Barbie Review – Margot Robbie shines as Barbie

Barbie runs in cinemas starting today and promises to be one of the biggest hits of the year. Director Greta Gerwig had previous successes with Lady Bird and Little Women before she was allowed to work on this potential blockbuster.

This is a spoiler-free review of Greta Gerwig’s Barbie.

Extraordinary writing duo

A film centered around Barbie that also has to target an audience that is not just children, you can leave that to top director Greta Gerwig. The first films that Greta Gerwig worked on as director were all a success and perhaps already border on modern classics. So it’s not surprising that it is precisely Gerwig who gets the chance for such a big film as Barbie, complete with an accompanying star-studded cast.

Gerwig co-wrote the film about Mattel’s brand of dolls with Noah Baumbach, also no stranger to Hollywood. Baumbach has already been nominated for three Oscars. Although he has yet to win, his work on Marriage Story from 2019 in particular impressed me and the rest of the world. Other important works he wrote on are The Life Aquatic with Steve Zizou and Fantastic Mr. Fox. That’s just the beginning of a giant run of wins. The match with Gerwig is also no stranger to him. Together they made cult classic Frances Ha, only then the roles were reversed. Baumbach directing and Gerwig as a loyal partner at the writer’s table. By the way, this collaboration is not very far-fetched; in real life the two are also partners.

In case you don’t know who the mastermind behind Barbie is, you would almost think that the film is nothing more than a big commercial. So that is not the case, because the film has enormous depth and is a real feast for the eyes. As soon as the film starts, the viewer is immediately treated to a beautiful set, which is full of ingenious references. A lot of time and attention went into building the set, which required a lot of material. In fact, at one point it was so bad that the making of Barbie contributed to a worldwide shortage of fluorescent pink paint, so it was revealed to Architectural Digest. That’s not the only color pink to be found in Barbieland. Think of five different colors of pink in your head and they are all undoubtedly found in this film. At times, the set is reminiscent of a sort of search puzzle, with you discovering something new in every scene.

Cera performs this role brilliantly and brings the necessary bit of comedy to the film.

In the world of Margot Robbie’s Barbie, everything is how it should be. Barbie can perform any profession imaginable. Doctors, road workers or even the president. You can think of anything. In addition, of course, you have Ken. Ken is played by a brilliant Ryan Gosling. At the same time, Ken is also played by other superstars like Simu Liu (Shang-Chi), John Cena (Peacemaker) and Ncuti Gatwa (Sex Education). Barbie, of course, is also not only played by Margot Robbie, although her story is the focus. Superstars such as Emma Mackey (Sex Education) and even Dua Lipa also appear in the role of Barbie. And then, of course, there’s Allan. Allan is just Allan, played by Michael Cera. Cera performs this role brilliantly and brings the necessary bit of comedy to the film. Allan is based on a 1964 doll that was released and is Ken’s friend. Similarly, the film is packed with references to Barbie’s history, which is a nice bonus for super fans of the dolls.

An amazing Margot Robbie

In case you have nothing at all to do with the dolls, no worries. I basically don’t either myself, but it’s still an interesting film that runs through important themes of aging, beauty ideals and representation of women. It does all this through Margot Robbie, who we might have forgotten a little bit beforehand how good an actor she actually is. She shows herself in Barbie in a comedic way through excellent timing, but at times also as fragile in the emotional moments that the film features. We just briefly mentioned the role of Michael Cera, but he is certainly not the only one who manages to bring out the comedic aspect of Barbie. There are particularly good jokes in it and for that alone it is worth a visit to the cinema for this film, in addition to, of course, the wonderful Barbieland.

The film is almost two hours long and has mainly an intro and a finale that is incredibly moving. Because of the middle section that slumps a little bit, this is not going to be the best film of the year for me, but I certainly enjoyed it. Because of the interesting themes and the strong humor, it is a movie you can think about for a long time once you have seen it. The story could have been a bit more interesting for me, but it is put together in an excellent way. Barbie contains a catchy soundtrack, by the way. This one is mostly done in a musical-like manner. I am less enthusiastic about that, but I understand that it fits into the film in this way. In that sense, it does not feel forced and it is only sparingly in the film.

Barbie, as I just said, is not the best movie ever, but it certainly doesn’t have to be. It has something for everyone, even if you have nothing to do with the dolls of the title. It really enjoys how Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling act, it’s full of endless references and Barbie’s humor is on point. One thing is certain this summer, we will be living in a Barbie World for the foreseeable future.