Collette’s Review: Barbie

The ad campaign for Greta Gerwig’s Barbie movie is truly amazing. This film was sold to the public as a fun and colorful adventure. About fifteen minutes in, you realize this is probably one of the year’s most profound and thought-provoking films.

Now, you don’t have to be a woman to understand or even like this film, but it sure has a greater impact if you are. Barbie could have easily been another camp comedy that would’ve become a cult classic. Instead, Gerwig took that camp and sprinkled in a feminist fable that will leave you in shambles.

Barbie starts off dreamy, with Barbieland being pink perfection. But as Margot Robbie’s Barbie starts questioning things and essentially falling apart, she must fix what’s breaking her. She travels to the real world with Ryan Gosling’s Ken by her side, but the real world isn’t the glamorous place she thought it would be. With help from her new friend Gloria (America Ferrera), Barbie heads back to her world only to discover things aren’t the same.

The marketing team did a spectacular job of keeping the true story of Barbie under wraps. There’s something special when a smart script is hidden only to have a massive surprise while watching the film. We’ve become so enamored by trailers and behind-the-scenes footage that we practically know everything about a film before seeing it. Barbie brings back the old-school style of showing just enough to pique interest and then hitting the audience with a one-two punch.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, Margot Robbie is probably the smartest actress of our generation. She constantly chooses roles that border on stereotypical but have so much unexpected depth that they become memorable. Barbie is no different.

Greta Gerwig has cemented her role as one of the most profound writers. She has the ability to bring depth to characters and give women a voice. She adds nuances to her films that bring them to life, and she knows how to write a script that will hit the hearts of anyone watching.

Can kids watch this? Yes! And I think they should. It teaches kids that words and actions matter. There are a few adult jokes, but they will go right over their heads.

In the end, Barbie is just a fantastic film that will surely be a contender for awards season. Some may find that surprising, but that’s the beauty of Barbie. It’s an existential crisis wrapped in pink.