Margot Robbie plays the iconic plastic doll that has been at the forefront of international children’s media: Barbie. Meanwhile, Ryan Gosling, well, he’s just Ken.
Barbie has broken box office records for being the highest grossing film directed by a woman and for being the highest grossing film ever produced by the Warner Brothers franchise, overtaking the well known Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 2. Director Greta Gerwig was able to accomplish this by creating a movie that no one could have imagined existing, much less be approved by Mattel.
The movie begins in Barbie Land, a place where Barbies rule and take on all roles—from Supreme Court justices to medical physicians. Barbies of all ethnic and racial backgrounds work together to keep their homes running smoothly and take care of the helpless Kens. On the flipside, the Kens typically inhabit Barbie Land’s beaches, which is where they perform their jobs and daily tasks, which typically consist of “beaching” and attempting to impress the Barbies.
It becomes apparent that this fictional Barbie Land is a dramatized opposite of our world, a true matriarchy. The women run things, while the men sit pretty and have lives that revolve solely around the attention of women.
As the movie progresses, Barbie begins to question her existence and has thoughts of death. She begins to feel out of place and seeks help from Weird Barbie (portrayed by Kate McKinnon), who has been ostracized from Barbie Land for her imperfect behaviors. Together they determine that Barbie must journey to the human world and find her owner in order to become perfect once again; Ken, of course, tags along. Once in the real world, they learn what life is like in a place dominated by men rather than women.
It’s in the real world where the two dolls learn about the concept of patriarchy; Barbie is appalled and confused by this new way of life, while Ken enjoys the idea of playing an important role in society based solely on his sex. Barbie and Ken eventually are split up, and Barbie begins to experience what life is like for women; she struggles to find a place where she can fit in and eventually finds her owner to set things right.
Her owner, however, is a teenage girl (played by Ariana Greenblatt) who is no longer interested in Barbies and the unattainable image they perpetuate. The child’s mother Gloria (played by America Fererra) is a receptionist at Mattel, the parent company of Barbie, which—to Barbie’s dismay—is run solely by men. Barbie and the mother join forces in order to get Barbie back home. Throughout their adventures, Barbie realizes that she’d rather be a person than a thing that projects perfection, so she eventually makes the difficult decision to leave her old life behind and become human.
Gerwig’s movie highlights the struggles of women in the modern world and the continuous fight for gender equality. America Ferrera’s character delivers a speech to the Barbies on the strife of womanhood in a world that constantly expects things that contradict themselves.
Gloria begins this monologue by saying, “It is literally impossible to be a woman.” She describes her roles in society and the expectations of her and other women before ending with the heartbreaking sentiment, “I’m just so tired of watching myself and every single other woman tie herself into knots so that people will like us. And if all of that is also true for a doll just representing women, then I don’t even know.”
Gerwig has slyly created a Barbie movie that not only critiques the world around us but also points out Mattel’s role in our patriarchal society. This unprecedented take on the doll franchise was celebrated by women and critics, but clearly not loved by all. Rotten Tomatoes gives Gerwig’s film a score of 88%, but Google users give the movie a mere three stars with an almost perfect split of five- and one-star reviews.
Despite the superficial critiques and lack of understanding from many audience members, Barbie has still managed to be a box office hit, proving that movies focusing on the experience of women really does pay off.
