Barbie Review: “Funny, cynical and amazingly self-aware”

Written by Andrew Tripp

Let’s just get something out of the way immediately: this film is literally called ‘Barbie’. It’s funny, cynical, amazingly self-aware, and absolutely not to be taken too seriously.

Thanks to a remarkably successful marketing campaign, Barbie ended up becoming Warner Bros’ highest-grossing film ever. As of 4^th September, Barbie made $1.43 billion- enough to buy about 35 million Barbie dolls. The success even prompted Mattel to start looking at other toy-related films. Personally, I’m absolutely psyched for the Hot Wheels movie coming in 2025.

While Barbie isn’t the greatest film ever made, it’s definitely better than I (and a lot of people) thought it would be. With some great lines and surprisingly good acting, the pink-obsessed flick managed to make me laugh more than any other film this year.

The set and costume design were on point. Even those with no affiliation to Barbies could appreciate the attention to detail. Everything actually looked true to life – in this case, plastic. The music was fun, the main set pieces were entertaining as hell, and overall I just had a good time watching it.

The cast was fantastic, too. Margot Robbie (Producer and starring Barbie) was amazing. Likewise, Ryan Gosling was the perfect Ken. The other performances were great (big fan of Will Ferrel and Michael Cera), but I feel like I’m in the majority saying that Gosling stole every single scene he was in.

However, the film is not flawless. Arguably, the plot is messy with around five different simultaneous strands and only one of them has a satisfying resolution. The parent-child relationship received too fleeting screen time to prompt an emotional investment from the audience. It’s a film that tackles too much, ending up with underdeveloped scenes and characters.

It’s important to address the elephant in the room – the backlash for its ‘anti-men’ approach – something I personally feel has been overly exaggerated. It screams feminism, that’s the point. While there are some undeniably contentious parts, I don’t think that equates to full-blown prejudice. Rather, by focusing on ridiculing specifically patriarchy and toxic masculinity instead. Look at Ryan Gosling’s Ken; he thought he’d find meaning in patriarchy but felt more lost and confused. Besides, the women aren’t exactly presented as perfect either. At one point, the Barbies turn into the same docile attention-seekers the Kens were at the start of the film.

It screams feminism, that’s the point… focusing on ridiculing specifically patriarchy and toxic masculinity

I think Barbie is far more cynical than simply “women are great, men suck”. I strongly believe the key message is that both patriarchy and matriarchy are flawed systems. Instead, it aims to critique the marginalisation of demographics in society.

Either way, the approaches to gender equality isn’t a flaw as a film – most of it’s intentionally OTT to be played for laughs. I understand how some people, both men and women, can be offended by certain parts. But it’s a truth established many times that if you try to please everyone, you please no one. With this type of film, criticism is inevitable.

Is it a brilliant film? No. Would I recommend watching it? Heck yeah. While somewhat falling short at nuance, Barbie succeeds at being a bold, funny, and unique film that entertains you from start to finish.

And hey, if you didn’t like it, there’s still hope for the Hot Wheels movie.