Life in Plastic

Movie: Barbie

Sometimes a movie is bigger than the sum of its parts. Greta Gerwig's Barbie is one such movie. What could have been a cheesy movie about an iconic (and problematic) toy produced mostly to sell products transcended into a cheesy movie about an iconic (and problematic) toy produced to sell products but also to raise feminist consciousness. Gerwig, who has previously directed female-centered films such as Ladybird and Little Women, elevated this movie into something funny, campy, surreal, existential...but also totally in line with the capitalist impulses that were behind the creation of Barbie in the first place. Barbie is a subversive movie, but not too subversive. I mean, it's not directed by John Waters (now that would be an interesting Barbie film).

Even though I contend that Barbie is good, not great, I think Gerwig did the absolute best she could given the parameters of this film. Mattel was never going to allow for a movie that truly tears Barbie to shreds (and would we even want that? Barbie is indeed beloved by many people). And the PG-13 rating keeps the film squarely in family-friendly territory. Given the limitations in place, Barbie is fairly radical.

I mean, the plot of Barbie is basically "Ken brings toxic masculinity to Barbie Land and must be stopped". Well, the first half of the plot is "Barbie realizes she is becoming less perfect, which means there is a rip in the space-time continuum and she must go to the real world to find and help the sad little girl who is making Barbie develop flat feet and cellulite". But once she and Ken go to the real world, Ken discovers horses and patriarchy and goes back to Barbie Land and nearly ruins the pink-hued gynocracy for everyone. So the second half of the movie is stopping Ken's takeover. I truly did not expect Ken to play such a big role in the movie and I am not mad about it because Ryan Gosling steals the show. Gosling rarely gets to show off his comedic chops, and he was great as the bleach-blonde, sensitive-but-misguided hunk. 

My main beef with Barbie is that the message of the film, which is actually two messages, is spoon-fed to the audience. The first thesis of the movie is that women are expected to be perfectly balanced in all things (pretty, but not too pretty; smart, but not too smart; confident, but not a bitch, etc). About 2/3 of the way through the movie, America Ferrara, playing a woman from the real world whom it turns out was the cause of Barbie's existential crisis, lays this thesis out in a big speech. For some people in the audience, this is probably the first time they've heard thoughts like these expressed. But for me, well, I was rolling my eyes (SORRY!!). It was just so clunky. But I guess in a world where a guy like Trump can be president, we need obvious feminism spoonfed to us. There's no room for subtlety and nuance in this irony-free hellscape we live in now.

The other message of the movie, which was more intriguing to me, is that maybe neither men NOR WOMEN should rule the world. Because all is not well in Barbie Land, where women can be astronauts, construction workers, mermaids, Nobel Prize winners, and the president...but Ken can only be Ken. I'm not going to lie--I got a lil choked up when Ken confronts Barbie about taking him for granted. Deep within a movie that screams feminist empowerment from the rooftops is the message than men also want to be considered full humans too. And toxic masculinity may look like it allows for men to be anything...but it actually is just another cage. Most guys I keep company with resent toxic masculinity as much as women do because it forces them to tamp down their true emotions, passions, and vulnerabilities. I was very happy to see that Barbie acknowledges this and doesn't turn Ken into a one-dimensional villain.

There's also a Ken dance-off (or "beach-off", if you prefer), which was awesome. 

If you think I'm being too critical of Barbie, don't worry, I did like the movie. Gerwig sneaks in a lot of weirdness, camp, and plain old funny jokes into the film. The acting is also great. I already mentioned Gosling, but Margot Robbie is perfect as "stereotypical Barbie". She brings warmth, humor, and vulnerability to the role. But Gosling and Robbie are nearly overshadowed by the many, many smaller parts and even cameos throughout the movie. Kate McKinnon does what she does best as Weird Barbie. Michael Cera plays timid, earnest Allan. Simu Liu plays Ken's arch-nemesis...Ken (there are many versions of Ken in the movie, all vying for the attention of various Barbies). Hell, even John Cena makes an appearance as Merman Ken. 

Overall, Barbie isn't perfect. But maybe that's the point. A friend of mine pointed out the similarities between Gerwig's task to create the perfectly balanced Barbie movie and the message of the film that women are expected to perfectly balance our lives and selves. So maybe I'm being a tad harsh when I say that the movie was good rather than great. Or maybe it's ok for some movies to just be good.

Grade: B+