TL;DR – A deeply sincere film, swinging for the fences. Not everything lands, but you can’t dismiss the passion.

Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene.

Disclosure – I was invited to a press screening of this film.

Barbie Review –

If you had asked me which film would have captured everyone’s attention in 2023, I honestly would not have expected it to be Barbie. That is just my biases being shown in full light for all to see. But with every set photo, every casting announcement, and every trailer, you could feel this surge of excitement, and it shows just how good the marketing team behind the movie is and the building excitement to see what a live-action Barbie film could look like. Well, today, that wait is over, and we can dive into a world full of pink where life might still be plastic, but it’s fantastic.

So to set the scene, in Barbie Land, we have a world where a day is not a day without a blowout party with a bespoke song and extensive choreography. In this serene world with pink buildings and gleaming coast lives Barbie (Margot Robbie). Things are looking good. Well, when you have a waterslide from your bedroom to the pool, that is a certain wondrous luxury. But in this wonderous world, Barbie starts to have an existential crisis that manifests itself in different ways, like flat feet. Trying to find a purpose, Barbie decides, after some pushing from Weird Barbie (Kate McKinnon), to visit the real world to find the truth about the universe, oh and Ken (Ryan Gosling) stowaways for the ride as well.  

Without a doubt, this film does not work unless you have the complete commitment from the cast and crew. If you hesitate for even a moment, the façade starts to crumble. You see that commitment at every level of the production. Greta Gerwig, Rodrigo Prieto, and their team perfectly capture the absurd reality of Barbieland in the opening seconds building parameters to their world with the camera and narrative. Before you get to the focal point of the beach, you are already completely committed to this world and its weird structural rules. This is supported by costume and set design that fundamentally captures the world. I heard more than one “I had that house/car/dress/mobile ambulance” uttered around me, as you could feel that wave of nostalgia gets perfectly targeted.   

The film’s other strength must be the cast led by Margot Robbie & Ryan Gosling. Margot has to do much of the heavy lifting as she is the titular Barbie, literally Stereotypical Barbie, so most, but not all, the focus is on her story. There is a poise and precision to every moment, every inflection, like you are watching some grand choreography come to life, and I don’t just mean that regarding the big dance number. Ryan brings all his energy to the role of Ken. He has more of an arc than I expected, so you need someone who can play someone with immense passion yet completely un-self-aware. There are no weak links in the supporting cast, with everyone making the most of their time in the Sun, with a shout-out to Kate McKinnon, Kingsley Ben-Adir & Michael Cera for entertaining every moment.

While we have a strong cast and production design, we must also discuss the narrative. The moment-to-moment action is filled with comedy of both the physical and narrative variety. All of these moments landed with the audience erupting in joyful laughter from start to finish. The highlight might be one of the film’s 4^th-wall breaks. That might be the most perfectly timed 4^th– wall break I have seen in a while. It also gives homage to many moments of cinematic history, like its 2001: A Space Odyssey and a slightly scathing nod to the Snyder Cut.

Where the film will or will not land for people is its larger narrative, which adds a dimension of depth to its more general lighter aesthetic. There would always be a bit of a challenge getting people to connect with something that is essentially an advertisement for a product. As such, I don’t think it was much of a surprise that the first two acts reminded me a lot of The Lego Film. However, Barbie makes a hard pivot in the third act, which I was not expecting, and I think it put some people off balance. Barbie is a movie that explores complicated topics like agency, conformity, legacy, patriarchy, identity, value, and mental health. Do I think the film nailed all of these? No. But I always felt that they were engaging with them honestly and with gusto.

The biggest letdown for me was just how weak the soundtrack to the film was. There were still some highlights when it came to music made, especially for the film. For example, the opening narration songs and Ken’s Lament. But it was weird that the only needle drop that landed was Matchbox Twenty’s Push. I am unsure if it was the song choice or the sound mix, but nothing stood out. For example, the remix of Aqua’s Barbie Girl, Barbie World, felt like a remix where the two sides were fighting each other rather than elevating each side.

In the end, do we recommend Barbie? Yes, yes, we do. There are a couple of areas where it didn’t quite come together. But you could clearly see the performers’ passion and the director’s vision to bring this world to life. If you liked Barbie, we would recommend to you The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent. Or a look at How a World Map Got the Barbie Movie Banned in Vietnam.   

By Brian MacNamara: You can follow Brian on Twitter Here, when he’s not chatting about Movies and TV, he’ll be talking about International Relations, or the Solar System.

Have you watched Barbie?, let us know what you thought in the comments below, feel free to share this review on any of the social medias and you can follow us Here. Check out all our past reviews and articles Here, and have a happy day. 


Credits – All images were created by the cast, crew, and production companies of Barbie
Directed by – Greta Gerwig
Written by – Greta Gerwig & Noah Baumbach
Based on – Barbie by Mattel
Music by – Mark Ronson & Andrew Wyatt
Cinematography by – Rodrigo Prieto
Edited by – Nick Houy
Production/Distribution Companies – Heyday Films, LuckyChap Entertainment, NB/GG Pictures, Mattel Films, Universal Pictures & Warner Bros. Pictures
Starring – Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, America Ferrera, Rhea Perlman, Will Ferrell, Kate McKinnon, Issa Rae, Hari Nef, Alexandra Shipp, Emma Mackey, Sharon Rooney, Dua Lipa, Nicola Coughlan, Ana Cruz Kayne, Ritu Arya, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Simu Liu, Scott Evans, Ncuti Gatwa, John Cena, Helen Mirren, Emerald Fennell, Michael Cera, Ariana Greenblatt, Jamie Demetriou, Connor Swindells, Rob Brydon & Ann Roth
Rating – Australia: PG; Canada: PG; Germany: 6; New Zealand: PG; United Kingdom: 12A; United States: PG-13