Greta Gerwig’s Barbie Review: Greta Gerwig delivers funny, often poignant celebration of femininity

Greta Gerwig‘s Barbie takes aim at patriarchy and hits the mark in comedic fashion.

Margot Robbie shines at showing Barbie’s fading naive optimism in the real world. Ryan Gosling is sensational as Ken. The best storyline in the film is Ken learning about sexism. Gerwig’s Barbie begins with Ken’s entire existence depending on Barbie’s acknowledgment. Once Ken discovers a world controlled by men, he becomes the film’s real villain.

One performance that’s not getting enough attention is America Ferrera as Gloria. Ferrera infuses Gloria with infectious positive energy and delivers an all-time great, scathing monologue regarding the predicaments of being a woman. Gloria is a Mattel employee who creates a shared connection with Robbie’s Barbie. The monologue is somewhat weakened by Gloria delivering it to individual Barbies in separate scenes.

The production design is fantastic. From the covered-in-pink Barbieland to the drab office confines of Mattel, Gerwig’s Barbie is a visual marvel.

In addition to social commentary regarding women, Gerwig and Noah Baumbach‘s script also shines in capturing Barbie’s growth from a girl to a woman.

There are a couple of issues in Gerwig’s Barbie. Gloria’s daughter Sasha starts as a young, rebellious daughter who wants nothing to do with her mother’s positive energy. I really enjoyed Sasha essentially serving as Barbie’s dose of reality. Unfortunately, the conflict between Sasha and Gloria is wrapped up too quickly.

Also, Barbie’s decision in the 3rd act is powerful. However, there’s no real basis behind the decision Barbie makes. Overall, the 3rd act is ridiculously entertaining and sets up another best-song contender with “Just Ken” opposite Jack Black‘s Peaches in The Super Mario Bros. Movie.

While the comedy and social commentary particularly regarding race doesn’t quite match Joy Ride, Barbie is a fun ride.

Barbie Review Score: 8.5

Great

With the overview out of the way, let’s take a closer look at Gerwig’s Barbie.

Greta Gerwig’s Barbie crisis

Barbie begins in a women-led utopia called Barbieland, which is connected to the real world. Barbieland features a variety of Barbies and Kens, plus one Allen (Michael Cera). Barbieland has the appearance of a women-led utopia, but every Barbie has a particular function.

Robbie’s stereotypical Barbie begins the day like any other. She takes a waterless shower, drinks from cups without tea, tolerates Ken’s existence and has a party where every Barbie attends.

After some guidance from Kate McKinnon‘s weird Barbie, she goes on a journey to the real world and discovers the world is a lot easier in bubblegum pink.

For the most part, Barbie is driven by Robbie and Gosling, but in the 3rd act, the supporting cast adds to the fun in surprising ways. Issa Rae, Hari Nef and Alexandra Shipp (Tick, Tick…Boom!) are the standouts and really come alive in the 3rd act. On the Ken side of things, Gosling runs the show but the rivalry and friendship he has with Marvel stars Simu Liu (Shang-Chi) and Kingsley Ben-Adir (Secret Invasion) is fun.

Mattel’s real world

Joining Barbie is Gosling’s Ken. They have radically different experiences in the real world.

Barbie is subjected to catcalling, unwanted touching and other unfortunately common sexist behavior. While the ugly side of LA phases Barbie a little, what really bothers Barbie is the negative association Sasha has with Barbie. Eventually, Barbie ends up at the executive offices of Mattel. The CEO (Will Farrell) wants to literally put Barbie back in the box. After having some second thoughts, Barbie flees with Gloria and Sasha back to Barbieland. The CEO and Mattel execs head to Barbieland as well.

Meanwhile, Ken goes on his own adventure where he discovers a society where men are in control. In Barbieland, Ken has a singular obsession with Barbie. In the real world, the sudden attraction he receives becomes a drug that turns him power-hungry. Ken believes sexism is a positive attribute and patriarchy is a better model to live by than women-controlled Barbielend. He heads back to Barbieland with this new knowledge.

The trip to the real world lasts just long enough. More scenes showing Gloria and Sasha’s relationship would have helped set up the emotional elements. Outside of being a troubled teen, Gerwig’s Barbie takes too long to reveal some of Sasha’s frustration with her mother, then resolves their conflicts too quickly.

Ken’s sexist takeover

Whether there’s a time difference between Barbieland and LA is unclear, but some time does pass between Ken and Barbie’s return.

Ken returns to Barbieland firsts. He turns the world into a masculine-fueled society. For example, Rae’s President Barbie is now a cheerleader. Barbie is shocked at the state of Barbieland. Ken still wants Barbie’s attention, but when Barbie isn’t swayed by the change, he becomes mad with power.

The 3rd act is tremendous. There are surprising cameos, a fun music number and a touching parent-daughter moment as well. Some of the direction involving Robbie’s Barbie isn’t set up well. However, Robbie is terrific at showing how Barbie is processing her emotions and reactions. There are a lot of ways to describe Robbie’s take on Barbie, but dumb isn’t one of them.

Greta Gerwig’s Barbie final thoughts

The enthusiasm of Robbie, Gosling and Ferrera allows Gerwig’s Barbie to shine as a comedy while leaving room for emotional depth. Gerwig and Baumbach’s script shines in skewering male ego but stays in shallow waters until Ferrera’s terrific tirade.

The biggest issue is the mother-daughter conflict is brushed over and Barbie’s journey feels shoehorned into the story. While Gerwig’s Barbie dives into female roles, sexism and even capitalism, the issue of race is noticeably absent. The difference between women of different races is stark and deserves at least a passing acknowledgment. Perhaps a sequel could focus on these issues more.

Overall, Gerwig’s Barbie is a fun comedy with plenty of heart and terrific performances and the 2nd best comedy of July 2023.

If you like the content on The Intersection and have the means, a donation is much appreciated. The Intersection will never have ads on the website. In order to expand coverage to golden-era tv shows and add new features, we need your help. You can provide a one-time donation via PayPal or Stripe below.