(Barbie, 2023), written and directed by Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach, is one of the most successful films of the year. Mattel, the company that produces Barbie dolls, co-produced the film and launched a major publicity campaign for it. As a result, sales of Barbie dolls increased significantly.
The film begins with Barbie (played by Margot Robbie) waking up to meet the other Barbie dolls, who form the main element of Barbie Land. They occupy the most important career roles, including those of president, doctor, and judge. Then comes Ken (played by Ryan Gosling), a secondary doll made by Mattel whose only visible function seems to be standing next to Barbie.
In Barbie Land, “Every day is the best day ever, and every night is girls’ night.” This is Barbie’s world, and she is at the center of it; Ken, on the other hand, is only happy when she looks at him or talks to him.
Barbie’s world begins to gradually change when she finds herself contemplating death and suffering from the appearance of cellulite. She goes to consult “Weird Barbie,” played by Kate McKinnon, who informs her that the girl playing with her doll in the human world must be going through some problems and that she must go and help her in order to regain her normal, perfect life. Barbie embarks on a journey to the real world, accompanied by Ken, in search of the girl.
In the Human World
Barbie enters the human world carrying the flawed belief that she has helped women become anything they want and that women now rule the earth just as they do in her world. She is surprised to find that the situation on the ground is reversed and that men control most things, making the big decisions. However, she pushes past this and focuses on finding the girl who has been playing with her doll. Ken, on the other hand, feels respected and fascinated upon discovering the importance of men in this world; with this newfound respect and curiosity, he sets out to learn about the principles of patriarchy.
Initially, Barbie believes she has come to help a teenage girl. However, she discovers, in one of the film’s sweetest scenes, that the person who has been playing with her doll is actually the girl’s mother, played by America Ferrera. The film does not dive deeply into the mother’s problems or personality. She works at Mattel and does not suffer from domestic abuse, but her relationship with her daughter is strained. We are not given a reason for this, though the daughter has become a rebellious and angry teenager who treats her mother with contempt.
The mother is amazed by Barbie’s presence in the real world. When Mattel’s CEO, played by Will Ferrell - who appears as a very cartoonish character- tries to return the doll to her box, the mother saves her and travels with her to Barbie Land. There, a surprise awaits: Ken has transformed her world into a kingdom ruled by men and served by women, including “President Barbie,” thanks to everything he learned from the patriarchal real world.
From here on, chaos reigns in the film, and it devolves into a silly, childish skirmish over the war between men and women, and between men themselves, as they never seem to see eye to eye. Beyond the implausibility of Ken- a doll who has spent his entire life in Barbie’s shadow- being able to study and apply patriarchy and take over Barbie Land after brainwashing all the women in a single day, the feminist discourse the film adopts is very outdated. It does not correspond to the current situation of women, specifically in the United States. The film also overlooks the fact that the psychological heaviness felt by the mother is often a result of the lifestyle imposed by a capitalist system that exploits both men and women.
An Existential Crisis
Barbie is frustrated by the events that unfold and feels that her life has become meaningless. A doll grappling with an existential crisis is an interesting premise, but this crisis lasts no more than about a minute. As soon as the mother delivers a dry, soulless speech- one that does not address her own personal problems yet goes on for more than two minutes about the difficulties women face- Barbie’s crisis evaporates. The brainwashing effect that Ken had on one of the dolls who overheard the speech is, equally, magically undone.
The film excels in its use of songs and musical sequences, which succeed in expressing the characters’ emotions. Its problem, however, is that it begins as a light adventure film packed with comedic moments - and is very enjoyable in its first half - before attempting to burden the doll with ideas that have nothing to do with her. As a result, it addresses women’s issues superficially, through direct and outdated speeches. After all, people no longer think that Barbie should define the standard of beauty.
Barbie’s apology to Ken may be one of the best scenes in the film’s second half. In it, Barbie acknowledges the cruelty of her constant disregard for him and his feelings- a moment of genuine emotion. Following her journey, she encourages Ken to find himself outside of her existence and independent of her.
Barbie’s home and world are presented dazzlingly and colorfully, dominated by the pink for which the doll is famous. Production designer Sarah Greenwood and cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto successfully made Barbie’s world look like a beautiful, utopian dream.
Margot Robbie’s performance was highly convincing, both in the opening act, where she played the traditional Barbie doll, and upon arriving in the real world, where she began to experience emotions she had never known before. And, of course, Ryan Gosling gave the best performance in the film, whether the scene called for comedy, drama, or music.
However, if we really think about it, Mattel was the biggest winner - both in the film and in reality.