Barbie (2023) Review

"It is literally impossible to be a woman,"

WARNING: THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS

Barbie is one of the most anticipated movies of the year. It's a movie you go into with no expectations, because it could literally be anything, and leaves you speechless. No matter what you think this movie will be about and no matter how you think it'll make you feel, you'll be wrong.

Greta Gerwig, who is known for making some of the best woman-led movies in our current society, gave life to this doll so many of us had during childhood, and instead of forcing her to conform to these perfect ideals that many people believe Barbie is about, Gerwig makes her real by giving her emotions, and feelings, and allowing her to find her own purpose. This movie, which was promoted as a fun comedy movie (and don't get me wrong, it still was), becomes a raw and honest representation of life as a woman in a male dominated society. It gave voices to the problems women face daily, resonating with each women who watched it, and allowed them to feel in touch with their girlhood. It focused on how it is impossible to satisfy everyone, which is something emphasised by Gloria's monologue (who is played by America Ferrara), as she explains to Barbie the life of a woman: how you have to be everything society expects of you, while exceeding expectations. It gave a voice to every woman who has experienced any form of misogyny, who has been told they're too emotional, too much to deal with, who has been ignored simply because their opinion isn't as valid as a man's, who has been looked over and disrespected. And that's what makes this movie so important. It shows the struggles of being a woman in a patriarchal world.

Because of this, Barbie was labelled as an anti-men, rad-fem film by critics, but if you watch this movie you will find that is simply not the case. While exploring Barbie's extistential crisis of not being enough and not knowing who she is, it also gave a voice to Ken and allowed him to discover who he was without Barbie in his life, and he learnt he didn't have to be a side character with the help of Barbie. Although it is important that this movie gave a voice to both characters and therefore both genders, it should be noted how this was explored. Ken learned of patriarchy when he explored the real world, and took over Barbieland in order to create a world that focused more on men than woman. He took what Barbie had created, and changed it for himself to fit himself and his ideals, when it was never his to begin with. The men who took over brainwashed the women who were seen to be intelligent, confident and independent and made them into women who were obsessed with their male-counterparts and nothing else. Even when Barbie returned and helped Ken see how he was wrong for his behaviour (which he did simply because she didn't love him back), she found herself apologising to him for how she treated him and how she overlooked him. Despite him taking her life away, treating her friends horribly and ruining all she worked hard to create, she had to apologise, and she even expressed her fear of him hating her. It shows how we are forced into a narrative that the behaviour of men is the woman's fault, and our behaviour is the reason for their actions, which is never the case. They are their own person, and no one should take responsibility for someone else's choices like women do for men so often, because no matter what, we are villianised for not reciprocated a man's feelings, like we owe them something. So although this movie is not anti-man as many people suggest, it is still a feminist movie, which is what makes it so important. It is important to address these issues, to force the world to hear them and understand the daily struggles of woman. Because although society has improved, life as a women will always be hard, and this movie allows everyone to express that.

Alongside the important message behind this film, the casting was amazing. It was a large cast, consisting of many different Barbies and Kens, but the main two 'streotypical' Barbie and Ken were played by Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling who carried the roles perfectly, and I cannot see anyone else in that role. Gerwig and Robbie actually stated that they refused to see anyone else in the role of Ken other than Gosling, and it was definitely the best casting choice. His charisma and his ability to play such a comedic role, which we haven't seen from Gosling in a long time, is the reason the audience was so drawn to him. Furthermore, Ferrara was the perfect person to play Gloria, the one who was connected to Barbie, and definitely the perfect person for the classic Gerwig monologue that we find in all her movies.

In addition to the cast, the soundtrack of this movie somehow made it even better, with an incredibly touching song from Billie Eilish that I have been obsessed with since it's release, to the song of the summer: I'm Just Ken. The costume designs, by Jacqueline Durran, increased my enjoyment of this movie simply because they were just so perfect, and just so Barbie.

This movie was really everything I wanted from a Barbie movie and more. It was fun, and heartwarming, enjoyable and emotional, and just perfect. I've already gone to see it three times since it's release, and I just know I will rewatch it so many more times, because it really is the movie of the year.