Since 1959, the Barbie brand has been the pioneer in dolls, doll fashion, accessories, playsets, and more. Created by the late Ruth Handler during her time as president for Mattel, she named the now famous doll after her daughter, Barbara, and later, the male doll after her son, Ken. For more than 60 years, Barbie in her many forms has been a pop culture icon, also appearing in various other media including books, video games, TV shows, and several straight-to-video movies.

In 2023, Barbie finally makes her long-awaited big screen debut in Barbie, now showing in cinemas worldwide, directed by Greta Gerwig, and starring Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, America Ferrera, and Will Ferrel, just to name a few.

The film begins with Margot Robbie as the titular Barbie in her very first outfit, and a short history lesson filled with glitz and glamour on the doll’s quick rise to fame and evolution over the decades. In Barbie World, everyone seemingly has the perfect life in their perfect homes within a perfect community. Every Barbie, every Ken, and the one Allan lives like every day is the best day ever, but even where life is plastic, not everything is fantastic. On one of these best days ever, Barbie starts to experience some changes in herself, causing her and the other Barbies to panic.

After learning about an entire world outside of their own where little girls play with dolls representing them, Barbie, along with stowaway Ken who’s fighting for her affection, enters the mysterious place known as the Real World. Overwhelmed and incredibly out of touch with their new surroundings in Los Angeles, Barbie and Ken set out to find the girl who played with them as dolls and find out why things are changing, but Ken becomes fascinated with how men are more dominant and wants to learn more. Something that could drastically change everything in Barbie World, for better, or for worse.

The Barbie movie truly lives up to its title, representing over 60 years’ worth of Barbie designs to include diverse backgrounds, various job roles, and hobbies that always evolved to keep up with the times. All that, along with the set pieces, helps to create what you’d expect to see in Barbie World. The houses, furniture, cars, and other props are accurate recreations of their toy counterparts, and all the outfits stay true to the many fashion trends Barbie has had over the many years she’s been around.

Everything is bright and colourful, and filled with glitz and glamour. It feels like seeing the world from the perspective of the dolls themselves. The way everyone acts and behaves in Barbie World is representative of how kids play with them, acting out scenarios or even just performing mundane tasks. Adults watching will likely be hit with nostalgia, reliving their childhood memories and remembering the stories they created with their favourite dolls. All that quickly changes when Barbie and Ken arrive in Los Angeles, a stark contrast to where they’re from.

The film features an ensemble cast that includes Kate McKinnon, Issa Rae, Alexandra Shipp, Emma Mackey, Harry Nef, and more as various iterations of Barbie, while Simu Liu, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Scott Evans, Ncuti Gatwa, and more portray various forms of Ken. Michael Cera stars as the one and only Allan, Will Ferrell is the CEO of Mattel, Rhea Perlman appears as Ruth Handler, plus, pop sensation Dua Lipa who also performs the main soundtrack makes an appearance, and a cameo by a certain WWE legend can be seen (or not seen) as well. They all have their memorable and hilarious moments throughout the film and their chemistry on screen together is the icing on the cake.

America Ferrera and Ariana Greenblatt portray mother and daughter, Gloria and Sasha respectively. Gloria works at Mattel and has fond memories of playing Barbie with Sasha, who’s currently in her rebellious teenage phase and feels Barbie represents everything wrong with female stereotypes.

The film does a great job illustrating their strained relationship and what Barbie meant to them, but their story felt it was rushed without much development, as if the movie forgot about them and just finishes off their story last minute. Even an extra 5 minutes would’ve added so much to seeing how their mother-daughter relationship developed throughout the film.

The standout performances no doubt go to Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling. They learn very quickly that the Real World isn’t at all what they thought it would be. Barbie has her feelings hurt by teenagers and feels violated by the actions of typical men, while Ken for the first time sees men as the dominant species and how revered they are, and hopes to bring that influence back to Barbie World. They both exaggerate natural human emotions, hilariously poking fun at the insecurities we all experience, especially with men through the eyes of Ken.

Ryan is best known for his romance roles, most notably in The Notebook. His portrayal of Ken, in a way, is a parody of all his romantic characters, exaggerating the attractive blonde male stereotype with all his mannerisms. Everything from the way he looks at things, stands, and holds items, all while making sure Barbie is looking at him is done so meticulously. He is so full of himself and the biggest Prima Donna in the film, it creates some of the most memorable and hilarious moments.

Margot, as Barbie, represents the ideal woman that young girls aspire to be, but she also isn’t afraid to highlight that not everything is sunshine and rainbows. She absolutely lights up the screen not just because of her bright, colourful, and sparkly outfits, but her positive outlook on everything, even when she’s at her worst. Experiencing a world ruled by arrogant men and teenage girls with negative opinions on everything really helps open her eyes and see things from a whole new perspective, while trying to learn what her purpose is in either world. Both Barbie and Ken show plenty of character development in very different ways.

Every song heard throughout the film not only fits the mood but also carries the story with their lyrics, most specifically, “Push” by Matchbox 20. “Dance the Night” by Dua Lipa, who also cameos in the movie, is an original song and the main soundtrack, perfect for the opening dance scene after the introduction, and will no doubt be another smash hit for the pop sensation.

Other songs by Billie Eilish, Lizzo, Sam Smith, Charlie XCX, and more are also featured, but fans expecting to hear “Barbie Girl” by Aqua might be a little disappointed. It’s included, but it’s a remix with Nicki Minaj and Ice Spice. Whether the new version titled “Barbie World” is good or bad, it just isn’t the original classic, which couldn’t be used due to licensing issues.

Instead of being a movie about a standalone adventure with Barbie in the leading role, it’s about what Barbie meant to everyone who had the pleasure of playing with them as kids and what she means today. Most movie adaptations of famous toy brands usually end up being generic, underwhelming, and nothing more than a cash grab, but Barbie goes above and beyond, exceeding all expectations.

It’s one of the funniest movies of the year, and it isn’t afraid to poke fun at itself or Mattel’s shortcomings, with a star-studded cast who look like they were having the time of their lives while exploiting their own insecurities. It’s a love letter to Barbie’s rich history and to everyone who played with them as kids. 2023 is a packed year for blockbuster movies, but Barbie will no doubt stand out from the rest and is an absolute must be seen to be believed.

Written by: Sammy Hanson