Barbie (2023)
No, you can't make us hate Ryan Gosling.
Presentation:
Breaking free from Covid, this film crushed the boxed office for its pink spectacle known as the Barbieheimer event. Sets are vivid and bedazzled drawing from a unique color palette that only a Barbie themed film could support. There are many ostentatious films, but none are quite as dazzling and unapologetically flamboyant as the imagery in this one. Being a Barbie film, you should expect nothing less than a Bechdel Test promoting female empowerment. Although there are definitely some unnecessary offensive representations of men, it is actually relevant for the theme of this film. The problems is the script treats the commentary against male patriarchy with the same outdated humor of 2000s films like Freaky Friday or The Hot Chick, which ends up just not being funny for the most part. I’m talking about random screaming from Will Ferrell. This kind of explicit social commentary is tired and simply not appropriate for a film meant to immerse you in escapism fantasy. But there are a few moments of laughter due to Gosling’s sheer charm. The musical numbers are forgettable except for Billy Eilish’s song made for this popcorn flick.
Conclusion:
A polarizing and regrettably successful film, which was so boring and cliché that both Chili and I did not bother to finish the movie. The film tries hard to convince you how bad men are but I couldn't help myself being more drawn to the Kens as Ryan Gosling is simply too charismatic in this role. The Kens are naturally funny and the Barbies over-compensate their competence and seriousness, which ends up feeling insecure. Politics aside, the film tries to make you dislike men but I actually wanted to see more of the Kens screen time and less of the Barbies. The final message does somewhat have redeeming qualities. You either love this one or hate it, but it's a wonder how a film designed to be fun has such a negative outlook. I did watch this a second time while capturing the stills and there are some redemptive qualities at the end of Gerwig’s film, but I’m not sure it’s what modern feminists will ultimately take away from this movie.
Recommendations
No, you can't make us hate Ryan Gosling.