicle for addressing vital social issues. Barbie's message, as conveyed by this film, has always been one of equal opportunity for women, and it resonates powerfully. The film boasts exceptional music, mesmerizing dance sequences, a stellar ensemble cast, and a heartfelt narrative. Amidst the glitz and glamor, it guides us through Barbie's transformation, peeling away the layers of the stereotype to reveal the true essence of Barbie. Beyond its artistic merits, this film achieved remarkable box office success, raking in a staggering $1.342 billion, outperforming even the Harry Potter films and earning the title of Warner Bros.' highest-grossing film ever. Such a feat undoubtedly merits a tip of the hat to Greta Gerwig.
Yet, it's essential to acknowledge the film's shortcomings. While it admirably breaks the chains of bimboism, it doesn’t fully represent the diversity of our communities. Notably, it lacks comprehensive inclusion of individuals from the LGBTQIA community and those with disabilities. In light of this exclusion, Barbie loses half a star.
Though, I still wholeheartedly recommend this enchanting pink-hued fantasia to all, whether you're a Barbie enthusiast or simply in search of adventure and fantasy with a profound message. Beyond its dazzling visuals and captivating storyline, this film prompted a reevaluation of our childhood perceptions of Barbie. It compels us to see Barbie not as a product, but as a symbol of revolution. Consider this: Miss Astronaut Barbie debuted in the My Favorite Career collection in 1965, while women didn't gain the right to have credit cards until 1974! Barbie isn't made to make us feel bad about ourselves. Barbie is something to be celebrated, and that's precisely what Gerwig's film accomplishes, igniting a spark of ambition in women. This movie is indeed a paradox, simultaneously challenging and uplifting women. But then again, isn't that the reality women face every day?