Barbie (2023)

[Cap]

I think it’s cause I hang out here too much, but “Tell Them You Haven’t Seen The Godfather” almost had me out of my seat laughing. 

 

 

[Krissykins]

Aqua’s Barbie song technically is used. The end credit song they’re credited as the feature for the sample on the Nicki Minaj song.

 

Think that’s all Aqua have agreed to. Them and Mattel had a very ugly legal battle at the time of the songs release, as they didn’t have permission to use Barbie in the first place. 

[grim22]

Really liked it. Thought that the ending dragged just a little bit, the entire Ruth thing went on a bit longer than it would have been effective for. There were some really good pieces of dialogue in the movie, it's really smartly written.

 

Really need Gosling performing Just Ken at the Oscars for sure. Michael Cera as Allan was great along with his quip about all of N'Sync being Allans who escaped, including that one.

[grim22]

 

 

[Mr Roark]

Ken discovering the real world is male driven was pure gold.

[vale9001]

The applause 😨

 

super spoiler scene. 

 

 

Spoiler

 

 

Edited July 23, 2023 by vale9001

[filmlover]

After over a year of memes and anticipation, Greta Gerwig's Barbie has finally arrived, and I am thrilled to report that it lives up to the hype. Gerwig, alongside Noah Baumbach, has penned a lovely, heartfelt screenplay that tackles themes related to identity and feminism without ever once patronizing the audience while also providing plenty of the laughs the marketing has been promising (the dig at the Snyder cut and that Helen Mirren narration line almost sent me into another universe). It's a movie that should highly satisfy everyone of all ages and backgrounds and genders (except for cry baby, attention-seeking, "anti-woke" conservatives who are a lost cause that wouldn't know what fun is even if it hit them).

 

And this also has to be a frontrunner for several tech Oscars, as Barbie Land is a magical dream of both production and costume design full of pretty colors. It really does look and feel like an actual Barbie play set come to life. I wish it could become a real theme park attraction.

 

This really is the role Margot Robbie was born to play. She's the glue that holds the movie together even during the moments when it doesn't completely fire on all cylinders, delivering a wonderful performance that allows Stereotypical Barbie's journey to become something more to play out in a believable manner. Almost on her level is an uproarious turn from Ryan Gosling. This isn't his first time tackling comedic roles, but Gosling becomes such a hoot that he nearly threatens to walk away with the entire movie. Oh what I would pay to see him performing "I'm Just Ken" alongside all the other Kens at the Oscars early next year. The rest of the talented cast is strong across the board, including amusing turns from Kate McKinnon and Michael Cera along with America Ferrera absolutely killing it with a big monologue that had my sold out audience of 200-something people applauding.

 

I was reminded of a mix between The Lego Movie and The Muppets 2011: an intoxicatingly happy experience that's also thematically richer than what one would expect from a giant toy commercial and also serves as an effective love letter to both Barbie as a character and to women in general. It isn't a total home run for me (the stuff with Will Ferrell/Mattel isn't nearly as biting as it could've been), but it's proof that shameless brand marketing can be more than an excuse to sell stuff (looking at you, The Super Mario Bros. Movie) while cementing Gerwig, following three terrific movies behind the camera, as a filmmaker you can always count on.

 

A-

[Hildagarde25]

Loved the costumes, set design, and music. I could live in Barbieland and want many of Robbie's outfits. The P&P reference hits too close. I'm just Ken is on repeat with Dance the night and Pink. Appreciated incorporation of the discontinued dolls, the nods to HSM, Snyder's JL, The Godfather, and Ann Roth's cameo. I had to look up Matchbox 20, but I think got most stuff. As someone born and raised in SoCal who adores pink, I love having an unabashed girly movie where we can celebrate the clothes and color.  

