?! A review of Barbie; a 2023 film by Greta Gerwig.
"And the best thing you ever done for me
Is to help me take my life less seriously
It's only life after all," Closer to Fine- The Indigo Girls., 1989.
I wanted to start with this quote from a song that reoccurs throughout the film particularly in the bonding between Barbie (Margot Robbie) and America Ferrera's character, Gloria. Although we are first introduced to it when Barbie leaves Barbie land almost as if it is part of the magical process of moving between worlds. I have known and loved this song since maybe 1994 when I was introduced to the band by my first serious girlfriend in Uni. I have not actually checked but I am hoping this song blows up for the Indigo Girls, how Kate Bush's Running up that Hill did, after being re-unearthed by Stranger Things.* Later in the late 90s I would ride a massive Suzuki GS1100GK with a stereo that had Indigo Girls blasting out much to the chagrin of other bikers and car drivers alike who'd turn their heads and see a bearded dark skinned biker on a big black bike. Not at all what one would expect to see.
I digress, but this is one element that endears this film to me very personally and I have been saddened that of the twenty or so people I have watched the film with over the course of five viewings; not a single one knew that song! ☹
As much as possible I will avoid spoilers and as such; I am appalled that Amazon Prime are using America Ferrera's monologue as their trailer for the film to encourage people to subscribe to Prime and Pay Per View the film there. Perhaps they are catering to people who want to watch the film again rather than new viewers? Still no need to spoiler it in my opinion. If you have not seen the film avoid that advertisement!
So back to the quote, "And the best thing you ever done for me
Is to help me take my life less seriously. It's only life after all," I think this film is really designed to not be taken too seriously, but interestingly like any good work of Art this film polarizes and has as many different reactions as there are people who see it! I had one friend describe it as a Zombie apocalyptic snuff film and through her analysis it did indeed seem to be justified as such. I read a review by a father who was thrilled to see it with his daughter as it opened up so many possibilities for her. I describe it as a fun romp with a basic introduction to Feminist politics thrown in. I am going to attempt to explain some of the things that I think lead various parties to hate the film though: I do not agree with any of these myself but can see how they could be conclusions drawn from this film…
1. Not for Men. Men who say: "I don't identify with Ken and don't think he should be reliant solely on Barbie for his existence".
2. Not for Mothers. Barbie from the opening scene is disrespectful and downplays the importance of motherhood.
3. Gender questioning… Barbie messes with gender roles and I don't like it!
4. Queer. The film is Queer washing.
1. Not for Men.? I think this is a wonderful reflection on Hollywood and particularly the roles of women in Hollywood in the early years (or perhaps even decades). Women were essentially props to men who had grittier and more interesting roles. My belief is that this is one reason why Ken was presented in this way. Also, Barbie was the real product and Ken was brought in as her companion so in some ways he literally was nothing without Barbie in his original release. It is a testament to Ryan Gosling's humour and professionalism that he pulled off such a potentially uninteresting character with so much nuance and playfulness.
I have often had female and queer friends complain about the characters in films not representing them to which I say "Go out there and write and make your own films that DO represent you!" This is what Greta Gerwig has done with this film. Men can learn what it feels like to not be the main character in a film for a change. Also men need to learn to laugh at themselves there really are some true stereotypes in the Barbies' plan ¾ of the way through the film; that are portrayed hilariously.
Look ; I was a big fan of Gerwig's film Ladybird and as an Actor so I was always going to see this film. What really accelerated me getting to cinema however was when I learned that Ben Shapiro had spent more time burning Barbies and complaining about the film than the entire run time of the film. Indeed he may well have sent a good number of people to the Box Office by his antics!
Ken is not denied a narrative however, he ends up with a denouement of his own; showing how inclusive this film really is. Also, there's Alan. To make a character out of a doll that was the best friend of a doll (Ken) who was a companion to Barbie!? What a fascinating writing decision and how beautifully it played out. Alan does his own thing but also cares deeply for Ken and Barbie. He is like that friend who will always be there for you. Alan also shows us that men can support women without mansplaining them.
2. Not for Mothers? It could certainly be taken this way but I do not think that is the intent of the film, especially as there are really two leads in this film: Gloria and Sterotypical Barbie; with the former being a Mother. "I'm the Son of a Mother; I'm the Mother of a Son", Mattell CEO; (Will Ferrell). The CEO is saying how much Mattell loves motherhood and mothers; but like much of what this character says it often does not make sense and his minions all laugh and agree anyway…
I think the Narrator (Helen Mirren) sums it up in the first few minutes when she says, "Motherhood isn't always fun. Go ask your mother". It's necessary it's important and can be fun and rewarding; but people don't need a toy encouraging them to be parents. Pair bonding will do that all on it's own in my opinion. Barbie was about possibilities with one of them being motherhood; but also Motherhood does not preclude the others either! In some ways this film celebrates all manner of works of women; including motherhood. Ariana Greenblatt's Sasha ends up celebrating her mother, "for being weird and crazy and all the things [she] pretends to not be".
3. Gender role questioning… it's 2023. People can really do whatever they want including maintaining mainstream traditional gender roles; but many do not and it's time to work on a way forward rather than trying to return to the 1920s or 1950s. We can work this out together. There is more than one way for people to live.
4. Queer. This film is very inclusive; truly inclusive. I saw the film with quite a few women (over 4 out of the 5 screenings I watched) who were challenged by the idea of Barbie, or were teased by girls who played with Barbies. This film takes Barbie somewhere where her creator, Ruth Handler (Rhea Perlman), "always hoped you would surprise me". To be honest I wish we would move on from this issue. How people identify and wish to be named and feel happy as a she, he, they, it etcetera is of no harm to straight people. I do not even understand why there is a perceived threat. We happily celebrate Elton John, Ricky Martin, The Indigo Girls, Freddie Mercury simply for who they are. Why can we not celebrate others for who they feel they need to be.
I agree with Greta Gerwig's sentiment: "It was always about looking for the levity and the heart," have a laugh at yourself and see the Barbie movie. Make your own conclusions, have your own discussions, write your own review. Alternatively, see it in a few years when you will realise it earned the hype. You'll wonder why you didn't just go see it before as really there was no reason to be a hater. And you can speak vehemently the word "Sublime!" like I did when I *found out that an Indigo Girls documentary premiered this year, so they are bound to get some recognition for that too! :D
Nim Jayawardhana 18 September, 2023.
