Emotions in Barbieland

Johnson Thomas

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Greta Gerwig attempts to make ‘Barbie’ a symbol of feminist anarchy through ennobling thematic content and patriarchy-mocking humour. The film may not have achieved all it may have set out to do, but it still sits pretty in gorgeous pink and makes for a fairly enchanting picture.

Ruth Handler’s iconic toy created in the 1950s has come a long way since. There’s much more to her than just a glassy-looking, feature-perfect, slimline doll. Over the years, Mattel has added several more creations to Barbie’s world and they all mirror the real world by carrying labels of functions they represent minus the complications of sexual organs and human emotion.

Screenwriting couple Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach envision a real-world mash-up with Barbieland for their ambitious Warner Bros-Mattel tie-up. Gerwig envisions Barbie suffering an existential crisis that leads the latter to question her world and her existence. It’s a far-fetched idea but Gerwig has the audience captivated by that very overarching thought.

The Barbie girls in this Barbie world include Stereotypical Barbie (Margot Robbie), Doctor Barbie (Hari Nef), President Barbie (Issa Rae), Mermaid Barbie (Dua Lipa), Writer Barbie (Alexandra Shipp), Weird Barbie (Kate McKinnon), etc. Barbieland also has an endless supply of devoted Kens (led by Gosling) and a solitary Allan (Michael Cera).

Mattel’s Barbie exists in an idyllic dream world with labels for every woman’s aspirations. Gerwig’s Barbie is aspirational and suffers human weaknesses once it cracks through the portal separating the real from Barbieland. One day, when Barbie finds that her shoes no longer fit her flat feet, sees extra cellulose on her thighs, and has visions of death, she realises she must venture out of her comfort zone and into the real world to find out why she’s malfunctioning. And Ken is right there tagging along. Ken and Barbie take the voyage to reality where Will Ferrell is the CEO of Mattel and America Ferrera a designer of a potential new line of depressed, anxious Barbies.

The set, wardrobe designs, production values, and cinematography are all pink and brilliant — superbly matching the collective concept of a Barbie world. All the actors do well to keep us believing in this doll-world fantasy. While America Ferrera becomes the everywoman tool that Gerwig uses to deliver her feminist spiel, Helen Mirren makes an audio commentary to score a hit on casting choices. But the second half does tend to be a little heavy-handed in achieving thematic resonance. Even so, Gerwig’s creative risks pay off quite resoundingly.

Gerwig’s film goes where Mattel may never have ventured. The jokes, themes, and commentary give the Barbie brand new meaning. There’re witty dialogues to savour, broad humour on gender disparity, hard-hitting swipes at patriarchy, bold takeaways from conformity, and a fairly deep analysis of what Barbie has represented over time.

It’s clear from this film that the Barbie brand continues to evolve in ways that Ruth may never have imagined. The takeaway is definitely far more profound than what a plasticine doll can accord you.