Barbie

Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach bring their film making skills to the world of Barbie. Margot Robbie is stereotypical Barbie. Living her best life everyday in her Barbie world while brushing off the attentions of Ryan Gosling’s Ken. But when Barbie’s world starts to change she visits “weird Barbie” (Kate McKinnon), who sends her to the real world to put things right. Here she finds Sasha (Ariana Greenblatt) and her mum Gloria (America Ferrara) and their strained relationship. Barbie and Ken find the real world to be very different from what they expected. But when that experience impacts Barbieland, Barbie needs a plan, the other Barbie’s, Gloria and Sasha to put it right.

Greta Gerwig is an extremely clever film maker. She shows just how clever here by taking a plastic doll and turning into a smart, humorous and emotionally engaging story about growing up and finding out how to deal with a world that wasn’t what you expected.

The real genius of the film was how it crept up on me. Halfway through I wasn’t sure what to make of it, but by the end I was completely enraptured by the pink world of Barbie, knowing it to be truly fantastic!

There’s much to enjoy. There’s long out of production Barbie’s and Ken’s, Barbieland, Barbie and Ken’s outfit choices in the real world and his discovery of the patriarchy. The comparison of the FBI and Mattel offices. All with cine literate storytelling, joyful performances and fantastic song and dance routines!

It’s all you expect, the world of Barbie is pink and pretty and the real world the opposite. But it’s also lots you don’t expect. It’s heartfelt, touching and incredibly smart. It’s about not just girl power, but a message for us all in growing up and finding our way. All wrapped in a dazzly pink bow.

Barbie is all you expect and lots you don’t. It’s Greta Gerwig at her best. A smart, funny, emotionally engaging, brilliant bit of story telling. It will have you laugh and cry and in Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling you have two pitch perfect leads. It’s not plastic but it’s certainly fantastic.