A Non-Committal, Short Review of the "Barbie" Film

 

After many tribulations, I finally managed to watch the Barbie film, in an arena with annexed bar, atop a small hill, above the bustling of a small lake town. It's probably the second best environment for the showing right after a loudly coloured vacation villa. Life in Plastic is Fantastic and all that.

Since this is technically a film review in the loosest possible term, have a disclaimer! Just replace the word "video" and "filmed" with "random blog" and "typed."

Now, I shall begin this non-committal thought bubble on the Barbie experience by saying that I had an absolute blast, all throughout it: the impeccable set designs, casting choices, rapid-fire jokes that never miss ensured my time with it would be nothing short of delightful. Margot Robbie was the ideal choice both in breathing life into the "stereotypical doll" as well as humanizing her whilst Ryan Gosling redefined the very concept of "Simping" with his tragicomic Ken. That said, it has a few issues.

Director Greta Gerwig's vision is ambitiously incongruous in the sense that it attempts to capture on film the complete ethos of Barbie (TM), the very idea, its complicated status symbol within pop culture, its controversial yet ubiquitous role in Society, its meaning and iconography in relation to how the perceptions of Womanhood and Femininity have evolved since its creation, etcetera.

In doing so, too much meat is placed on the proverbial grill. Barbie tries to say something meaningful about the objectification of the female body perpetrated by Capitalism as well as the commodification of Feminism as another form of profit. It tries to be a satire of toxic masculinity, entitlement and The Patriarchy, the disillusionment of it all which then moves on to a semi-radical Feminist power fantasy, ultimately landing on the Existential question of what it means to be a "real" woman and the pressure to be "perfect" according to an ever changing and completely arbitrary ideal imposed by a male dominated world.

There is so much it wants to cover that it couldn't quite firmly land on most of its topics, resulting in a film that seems somewhat unfocused. So, we have an undeniably creative project, with a vision behind it, that crashes against its own weight. That's especially frustrating when it reaches the inevitable moment where the corporate interests behind it align with the theming of "relatability" - because it sells, you see, and that's the actual punchline. Make no mistake, though, it's still a great watch.

The points that actually do manage to resonate hit hard and the emotional throughline of "Stereotypical Barbie" as she gains self-awareness, and self-acceptance, is definitely there but, above all else, this is a legitimately funny film.

It would be easy to dismiss Barbie as a cynical PR campaign for a "Woke" brand who has embraced "Social Progress" and "Relatability" because there's money to be made by exploiting the very criticisms that were levied against its decisively checkered history - and yes, that's exactly what this film is, even as it acknowledges said history.

In truth, there's an actual heart to Barbie, a weird sincerity that comes out in spite (or because) of itself, of its mere existence. It's made with Love, with Passion and with Intent. It's imperfect and that's OK because being perfect is just a toxic projection. At the end of the day, it made me laugh and it made me pay attention when it mattered the most and those are the unmistakable signs of an enjoyable work of fiction. This one goes on the fridge, right next to The LEGO Movie - and not just because they share a Will Farrell between them.

Then again, they didn't play the original Barbie Girl song in the end credits, so it's a 0/10.