A soon-to-be pop culture classic, ‘Barbie’ the film is all shades of pink and more. A hyperbole environment with an exaggerated fictious society filled with ‘Barbies’, it tackles a number of issues brewing in our non-fictious world. Directed by double Oscar Nominee Greta Gerwig, the screenplay hat is donned by her and her partner Noah Baumbach.
It is a chaotic, wittingly anarchic and surprisingly genuine understanding of existentialism, misogyny, extremities of matriarchy and patriarchy, the corporate and capitalist ladder, and on being human. You would expect the film to fight the problems in a typical manner and ‘win’ over them by providing so-called solutions that ensue in a short-lived happy life, but the humane take makes the story stand out.
The spot-on casting of the film allows us to believe the characters from the first scene. Margot Robbie is a living and breathing embodiment of Barbie visually, her acting skills giving us the stereotypically ‘perfect barbie’ with no ends left frayed.
The film is an example of the necessity to have an understanding between the storyteller (Gerwig) and performer (Robbie) if one wants to capture the essence of such creations. Ryan Gosling, on the other hand, steals the show with his borderline sarcastic overplay of the character Ken. The film boasts a fantastic cast of Kate Mckinnon, Will Ferrel, Simu Liu, Emma Mackey, Michael Cera holding together the charm of ‘Barbie’.
Movies like these are characterised by an aura, which is supported and created through visual imagery. The fantastically pink, plastic sets of Barbie were brought to life by Sarah Greenwood and Katie Spencer. The idea was to create a tactile world that is artifice yet present to be touched and felt. The theatrically accurate representation of Barbie’s Dreamhouse helped emphasize the world-building as well as a sense of nostalgia and wanting that is associated with Barbie’s legacy.
A helping hand in the visual imagery were the costumes, designed by Jacqueline Durran and her team while some outfits were archival Chanel. The costumes were appropriated with the Barbie custom of being fit and ready for each occasion. When on rollerblades, a leotard set, and when the beach arrives, change into swimsuits. Duly colour-schemed with inspirations from 1980s gymwear, beachwear and French Riveras, the costumes blended into the movie quite seamlessly, giving us a visual balance to avoid losing focus from the character.
The musical journey sets a retro-modern vibe throughout the movie. But what stands out is the powerful ballad of ‘I am Ken’, which includes a dance routine as well as a costume change. The soundtrack is curated by Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt, and the tracklist boasts a huge number of pop stars that include Lizzo, Dua Lipa, Billie Eilish, Nicki Minaj, etc.
The icing on the cake for commercial success was the marketing. It began with the announcement of the star cast, the standard poster cards published a year before its release that ram-rolled into a flurry of Instagram memes and expectations following the film’s progress. A fashion gala surrounded the film that followed, with the crowning of the colour pink and amazing looks served by the cast, especially Margot. The movie succeeded in turning itself into an event that would ensure it leaves a mark in your mind, whether you watch the film or not.
Clashing of dates with a Christopher Nolan masterpiece ‘Oppenheimer’ was a coincidence that helped both films garner a huge base audience due to rivalry between the fan following of Nolan and Barbie supporters.
This hot pink take on a cross-generational iconic toy is a film you would not want to miss.
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