Ganesh_reviews : Barbie
feminist ideas delivered using sharp humor but lack a punch. Spoiler free review!
We (still) live in a man’s world. Most of the communities are patriarchal and customs/practices/traditions are centered around establishing the importance of men. Thus, they are sexist too and this sexism reflects in our daily life. Intentional in some cases, unintentional and internalized in some other cases. The degrees of sexism vary depending on the place, but they do exist. Are we cool with it? No, we aren’t. We try to move towards a more equal world. Greta has chosen to explore this using Barbie, the world-famous American-origin doll, as a canvas.
This is indeed a very very smart choice given how Barbie was intended to be (and was, for some time) progressive, but it did carry its fair share of unrealistic stereotyping. Moreover, it’s not just a doll. It’s a SHE. and she has her own world. her own song. Greta has spun this concept into an (yet another) wonderful idea of having a Barbie Land and Real World. The first one hour sets up this premise, establishes the conflict creatively and keeps us laughing with clever commentary on gender dynamics. Some are underlying and nuanced, some are on your face but just the right amount that its enjoyable and entertaining.
This is exactly what we miss in the next and last one hour of this film. The film has all the right ideas, got its heart at the right place but the set tone of the film suddenly seems away on a break, only to return towards the end but it’s too late. A long monologue feels over the top and fails to deliver a punch due to the barrage of thoughts dumped at the audience all of a sudden. A piece-by-piece and repetitive approach (yes, the film’s screenplay had the scope for it) could have delivered the punch it wanted to. The monologue at least fleshed out Barbies’ character arcs to some extent, but such an intent-driven counterpart was missing for the Kens.
To add to this, the final reconciliation feels sudden and thus, the Kens’ arcs fall flat despite offering (a promise) to explore how patriarchy affects men. These flaws can be overlooked for some time, thanks to Margot Robbie (who is perfect to the T). She plays the titular role, along with a slew of other women of all colors, races and sizes thrown in for representation. Same thing goes for the Kens (except the size part maybe coz all of them got washboard abs) led by a sparklingly emotive Ryan Gosling.
Barbie clearly wanted to be a little more than just fun. Unfortunately, it doesn’t achieve that though it had the potential to. Nevertheless, it is fun while it lasts!
Post Scriptum: Reading up a little about how the toy line evolved can enhance your movie watching experience.
Hello reader! In case, we have not met ..
I am Ganesh and I love talking, reading and writing about cinema. You can read more about me here.