Barbie 2023

Barbie 2023, oh boy, where do I even begin? This movie is like a glittery train wreck, a hot mess wrapped in a pink bow. From the moment the opening credits rolled, I knew I was in for a wild ride, and not in a good way. It's as if the filmmakers took every cliché in the book and crammed it into one painfully predictable storyline.

The plot, if you can even call it that, is about as shallow as Barbie's plastic smile. It's a recycled tale of Barbie saving the day, yet again, with her perfectly coiffed hair and impossibly tiny waist. Yawn. I couldn't help but roll my eyes at the lack of originality and depth in the story. It's like they didn't even bother trying to come up with something remotely interesting.

And let's talk about the dialogue, shall we? It's so cheesy and cringe-worthy that I couldn't help but groan out loud. The lines are as plastic as Barbie herself, lacking any real substance or wit. It's like the writers took a bunch of tired clichés and threw them into a blender, hoping for some sort of magical concoction. Spoiler alert: it didn't work.

But perhaps the most disappointing aspect of Barbie 2023 is the missed opportunity for growth and empowerment. Barbie has been an iconic figure for decades, yet this movie does nothing to challenge or expand upon her character. Instead, it perpetuates outdated stereotypes and reinforces unrealistic beauty standards. It's a disheartening reminder of how far we still have to go in terms of representation and inclusivity in the film industry.

In conclusion, Barbie 2023 is a glittery disaster that falls flat on its perfectly manicured face. It's a prime example of lazy filmmaking and missed potential. Save yourself the agony and skip this one. Trust me, you won't be missing out on anything groundbreaking or remotely entertaining. Barbie deserves better, and so do we.

So. Much. Fun!

Colorful, cheery, emotional, serious, sad and really the perfect balance between all of these, I never felt like it was too much of either. Barbie adresses powerful themes on identity, gender dynamics, steriotypes, job functions, self-worth, self-confidence, patriarchy, searching for a purpose, toxic masculinity... I never expected it to be that layered and deep. It's a satire and also very self-aware in moments, i'm someone that detests musicals but I loved every musical scene and dance number. The comedy was on point.

Margot Robbie obliterated it, she shows such a wide range of emotions I really can't see anyone else in the role. Ryan Gosling's Ken steals the show often and again I can't see anyone else in the role. Two excellent performances! The fake-looking colorful Barbieland set is perfection I couldn't get enough of it they should do a theme park with it or something.

A negative would be the creator lady, it feels like she came out of absolutely nowhere and what's with that weird room? Will Ferrell and his acolytes didn't add much but at the same time, their scenes were fun and funny so why not. When Gloria and Sasha came in I was a bit worried it would go in an obvious and nowadays overdone way but they turned out to be an excellent addition and it adds layers to the story.

So many emotions watching this, it felt like a gut punch at times but I loved it. I could rewatch this plenty. Ken I get more?!

Greta Gerwig's on the nose social commentary in disguise of a brilliantly designed plastic world.

My Rating : :star::star: (45/100)

Barbie is a monumental achievement in terms of its eye pleasing production design yet is too preachy in terms of its messaging. Barbie is silly and messy and doesnt take itself seriously in the first half which was funny and enjoyable but its undertones drastically shift towards a preachy take on toxic masculinity and the usual gender norms. The film is a social commentary or sattire masked in plastic dolls. Its wasn't powerful or resonating to me as it is for people who loved it. It dilutes the harshness of patriarchy which is a serious problem in the living world. There is a scene where Barbies unite to cause chaos by disrupting peace within the Kens by swindling them. How can this be good? I loved the way Greta has designed the whole world but the messaging and commentary wasn't appealing to me nor my wife who went to watch it.

Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling are true gems ofcourse. They are the best looking actors for the particular roles and the understood the assignment pretty well. The first half is enjoyable and no one can deny it. Ryan is good, Margot is good but calling them exceptional is going overboard according to me. People have already nominated Ryan Gosling for Oscars and nothing can be more hilarious than this. Its also overlooking hardworking actors in the west.

For someone who loved Barbie film will disagree and hate me for my opinion but this is a place where I put my unfiltered views on a film. I respect women and despise patriarchy but these two are so difficult and hard-hitting subjects to be addressed in a silly film as Barbie. For people in the West I would recommend films like The Great Indian Kitchen and Jaya Jaya Jaya Jaya Hey which is more hillarious and profound compared to Barbie in terms of its messaging. Watch it only if you ever owned a Barbie for the nostalgia else skip it atleast in Theatres.

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"If you love Barbie. If you hate Barbie. This movie is for you."

At least that's what the trailers say. But as someone who doesn't belong to either group, I can confirm that you'll have fun even without a love-hate attitude towards the doll. As a fan of Greta Gerwig, this didn't surprise me either. Since it was announced that she was chosen as director for the Barbie film, one could foresee that the film would turn out to be more profound than it could have been.

However, "Barbie" is not entirely free of criticism. I definitely felt the advertising message in numerous places. It is, to some extent, surprising how many jokes the company Mattel has allowed on their account. But that is, of course, exactly the strategy. In the end, it's all about selling Barbie dolls. But the merchandise approach is omnipresent in most other big-budget Hollywood productions, so I can overlook it for the most part here as well.

What really convinced me about the film were two primary factors: the great production design and the clever screenplay. "Barbie" looks really fantastic with its excess of pink and plastic feel. The Barbie world and the real world are a perfect contrast. The screenplay, which Gerwig co-wrote with her partner Noah Baumbach, in turn offers room for numerous different approaches. Thus, at some points the film is a biting satire, while at other moments it is heartfelt, hilarious, feminist, existentialist, or totally absurd. Gerwig and Baumbach teach the audience several life lessons at once, most of which have depth. The film is thus, fortunately, so much more than just a commercial.

But "Barbie" is also a complete success because of its strong cast. That Margot Robbie is a good choice for the lead should come as no surprise to anyone. I also appreciate the fact that she finally doesn't play the "slightly crazy" character for a change. Ironically, though, the real star of the film is probably Ryan Gosling as Ken, who has already demonstrated fantastic timing in comedy several times in the past. Here, he's so good that he might even have a shot in the Oscar race.

All in all, my verdict is positive across the board. "Barbie" is a film that is one of the better examples of mainstream summer cinema. Above all, its high level of creativity sets it apart from the competition. I can only recommend everyone give this film a chance. It really doesn't matter at all whether you hate Barbie, love her, or don't care about her.

Barbie was fun and legit had feminism and the patriarchy at it's core but sometimes was a bit heavy-handed for even me, but that part wasn't targeted for me and that's ok, and I think a huge amount of people will love it. Although honestly wasn't as kid friendly as I was expecting akin to The Lego Movie, with a lot more real world issues presented.

I think the highlights are the sets and visuals by Rodrigo Prieto, Greta Gerwig as director and Margot Robbie in the lead role, reminding everyone why she's so amazing after a couple of recent box office duds.

The fact that I used to have a housemate that used to sing an acoustic version of “Push” by Matchbox Twenty to girls had me laughing a lot. I'll tell you The Godfather is a great movie, but you can go and watch it yourself :P

I think there will be a very vocal minority that will hate this movie, and a large amount of people that will vocally defend it. While I did think there was 1-2 occasions the messaging was a bit too strong I can also happily accept that for some people it will be amazing to hear it put so bluntly. I also really think that a lot of the vocal people that hate this movie, might also be represented in this movie and might lack the self-awareness of that fact.

A strong movie and while I think Oppenheimer was the better "Film" of the Barbenheimer combo, I think Barbie will be more memorable to it's target audience.