Barbie

Originally published March 5, 2024

I’ve made my stance on Christopher Nolan apparent in previous reviews, so it should come as little surprise that the former film in the “Barbenheimer” trend appealed more to me. 

Barbie was an eye-catching delight that proves once again why Greta Gerwig is an awesome filmmaker. Between her and Noah Baumbach’s provocative writing and the unbelievably brilliant performances of Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling and America Ferrera, this is a movie that knows how to balance sharp humor with profound social commentary in a way that doesn’t feel pandering. As for Barbieland, I’ll keep it brief and say it’s some of the best set design and lighting plans I’ve ever seen. The original songs, especially “What Was I Made For?” and “I’m Just Ken,” went harder than they had any right to. The only two nitpicks I have with this movie are the characters played by Ariana Greenblatt and Will Ferrell. While both are terrific actors, I found the former to be incredibly hard to like and the latter, while undeniably funny, could’ve been integrated into the story better.

While all these elements are phenomenal, what I perhaps love most about Barbie is its central message about patriarchy and the harm it causes to women AND men alike. I’ll admit I was embarrassed to be a guy on my first viewing, but I later realized the movie was seeking not to shame men, but to encourage them not to conform to a system that encourages them to exert themselves, often aggressively, over others, especially women. At the risk of sounding preachy, a man isn’t a man without love or empathy. I’ll end this review with a hearty recommendation and a paraphrased quote for your thoughts: as long as both wings aren’t equal in strength, the bird won’t fly.

Rating: 9/10