Barbie, aka Cinema

This is the greatest addition to filmmaking since the classic film "Blazing Saddles" defined the Western genre with its use of provoking themes and imagery. Not since "Monty Python" have I seen a film that moved me so much and swayed me to near tears. This... is a masterful piece of cinema known as Barbie.

PLOT: Hilarious yet simple. Bound to piss people off.

Jokes aside, the plot of this is BOUND to piss people off. It focuses on Barbie becoming imperfect and going to the real world to meet her owner to "fix" herself. Ken joins her on the way and antics ensue. While I would normally rip this type of movie apart, this film is PERFECTLY aware of the premise and mocks it. Everyone in this world is normalized to the strangeness of the reality they exist in. Characters rarely question things and often just simply embrace oddity with a grin. It's simple plotting, but uses the strange concept to its fullest, as a film should.

CHARACTERS: Dear God, this film REALLY wants to piss people off.

This film has VERY strong character work for a film called "Barbie" and offers incredible performances with well-written main stars. The Kens and Barbies all feel surprisingly goofy yet believeable due to the strong talent behind the film. Ryan Gosling steals the show as a simple simp who becomes disillusioned to the Barbies as a result of discovering the patriarchy. This is where the film really goes out of its way to have a strong feminist message which is bound to anger a particular crowd. I'll discuss this in Writing, but regardless this message is further perpetrated by the humans. Gloria and her daughter are both strong characters who would normally feel out of place but twist a dated trope into something fresh. Free, rebellious mother against her stick in the mud daughter? BRILLIANT! Does something new I never see in the movies. Will Ferrell plays an out of touch businessman whose heart is in the right place. He evokes a strong Elf vibe here and even seems to pay homage to Gremlins 2 with his strangely charismatic performance. Lastly, I will say I loved Kate McKinnon and the narrator, Helen Mirrin, in this. Both deliver very different but fun performances that work to the film's advantage!

SHOTS: So fantastic, sometimes plastic?

The real world stuff can get fairly stale, but the stuff in Barbieland? It's colorful, vibrant, and silly! Just how Barbie is. Much of the set pieces contribute to this feeling as well. Additionally, there's fun dance numbers and fight scenes and so much more. I don't want to spoil too much, but the film's use of color and set pieces are wonderful in so many ways. It's the big reason I'd say watch this film if not for that.

SOUND: Copywritten music used right.

Much of the music is fun, engaging, and feels appropriate for the time. While it could be dated, it feels in-character for these dolls to be dancing to dated music that likely is popular right now. It's a movie that feels timeless at points where it uses original music, yet has a fun dated quality that will feel like a time capsule in a few years. Good stuff.

WRITING: The most controversial point of the movie.

Now we get to the FUN part. The writing is very much feminist in its concept, but not sure what else you'd expect from the likes of Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach, two incredibly feminist yet clever writers with several smart films behind their belts. Baumbach is largely known for Wes Anderson flicks like Life Aquatic and Fantastic Mr. Fox while Greta, the director, is largely known for Lady Bird and Little Women. This film was bound to be largely feminist in its nature and fully embraces it. However, those saying it hates men are clearly getting upset about the wrong things. The film is constantly talking about how balance matters. The Kens are disillusioned by the inequality of the feminist Barbieland while the Barbies are disillusioned by the patriarchy inherent in the human world. These messages are important to discuss because this film has a great message of "Be yourself" and "Be decent". So many people turned off their brains to it and it hurts to see people not even give this film a chance. It's wonderfully written and smart and clever.

CONS: Wellllll...

To be a bit of a downer, there is one thing I don't like. Licensed music is always a downgrade over original songs, but this movie doesn't use too many songs and is so energetic in its usages that I can't complain too much. That's really it. Didn't have many complaints. Even a 10/10 (spoilers for the score) has a mild issue.

LITTLE THINGS: Kenergy and how to use it!

The marketing for this film is the primary reason this film is doing so well and I love to see Ryan Gosling constantly talking about Kenergy. It's great. But, all jokes aside, I love his unhinged yet subtle performance in this. He constantly displays huge simp energy yet at the end of the day still has this need to be loved which is why he acts out in the first place. Often, people who promote the idea of a patriarchy are like that and it's lovely to see it performed so well. I know a few people who act like him and can say without a doubt this movie does this very well. Ken unironically has to gain his Kenergy by the end and realize he is Kenough. Remember, everyone, you are Kenough.

VERDICT: Despite the jokes...

This film really is hard to complain about. Strong in multiple categories, this funny, clever, bombastic, energetic flick has something for everyone yet will not be liked by everyone. If you have issues with the message, that's on you. If you enjoy the message, great! That's on you as well. Take away what you will from this, but I think it's a near-flawless movie with stellar acting, great writing, solid music, and fantastic use of color and Kenergy. Remember, this movie is Kenough.

SCORE: 10/10, cinema.