Barbie

[Marwood]

Saw this tonight and while it was obviously aimed at girls/women who grew up up with dolls like Barbie rather than men I enjoyed it without being able to say I loved it (the screening I went to was sold out and the audience was 80 to 90% made up of ladies).

People had been asking why Greta Gerwig would make a film like this and while there are moments when she seemed to be trying to put across an awful lot of a feminist agenda in big chunks, I could see why she did it (not sure what Noah Baumbach brought to this though): thought it was funny for the first twenty minutes or so but then kind of got by on good will for a long time(maybe because Ryan Gosling kind of disappears for a long stretch) and it tries to get a bit too meta at times with things like a comment by Helen Mirren about Margot Robbie but it redeemed itself at the end (and I’m Just Ken is a show stopper and deserves a best song Oscar next year, and I’m not just saying that because I am a Ken 😝)

[showgirl]

Also saw this yesterday, but at a morning screening prior to a matinee, as on a train strike day I didn't want to travel back late. So that might explain why the cinema was less than half-full (& apart from screen 2, all the auditoria are small at Curzon Victora), but as a morning film regular, I can say that this performance was still far better attended than is usual at that time.

I went to satisfy my curiosity and did enjoy it but thought it needed to lose 10 or preferably 15 minutes as it was very slow and began to drag a little. At times it was very funny (especially the scene when the Barbies were trying to distract the Kens' attention, as the means they used really rang true); tonally it was all over the place (Will Ferrell and colleagues seemed to belong in a caper movie instead) and there were far too many cast members for most of their roles to justify their presence (shades of Wes Anderson, especially with Android City still around) - but I can imagine the writers having fun with the script. As Greta Gerwig has said that at the time, she had no expectation of the film being made, maybe she and Noah Baumbach thought they might as well go for broke.

[mkb]

Who on earth takes seven-year olds to a film they won't understand at 9.15pm? Of course, they were bored, ran around and made lots of noise.

So I wasn't in the best of moods during Barbie, and perhaps judged it more harshly than I might on a better day.

The stylised opening twenty minutes are wonderful, but they whet your appetite for more, and there are only scraps to follow. It all resolves yawningly, predictably and nauseatingly in touchy-feely nice mode, with gender politics addressed all too tidily, to the extent that I hankered after the initial Barbie World faux bonhomie.

Given how Barbie creators Mattel reinforced unhealthy gender stereotypes for generations, it's a bit rich to now proudly stand up for the opposite perspective. Coating with several layers of meta fools no-one.

Margot Robbie looks suitably glamorous throughout as Stereotype Barbie and turns in a good performance as the vacuous airhead developing existential anxieties.

The Kens here are gayed-up to the max and find greatest happiness when in other men's company. Although the machismo on display is more Village People than rugged all-American hero, Ryan Gosling as main Ken remains eminently watchable. Surely a Ken sequel is on the cards?

The costume and production designers are the runaway stars. They have clearly had a ball, and very much a dayglo one at that.

Less attractive is some of the music which panders too often to bland, modern, r'n'b-infused pop, when it is crying out for more big camp theatrical numbers. Hiring Mark Ronson as musical producer was a mistake.

Much like the non-contact air kisses between Barbie and Ken, the promised fun never fully materialises.

Three stars.

[Marwood]

I see from the front cover of The Sun that Piers Morgan didn’t like this: even more reason to go 🤣

[sukhavati]

I think I'm waiting until it's streaming, if that. I just can't bring myself to watch what amounts to a 2 hour product placement exercise. And pay for the privilege. At least if it does turn up on one of our streaming services the cost will be amortized.

[stuartmcd]

Loved seeing this tonight. Funny, smart and and with some great messages. The attention to detail with the production design was incredible! I thought it was a brilliant way to take on a Barbie movie that wasn’t just a cheap cash grab.

[Jon]

Have to say the level of detail is so well done especially the Barbieland scenes. Mattel should be applauded for letting Greta Gerwig use Barbie characters who were discontinued for a multitude of reasons.

[AddisonMizner]

I went to see BARBIE yesterday afternoon (13th August). It is absolutely bonkers and all over the place, with Gerwig throwing everything but the kitchen sink at it. It certainly is a required taste, with a very specific comedic style, but I thought that it was simply wonderful!

My review maybe slightly biased as I am a huge Greta Gerwig fan, particularly of her directorial efforts. Her films LADY BIRD and LITTLE WOMEN are two of my favourites from the last ten or so years. I liked LADY BIRD the first time I saw it, but absolutely LOVED it the second time. It hit me harder, and I cried multiple times. LITTLE WOMEN is very much Gerwig's masterpiece, and a masterclass in adaptation. The way she restructures the story and scenes from the original novel packs a greater emotional punch. Both are rare films that hold up to a second viewing. Therefore, BARBIE was highly anticipated by me even before all of the hype.

