Barbie

Barbie is a 2023 American fantasy comedy film directed by Greta Gerwig and written by Gerwig and Noah Baumbach.Based on the Barbie fashion dolls by Mattel, it is the first live-action Barbie film after numerous computer-animated direct-to-video and streaming television films. The film stars Margot Robbie as Barbie and Ryan Gosling as Ken, who go on a journey of self-discovery following an existential crisis, alongside an ensemble cast that includes America Ferrera, Kate McKinnon, Michael Cera, Ariana Greenblatt, Simu Liu, Issa Rae, Rhea Perlman, Helen Mirren, and Will Ferrell.A live-action Barbie film was announced in September 2009 by Universal Pictures with Laurence Mark producing. Development began in April 2014, when Sony Pictures acquired the film rights. Following multiple writer and director changes and the casting of Amy Schumer and later Anne Hathaway as Barbie, the rights transferred to Warner Bros. Pictures in October 2018. Robbie was cast in 2019, and Gerwig was announced as director and co-writer with Baumbach in 2021. The rest of the cast were announced in early 2022. Filming took place primarily at Warner Bros. Studios, Leavesden, in England and on the Venice Beach Skatepark in Los Angeles from March to July 2022.Barbie premiered at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles on July 9, 2023, and was theatrically released in the United States on July 21, 2023, by Warner Bros. Pictures. Its simultaneous release with Oppenheimer led to the “Barbenheimer” phenomenon on social media, which encouraged audiences to see both films as a double feature. The film received mostly positive reviews with praise for its direction, production design, costumes, music, and the performances (particularly those of Robbie and Gosling), but was divisive in its themes and messages. Barbie has grossed over $337 million worldwide.Stereotypical Barbie (“Barbie”) and a wide range of fellow Barbies all reside in Barbieland, a matriarchal society where all women are self-confident, self-sufficient, and successful. While their Ken counterparts spend their days engaging in recreational activities at the beach, the Barbies hold all important job positions such as doctors, lawyers, and politicians. Beach Ken (“Ken”), Barbie’s boyfriend, is only happy when he is with Barbie and seeks a closer relationship, but Barbie rebuffs him in favor of independence and female friendships.During a dance party, Barbie is suddenly stricken with worries about mortality. The next day, she finds she can no longer complete her usual routine and discovers her feet have gone flat and she has cellulite. Weird Barbie, a wise but disfigured outcast, tells her that to cure her affliction she must travel into the real world and find the child playing with her. On her way to the real world, Barbie finds Ken stowed away in her convertible, and reluctantly allows him to join her.Arriving at Venice Beach, the pair cause multiple antics and are arrested, alarming the Mattel CEO, who orders their capture. Barbie tracks down her owner, a tween girl named Sasha, who criticizes her for encouraging unrealistic beauty standards. Distraught, Barbie discovers that Gloria, a Mattel employee and Sasha’s mother, is the catalyst of her existential crisis. Gloria began playing with Sasha’s Barbie toys while experiencing her own identity crisis, inadvertently transferring her concerns to Barbie. Gloria and Sasha rescue Barbie from Mattel’s CEO and his subordinates, and the three travel together to Barbieland.Meanwhile, Ken learns about the patriarchal system, and feels important and accepted for the first time. Returning to Barbieland, he persuades the other Kens into taking over and the Barbies are subjugated into submissive roles such as maids, housewives and agreeable girlfriends. Barbie arrives and tries to convince Ken and the Barbies to return to the way things were, only to be rebuffed. She becomes depressed, but Gloria inspires her with a speech about the problems of being a woman. With the encouragement of Sasha, Gloria, Weird Barbie, Allan, and other discontinued Barbies, the Barbies free themselves from the Kens. They manipulate them to fight amongst themselves, allowing the Barbies to regain their systemic power, and preventing the Kens from altering the Barbieland constitution to enshrine male superiority. As a concession, the Kens are given a minor role in Barbieland’s society.Barbie and Ken apologize to each other and acknowledge their failings. Ken bemoans that he has no identity or purpose without Barbie, to which Barbie encourages him to find an autonomous identity.