Barbie
★★★★★
All be it from me to doubt the greatness of Greta Gerwig. Lady Bird and Little Women were brilliant films, but when the news broke that she was helming this IP, I had my doubts. Even after the announcement that she was penning the script with Noah Baumbach, I still was iffy.
Barbie redefines what comedies can be. It's all at once a social commentary and champion of feminism, but at the same time, never forgets the key component of being funny. The tongue-in-cheek humor was right down my ally. A little mix of stupidity with genius. It reminded me of the dark humor that I came to love from the likes of Monty Python and early '90s SNL. To say that Ryan Gosling knocks it out of the park is an understatement. He plays a tormented, dumb soul to perfection and owns Gerwig's tone completely. I don't know if it is possible, but I would love to see him nominated for this supporting role.
In a way, Barbie become a college discourse on gender dynamics with the hippest, coolest professor you know. It challenges the viewer to think more deeply about the world that we live in compared to Barbie's female-dominent, plastic world. I never thought I would compose a sentence that used those words, but Gerwig manages to pay homage to the toy that so many children grew up with, yet is also critical of the stereotypes that it created in its consumers. The inspiring thing is that she doesn't want to burn the whole Mattel world to the ground, but addresses the issue and says, "How can we go into the right direction from here?"
I consider myself a feminist, but I can easily admit that Barbie called me out on some unfair expectations that I put on the opposite sex without knowing it. I'm sure Fox News is already screaming about the wokeness of this film, but I absolutely love art that challenges our way of thinking and throughly entertains at the same time. Margot Robbie is one of our best actresses around and once again adds another layer to her amazing talent. She somehow adds depth and complexity to a movie that could have easily been laughed at, and that's all. Barbie instead sets a new standard for the comedy genre and is one that you won't soon forget. Plus, you won't ever hear the Indigo Girls' “Closer To Fine” and Matchbox 20's "Push" the same way again.
