Here we are Barbenheimer is upon us, the biggest event in cinema for a long, perhaps since Covid or at the very least since Spider-Man: No Way Home. The hype for these two polar opposite films due primarily to the incredible talent both behind and in front of the camera is just justified. Focusing on Barbie, Greta Gerwig has a fantastic track record with her previous two films being Little Women and Lady Bird which earned her 3 Oscar nominations to her name across a couple of categories, and deservedly so, a perfect person to direct a big film like this with an all star cast.
When Barbie starts to question her existence, among other strange things starting to happen in Barbieworld, she must visit the real world to find out what’s causing these problems, as Ken also tags along to try to win her over.
I went into the film with high expectations, I did see Oppenheimer earlier in the day (review coming soon) but word of mouth and the early reviews from my friends on Letterboxd were high. I have to say seeing both screenings be sold out is incredible to see and is the thing that got me the most excited, to witness a film with a full audience both going through these pieces of art together. However, the audience for Barbie wasn’t great. This film is not for little boys, they will not enjoy it and they certainly won’t sit still, constantly standing up, talking and wandering around the screen, unfortunately it did take me out of the film briefly at points and did have an impact on my enjoyment of the film.
I really enjoyed the first half of the film from the introduction to Barbieworld and then when they crossover to the real world, but the second half when they return to Barbieworld feels alot weaker and loses some of the impact that the film sets up and delivers really well in the first half, and I wish it had gone in a different direction in the end. It sets up some really powerful and meaningful moments that work really well, and then the end just loses itself. The writing from Greta Gerwig and her partner, and fellow writer/director, Noah Boambach is solid but I have higher expectations from them both. Not all the jokes land, there are a couple of really funny ones which I laughed out loud at but a lot didn’t.
The cast are fantastic, an all star cast that all deliver fantastic performances with the standout by a long way being Ryan Gosling as Ken, his delivery is absolutely perfect and commitment to the role is unmatched. If anyone gets an Oscar nomination from this film it would be him. Margot Robbie does a really good job leading this cast, in what is a difficult role and balancing the tone of this performance and getting the right level of being a doll is impressive and should be commended, a performance she will be remembered for. Also shout-out to Simu Liu, he is just one of my favourite actors and again delivers lines and commits to the role perfectly.
Overall, Barbie is a good time, doesn’t quite match the hype the film had but especially for watching with friends, I can see why a lot of people enjoyed it. Just to be on the next level, I need a film to have more jokes that land despite it being an incredibly well crafted film from second to none set design and costume design, with some fantastic casting and performances from an all star cast.
What did you think of Barbie?
Let me know what you though of Barbie in the comments, be sure to like and follow on social media to stay up to date with my latest reviews, particularly for Oppenheimer which should be out within the next couple of days.
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