While watching Barbie in the cinema, i found myself fully immersed and encapsulated in its unique world. The first third of the film was flawless to me, perfectly introducing us to all of the different characters and setting the stage for the actual plot.
It smacks you in the face right away with the absurd nature of “Barbieland”, and it truly was mesmerizing.
Right off the bat, I’m not necessarily the target audience for this movie. So, at first I thought that there were certain aspects of the film that felt particularly anti-men, but after thinking on it, the final third of the film actually did a good job of showcasing that deep down Ken just wants what is best for Barbie.
There were moments in the third act that felt a little forced and unnecessary, but we did get some emotional moments from several of the characters that tied it all together. The themes of self-love and empowerment were well-explored in the final moments, bringing the film to a satisfying conclusion.
Margot Robbie, just like her role as Harley Quinn, truly transformed into the character. Time after time she has proved just how great of an actor she is, and it was no different here.
Alongside her, Ryan Gosling was perfect as Ken. To me, he stole a lot of the scenes that he was in and was responsible for a lot of laugh-out-loud moments. The side character that stuck out to me most was Michael Cera’s Alan. He’s really just standing around for most of the movie, but his presence is felt in a very humorous way.
All-around, the entire cast did a great job in their respective roles. I’m also not typically a fan of narration, but Helen Mirren killed it, delivering some of the funniest lines in the film.
Barbie is a constant barrage of humor. Yes, like I mentioned, there are several emotional moments towards the end, but it was really the comedy that made this a home run for me.
The constant barrage of jokes and pop-culture references not only had me laughing hysterically, but also the rest of the audience. I didn’t always love the direction that the story went in, but the humor made up for it a lot of the time. Because of that, the movie’s 114-minute runtime flew by.
In the end, Barbie is a blast at the cinema for anyone. Whether you think you’re the target audience or not — check it out!
There’s a great message at hand, and a lot of fun moments to be had. There were certainly some plot points that I didn’t relate with or enjoy entirely, but it still came together in the end.
If you haven’t seen Barbie, head out to your local theater now!
Rating: 8 out of 10