 

Mixed feelings about the story. The first part of the movie in Barbieland is great. I loved seeing Barbie malfunction. I was initially excited when they went to the real world. Ken's discovery of patriarchy was hilarious, but the mom-daughter relationship and the Mattel portions were meh. We already have Barbieland. I feel like the real world should have been more... real. I'm not sure the daughter character was necessary. She either needed to be more or less developed. Right now it felt as if she existed to make critiques about Barbie yet come around in the end, but none of it's done in any meangingful way (which is fine - it's a Barbie movie, which is why I don't know if it it was needed at all). I think Ferrera could have worked on her own, w/o the daughter, leaving more space for her and Barbie to connect and develop.     

 

I'm also not sure how I feel that Ken kind of upstages Barbie in the second half of the movie. I love the message that both need to find identities separate from each other and be their own persons without pressure of traditional gender expectations either way, but what's it say that Ken is the most memorable character in a Barbie movie? Margot Robbie is great for sure, but it's Ken who gets the iconic showtune. 

 

I think the movie tried to walk a fine line with what it wanted to be, but and it didn't always succeed in its balancing act. It is subversive in many ways, but it's also not subversive in may other ways. 

 

America Ferrera gets the speech about being a woman. It's so true that I cheered with everyone else when she made it. However, the more I think about it, the speech existed to make us cheer (and because it's true) rather than being organic and necessary to that moment in the story. The movie wanted to include many things--important things--and decided to include them whether they fit and/or were developed properly. 

 

If this had been written soley by Gerwig, I wonder what Barbie would have been like. 

 

Anyway, feels like I'm being too negative. Barbie was funny, had a lot heart, and it was pink! It's just... of the two, I never thought I would have preferred Oppenheimer, especially when I'm the target demo for Barbie and was basically tailored-made to adore this. 

 

 

[Valonqar]

Ken's Mojo Dojo Casa House 

Edited July 23, 2023 by Valonqar

[filmlover]

It's too bad that Gerwig is already set to make those Narnia movies for Netflix next because it would be amazing to see her tackle a full-on movie musical based on the music sequences in this. 

[vale9001]

Just now, filmlover said:

It's too bad that Gerwig is already set to make those Narnia movies for Netflix next because it would be amazing to see her tackle a full-on movie musical based on the music sequences in this. 

 

the directing in the dancing sequence is really top tier. Incredible. 

[Valonqar]

18 minutes ago, filmlover said:

It's too bad that Gerwig is already set to make those Narnia movies for Netflix next because it would be amazing to see her tackle a full-on movie musical based on the music sequences in this. 

 

Ken spin-off will have them for sure and who's to say she'll make Narnia before Ken? Directors sign up for movies that they make 5 years or more later.

[The GOAT]

No Oppenheimr spoiler thread? 

[filmlover]

2 minutes ago, The GOAT said:

No Oppenheimr spoiler thread? 

Its RTM thread is also moved to the main page for this opening weekend.

[Valonqar]

9 minutes ago, The GOAT said:

No Oppenheimr spoiler thread? 

 

the bomb didn't go off. 

[JustLurking]

I was really into it. Gosling as Ken had me cracking almost the whole film and just in general I had a great time. Some minor complaints in that the pacing was a bit messy at times (felt like it was overedited to try and keep the runtime down at some points), the kid character and it got a bit too heavy-handed at times.

 

But overall I had a really great time with it. It's between an 8 and an 8.5 for me. No idea how that would translate into those letter scores, do that part yourself I guess.

[MattW]

I agree with the sentiment that ken stole the show. 

 

Box office is great, that's the real takeaway here.

[grim22]

On 7/23/2023 at 2:44 PM, Mr Roark said:

Ken discovering the real world is male driven was pure gold.

For sometime he thought it was horses.

[Darth Lehnsherr]

I may have felt a tad called out by this movie lol

 

 

[Killimano3]

I don't think I've ever seen a theater so full of preteen and teenage girls. There was also a lot of applause after America Ferrera made her big speech which I don't think i've ever seen before.

 

Overall amazing film, great performances by everyone involved. It's just too bad my TikTok is now filled with terrible takes on the film lol