Review: Barbie – “A magical fever dream”

(L-r) Emma Mackey as Barbie, Ncuti Gatwa as Ken, Simu Liu as Ken, Margot Robbie as Barbie, Ryan Gosling as Ken and Kingley Ben-Adir as Ken in ‘Barbie.’

The trailers for Barbie – and everything that that bright and colourful marketing campaign brought to our attention – has only scratched the surface of what delights lie within Greta Gerwig’s latest cinematic offering. Barbie purports to be a fun, silly film about the toy character leaving Barbieland and going to the real world. And while it does do all those things, there is so much more besides. (And the magic kicks off immediately with a spectacularly funny and clever opener!)

Margot Robbie takes the lead as stereotypical Barbie, while her Ken (played to great comedic effect by Ryan Gosling) waits for her to notice him. Along for the ride are a plethora of other talents including Simu Liu, America Ferrera, Issa Rae, Kate McKinnon, Ncuti Gatwa and just too many Barbies and Kens to list. Every single one of them is clearly having the absolute time of their life and that childlike wonder radiates throughout the film.

The dialogue is razor-sharp thanks to pitch-perfect delivery from the assembled cast and a flawless script (co-written by Gerwig and Noah Baumbach) that is so deliciously witty and playful it will continue to delight on repeat viewings. It is a rare treat to see a film that you immediately want to rewatch but this is certainly that.

So whether you were a die-hard Barbie fan as a kid or not (*ahem* some of us were more Team Sindy), the way Barbie examines the way humans connect with our toys (and childhood!) is something we can all relate to in one way or another. The film is fun and silly and brings with it Barbie Dreamhouse-loads of joy. It is also incredibly thoughtful and moving, complete with existential dilemmas and a thoughtful examination of the patriarchy.

Within its 114-minute runtime, Barbie manages to be a magical fever dream that combines full-on belly laughs with real heart. It’s both hilarious and moving, silly and smart. Barbie offers up pure joy and will likely be many people’s go-to comfort film for many years to come. While it’s probably not for young viewers (several entendres are doubled!) Barbie is for anyone who needs a little brightness in their life . . . or for anyone who’s sick of a society that expects them to fit neatly into a box.

(NB: There are a plethora of delightful surprises and gags scattered throughout the film so it’s definitely worth going in knowing as little as possible!)