Greta Gerwig’s irreverent take on the world\u2019s most famous doll really is a bonkers movie. <\/p>
By James Mottram\n \t\t<\/p>
Published: Wednesday, 19 July 2023 at 12:00 am<\/p>
Ever since those images of Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling<\/a> in luminous green and pink rollerblading gear dropped nearly a year ago, Barbie-fever has been escalating.<\/p>\n It\u2019s easy to see why. An irreverent take on the world\u2019s most famous doll \u2013 starring Robbie as Barbie and Gosling as her six-pack-perfect beau Ken \u2013 feels instantly appealing.<\/p>\n But is it just a one-joke outfit? Happily not. Director\/co-writer Greta Gerwig has conjured a delightful, barmy, pink-blush comedy-musical that looks destined to be this summer\u2019s must-see movie.<\/p>\n Narrated by Helen Mirren \u2013 who does plenty of fourth-wall-breaking, even referencing the casting of Robbie \u2013 the story begins in Barbieland. Robbie\u2019s Barbie lives in her Dream House \u2013 which, true to the Mattel-made toy, is open plan. Every day, she showers (in no water), sips imaginary tea and parties with her fellow Barbies.<\/p>\n As for Ken? \u201cKen only has a good day if Barbie looks at him,\u201d Mirren\u2019s narrator explains. He\u2019s also got all the other Kens to fend off, notably an athletic-looking iteration played by Simu Liu (of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings<\/a> fame).<\/p> Yet something isn\u2019t right in this plastic paradise. The permanent arches of Barbie\u2019s heels collapse, the first part of a meltdown\/malfunction. It seems someone in the real world has been causing this disruption.<\/p>\n After taking advice from \u201cWeird Barbie\u201d (Kate McKinnon), a doll who has been permanently scarred, Robbie\u2019s character must journey to Los Angeles and find the person causing this. But the moment she arrives, Barbie realises the truth: feminism does not rule the world like it does in Barbieland.<\/p>\n \u201cYou represent everything wrong with our culture,\u201d screams Sasha (Ariana Greenblatt), the aggressive teenager that Barbie soon meets, and it\u2019s here where the film gets interesting.<\/p>\n Gerwig and her co-writer\/real-life partner Noah Baumbach (Frances Ha) use this bubble-gum blockbuster to tackle issues surrounding Barbie \u2013 the doll that personified perfection and swayed a generation or more.<\/p>\n This might sound far too heavyweight for a summer movie, but Gerwig and Baumbach smuggle in those ideas so deftly, it never feels preachy.<\/p>\n Read more:<\/strong><\/p>\n One of the best ideas comes as Ken joins Barbie on her LA jaunt and discovers something he\u2019s never heard of before: the patriarchy. Not the brightest bulb, Ken believes it\u2019s something to do with men and horses, but he soon takes the idea back to Barbieland, creating his own \u201cKendom\u201d, as the Kens begin to assert their authority.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Barbie ventures to Mattel HQ \u2013 where Will Ferrell\u2019s CEO and his male-only board of \u2018yes men\u2019 are soon plotting to get her back in her box. Clearly, Gerwig and Baumbach are not afraid of biting the hand that feeds.<\/p>\n The comedy comes thick and fast, thanks to some tremendous performances. Ugly Betty star America Ferrera, as Sasha\u2019s mother, gives a really forceful turn, while Michael Cera is just as special as Allan, Ken\u2019s constantly ignored best friend (the real Allan doll was discontinued years ago).<\/p>\n Read more:<\/strong> Barbie soundtrack: Artists confirmed for Margot Robbie film<\/a><\/p>\n Homegrown comedy fans will also have a ball. Three Sex Education<\/a> alumni (Emma Mackey, Ncuti Gatwa and Connor Swindells) feature, alongside Derry Girls<\/a>\u2019 Nicola Coughlan. There\u2019s even a glorious cameo \u2013 too good to spoil here \u2013 from one of our best-loved comic stars.<\/p>\n Amid the stunning pink-hued design (Barbieland really does look sensational), Barbie feels like being thrown into a child\u2019s imagination. The way the characters travel to LA, for example \u2013 crossing oceans, forests and even space \u2013 is particularly charming.<\/p>\n And to top it all, the film is chock full of musical numbers. With Mark Ronson co-writing, the song I\u2019m Just Ken, sung by the scene-stealing Gosling, is a stand-out, amid tunes from Dua Lipa, Lizzo and more.<\/p>\n It really is a bonkers movie, a toy box that stands proud in the Hollywood playroom.<\/p>\n Barbie is in cinemas from Friday 21st July. <\/strong>Visit our\u00a0Film<\/a>\u00a0hub for more news and features or find something to watch tonight with<\/strong>\u00a0our\u00a0<\/strong>TV Guide<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Streaming Guide<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n Try Radio Times magazine today and get 12 issues for only \u00a31 with delivery to your home \u2013\u00a0<\/strong>subscribe now<\/strong><\/a>. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to\u00a0<\/strong>The Radio Times Podcast<\/strong><\/a>.<\/strong><\/p> <\/body><\/html>\n Greta Gerwig’s irreverent take on the world\u2019s most famous doll really is a bonkers movie. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":34953,"template":"","categories":[1],"acf":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2023\/07\/barbie-review-a-delightful-barmy-pink-blush-comedy.jpg",1920,1281,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2023\/07\/barbie-review-a-delightful-barmy-pink-blush-comedy-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2023\/07\/barbie-review-a-delightful-barmy-pink-blush-comedy-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2023\/07\/barbie-review-a-delightful-barmy-pink-blush-comedy-768x512.jpg",768,512,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2023\/07\/barbie-review-a-delightful-barmy-pink-blush-comedy-1024x683.jpg",800,534,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2023\/07\/barbie-review-a-delightful-barmy-pink-blush-comedy-1536x1025.jpg",1536,1025,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2023\/07\/barbie-review-a-delightful-barmy-pink-blush-comedy.jpg",1920,1281,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Greta Gerwig's irreverent take on the world\u2019s most famous doll really is a bonkers movie.","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/34952"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/34953"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34952"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34952"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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