Barbie is happy by default, but Ken is only happy when Barbie acknowledges him. For Ken, though, it’s never been that simple. At the film’s outset, Barbie has it all, and Robbie sells Barbieland’s bland, uncomplicated happiness with a frozen-but-satisfied smile. Her real-world owner is inadvertently causing her to think about death, get actual cellulite on her thighs, and even develop articulated ankles that experience all-too-real pain when she stuffs her feet into stiletto heels.īut even before the wall between Barbieland and Reality starts breaking down, it’s all too clear that this is Ken’s movie. She’s forced to trek into the harsh world of Reality only because somewhere, someone is playing with her while experiencing such intense existential angst that their emotions are reaching Barbieland and drilling into Barbie’s psyche. Stereotypical Barbie has no reason to leave this beautiful feminine realm. Every pink-washed DreamHouse mansion in Barbieland is owned by a woman who makes her own money and spends her free time indulging in “girls’ nights” where everybody shares a glorious communal wardrobe. And every Nobel Prize winner in history is - you guessed it - a Barbie. The president is a Barbie (played by Issa Rae, in a pink silk “President” sash). It’s a world ruled by Barbies, and unashamed of traditional feminine tropes. She lives in Barbieland, a fantasy realm conjured by Mattel that’s powered by the imaginations of kids who play with Barbie dolls. Margot Robbie is no slouch as what the movie calls “Stereotypical Barbie” - the blond bombshell that kids in Mattel focus groups point to when presented with diverse Barbie dolls and asked, “Which one is Barbie?” Stereotypical Barbie starts the movie as a confident woman who knows exactly who she is, and doesn’t ever want anything to change. I did not expect Barbie to be a movie about Ken - and more importantly, a movie Ryan Gosling steals with such glorious aplomb that I can’t even be that mad at him for it.ĭon’t get me wrong. I figured it’d be a little funny, a little deep, maybe a little too basic, but hopefully smarter than The Lego Movie. Even knowing this movie would have to wrestle with Mattel’s involvement and control over the massive Barbie brand, I knew director Greta Gerwig and co-writer Noah Baumbach would find their own way to unpack and analyze modern standards of femininity and feminist thought. I spent my drive to the movie thinking back on my love of Margot Robbie in Birds of Prey and I, Tonya, as well as my admiration for Greta Gerwig’s body of work, from Frances Ha to Little Women. Heading into the press screening for Barbie, I regressed back into the beautiful, childlike misconceptions of my toy collection. If you want curated lists of our favorite media, check out What to Play and What to Watch. When we award the Polygon Recommends badge, it’s because we believe the recipient is uniquely thought-provoking, entertaining, inventive, or fun - and worth fitting into your schedule. Polygon Recommends is our way of endorsing our favorite games, movies, TV shows, comics, tabletop books, and entertainment experiences.
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