What Gerwig comes up with here is something that is visually stunning and hilarious (I have not laughed like that at a film for a LONG time! I laughed so hard at points that I had tears streaming down my face, and still laugh now remembering certain scenes, including one particular moment when Ryan Gosling's Ken is out of sight, reacting to Margot Robbie's Barbie finally wanting to be schooled on the patriarchy). I think that a lot of the humour comes from the fact that the film subverts expectations at almost every turn, and creates that element of surprise (such as another particularly meta moment from Helen Mirren's narrator about three quarter of the way into the film). I am interested to see if it holds up on a second viewing now that I know what to expect and all of the story beats. It is also incredibly intelligent though, dealing with serious themes (feminism, toxic masculinity the role of a doll in representing all of this positively etc), and is at times profound. Whilst I didn't get emotional this time, I certainly had shivers at key points. The history of the Barbie doll is also well weaved throughout, as is the discourse surrounding it from over the years. This is done in an incredibly balanced way. I keep saying that it is like an arthouse/indie film on a Hollywood budget.

I loved how integral the music was to the film. The stylised opening where Lizzo's song is heard twice with different lyrics as a commentary on the action was a delight. This very much continued in the emotional ends of the film with Billie Eilish's 'What Was I Made For' in a similar vein, reflecting on how Robbie's BARBIE is feeling at that particular dramatic moment. I was worried that Gosling's 'I'm Just Ken' wouldn't work in the context of the film as it is the only true musical song within the film. However, I needn't have worried. Because of how music is used throughout, it doesn't feel out of place at all, and is one of the highlights of the film. I loved the Dua Lipa scored dance sequence too! The musical style is perfect for this film. There is little wonder that talks of a musical adaptation have been talked about, as it practically leaps from the screen. Gerwig herself cites lots of movie musicals (such as 'Singing in the Rain') as direct influences.

The cast, led by Robbie and Gosling is excellent. A lot has been said about Gosling's Ken, and he does steal the show, but Robbie's Barbie is the emotional heart of the film and she is incredibly touching, as well as being so utterly perfect for the role. She gets that mechanical doll quality at the start, as well as the slight dorkiness of Barbie ('Yay, space!'), but gradually becomes more human as the film progresses. I loved looking out for all of the actors and cameos involved throughout as well (including I think, a past Love Island contestant).

Saying all of that, it is far from perfect. The film romps along with twists and turns, but I felt myself starting to lose concentration in the last 15 minutes of the film as everything was wrapped up. I don't know what Gerwig could have done otherwise. The last gag is the perfect way to end the film though, and is very funny.

My brother, who I was with, didn't like it, finding it slow. I couldn't disagree more with his view. Overall, Greta Gerwig hits it out of the park again. Just GO (although you probably have already)!

4 stars.

[oxfordsimon]

I saw this last night.

Still not certain what it was or who it was aimed at.

Slightly surprised how much Brit talent there was in the cast. And how underused quite a lot of the cast were.

There were good moments. And some strange stuff.

I suspect that the mother's big speech about the challenges of being a woman will get used a lot as an audition monologue over the next few years. And it is a good speech.

Overall I think the messaging did lack nuance a lot of the time. But I sort of expected that.

I didn't hate it. Which I thought I might. But I don't feel the need to ever see it again.

[Rozzi Rainbow]

Aug 19, 2023 0:32:58 GMT oxfordsimon said:

I saw this last night.

Still not certain what it was or who it was aimed at.

Slightly surprised how much Brit talent there was in the cast. And how underused quite a lot of the cast were.

There were good moments. And some strange stuff.

I suspect that the mother's big speech about the challenges of being a woman will get used a lot as an audition monologue over the next few years. And it is a good speech.

Overall I think the messaging did lack nuance a lot of the time. But I sort of expected that.

I didn't hate it. Which I thought I might. But I don't feel the need to ever see it again.

I have just seen this today and feel pretty much the same. I thought it was quite weird and I didn't really get it. I thought the idea was interesting, and I'm glad I've seen it, but wouldn't go again.

[christya]

I got around to watching this simply because I had some time to kill, originally was going to wait for streaming. Saw it at the Empire in Leicester Square and had one of their tiny little screens to myself, so the overall experience was fantastic, but I'm less sure about the film.

I enjoyed it, it had fun parts and I loved seeing how they did all of the aspects of Barbieland. I never had all of the cars and outfits and dreamhouse etc (partly because we were skint, partly because Sindy was more of a thing in the UK) but even I recognised some of them. Margot Robbie was excellent and Ryan Gosling was hilarious. But there were things I just didn't like. I found the whole 'speech' heavy handed and clumsy (didn't relate to it at all), and that line about mothers standing still that everyone praises resulted in an audible "UGH" so I'm glad I was alone in the cinema.

I think in the end the whole thing felt as though it was for someone other than me, a good enough watch but overall intended for some sort of club that I'm just not a member of. I think maybe Greta Gerwig just isn't the director for me, I only made it 20 minutes into her version of Little Women and I've enjoyed literally every other adaptation of it.

[mkb]

I agree that her Little Women was quite mediocre and seriously overrated.

[danb]

I absolutely loved her ‘Little Women’ but I was asleep half an hour into this. I think I woke up for Kens song (or it seeped into my subconscious) and I saw the last ten minutes but ultimately it felt like a big old self indulgent mess. I liked all the different versions of B & K (and Trevor of course), but it was all very heavy handed and nowhere near as clever as it thought it was. Pleased it has done so well though.