Where I Watched It: MAX

English Audio Description Provided By: Deluxe

Narrated By: Laura Post

Cast: Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, America Ferrera, Will Ferrell, Kate McKinnon, Issa Rae, Alexandra Shipp, Emma Mackey, Hari Nef, Duo Lippa, Emerald Fennell, Simu Liu, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Mcuti Gatwa, John cena, Michael Cera, Ariana Greenblatt, Rhea Perlman, and Helen Mirren.

Written By: Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach

Directed By: Greta Gerwig

The wait is over. You can now enjoy Barbie in the comfort of your living room just with a simple MAX subscription. They went a little overboard, as it dominated all your life choices in the days leading up, and then with the release created rows of films like Barbie, and films referenced in Barbie. We are all Barbie girls living in a Barbie world right now on MAX.

This film was a giant hit at the box office, and prompted adoration from friends, but also hate from people who just didn’t like the female empowerment angle Gerwig has chosen to take. Personally, I just got wrapped up in the creativity of it all. Instead of taking a Barbie adaptation literally, and trying to show us Barbie as one singular individual living in a sweet house with a hot boyfriend, and doing whatever with that, they instead chose to address Barbie for who she is. A doll. Margot Robbie’s performance here is complimented by all the excellent things she is written to be doing, or say. Her Barbie is just like the doll, meaning she doesn’t have certain body parts, and her world functions like the Barbie world does when we play with them as dolls. She takes a shower, but thinks nothing of the lack of running water. She has a hot boyfriend, but like with most kids, they know these two are supposed to be together… but doing what? in one great moment, Ken asks Barbie if he can stay the night, and she asks why? He has no answer. It’s not that he’d dodging the answer of sex, he literally doesn’t know why he’s supposed to sleep over.

This world is not only expanded through some truly visionary production design, where the Dream Houses are open faced, but also features a roster of other Barbies, including some really deep cuts like Alan (Michael Cera), who is based on a real life second male Barbie doll that was created and seems to be incredibly obscure. There are also failed dolls mentioned, like Sugar Daddy Ken, or the Barbie whose arms can inflate her breasts. And, don’t forget Kate McKinnon, who was not an official Barbie until after the movie. But, she represents all the Barbies who have met those little girls with… artistic sensibilities.

The film comes up with a reason for Barbie to have to travel to the real world, in which Ken accompanies her. It’s there that she meets with the head of Mattel (Will Ferrell), and also his secretary (America Ferrara), the latter of the two helps Barbie on her journey, along with her daughter (Ariana greenblatt). Meanwhile, Ken is now living in a world where men rule, which is the total opposite of Barbie’s world, where Ken’s don’t have much to do except look pretty. In this world, it’s basically a flipped juxtaposition, where the Barbie world shows the endless possibilities for women, and that men are often just hot arm candy, and then the real world, where men are offered opportunities all the time, while Barbie is constantly cat called.

The biggest thing I have against the film at all is that Barbie doesn’t get to do nearly enough fun stuff in the real world. She’s more focused on advancing the plot, and Ken is the one who gets to experience all the changes. Barbie basically just has a shit time, and tries to track down a girl, and later the Mattel CEO. I wish Gerwig had allowed Barbie a few more scenes of her finding out how the real world works beyond her being viewed just as a piece of ass. There are other stereotypes to break down, like how some believe women to be less intelligent, that are kinda side stepped for time purposes. Ken just got to do so much more, and it’s part of the reason I think it’s cheating to run him in Supporting Actor.

All of this means when Barbie and Ken return home, everything changes. Ken remakes the Barbie world in. The real world image, putting him on top for a change, and it’s up to Barbie and America Ferrera, and some rejected Barbie’s to save the day.

Honestly, it’s a great film. but, my favorite parts take place in Barbie land, and I wish the second/middle act where they are in the real world gave Barbie more time to breathe. Even the two as a couple could have spent more time here. It’s the fish out of water scenario that wasn’t mined well enough, and the only thing I’ve really got that’s holding me back from putting this at the top of my list. Wasted and missed opportunities.

Also, can we please give America Ferrrera a name? no one ever says it, and the entire film, the audio description uses her job title as her name. Why? What was the creative choice? Her daughter has a name. Why doesn’t she?

Laura Post’s audio description is superb. To be able to understand the craft that went into the Barbie world, the inside jokes, the references to other properties, all of that requires excellent description from the team at Deluxe, and narration from Post. Immersing us in that world is so important and integral to the film itself.

Guys who don’t get this film are weird. I never played with Barbie’s, and I still fully followed this, and wasn’t bothered by the various themes that Gerwig and baumbach’s script tackles. The cast is large, amazing, and while the three getting the most attention were all fine, it feels weird that no one is mentioning Kate McKinnon, who was equally hilarious and brilliant. Ferrera had a great monologue, but ten years from now, people will remember Weird Barbie.

Final Grade: A-