4 minute read
Film Review: Barbie
Tadhg finally gives his thoughts on the 2023 cultural event known as ‘Barbenheimer’ which saw two movies – Barbie and Oppenheimer – released simultaneously. Concluding with Greta Gerwig’s Barbie (2023), was it worth the hype?
2023 was indeed the year of ‘Barbenheimer’. The memes were plentiful. Heck, we even got some great music. But it was comical seeing two very different movies being pitted against one another as if we needed a winner. Think of it, one of the two movies is about the philosophical notion of men bringing about the end of the world, the thought that an idea brought into being to help humanity can destroy it, a world being launched into chaos with the status quo as we know it being altered forever, its future lying in uncertainty. The other was Oppenheimer.
Written by Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach, Barbie follows Barbie (Margot Robbie) and Ken (Ryan Gosling) in the colourful and seemingly perfect world of Barbie Land. They are having the time of their lives. However, when they get a chance to go to the real world, they soon discover the joys and perils of living among humans. Yes, the notion that a bright bubbly movie about a plastic paradise just shows the ridiculous discourse a lot of criticism seems to be bogged down in these days. The manosphere was threatened by a team of women coming together to create a pop entertainment for the masses. Some of that criticism had me even wondering if I wanted to be
subjected to an apparent TED talk on toxic masculinity and feminism. So, when I finally got to check out Barbie, I can now say in all transparency that I had a great time. It’s not perfect - it’s message does err on preachy sometimes. But there is so much invention on show here that you are swept along with its electrifying energy. Quoting Abby Monteil’s review, it’s an existential camp fever dream. In fact I was reminded of another movie - Josie and the Pussycats from 2001. Both are smarter than they were given credit for, boasting a pop visual and aural aesthetic with a thoughtful commentary on consumerism and identity embedded within. Both these movies would make a great double bill.
Gerwig has written and starred in works I’m very fond of. 2013’s Frances Ha, her directorial debut Lady Bird (2016). Here she deftly takes on a world that is essentially a live action cartoon but surprisingly, feels real and lived in. It is a wonderful blend of CGI and practical sets and effects. There are fantastic tips of the hat to cinema of the past. For example, Barbie and co’s trips from Barbie Land and back again evoke the
great George Méliès and his seminal works that helped shape cinema, notably A Trip to the Moon (1902). The cast is terrific although I wasn’t too gone on Will Ferrell. Ferrell can be great when he is reigned in a small bit. Left off the chain to ad lib, it can be irritating but ultimately Ferrell and everyone is giving their all. Robbie has to be especially commended. She’s fantastic playing the pink lady, giving a plastic doll an inner life. It can’t have been an easy task but she succeeds. As producer, she was instrumental in getting Gerwig to direct which certainly paid off.
And so, as I pondered about Oppenheimer, why did Barbie hit the way it did? As I mentioned, the visual aesthetic made it pop, the soundtrack is killer. Ultimately, people young and old just wanted to see a colourful, fun looking and sounding movie. It has a wonderful message for everyonelife is indeed your creation. Ignore the whiny man babies. This is a creation everyone involved with can be proud of. Quoting the title of the Indigo Girls’ song featured in the movie - closer to fine? It’s beyond it!
