A “breaking the mold” movie: what critics say about the long-awaited “Barbie”

“Life in plastic is fantastic,” said the many critics who praised the Barbie movie.

The much-discussed film starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling opens this Friday, competing with “Oppenheimer,” by Christopher Nolan.

The portal rich said that “Barbie” is “painfully funny”, and the paper The independent he described her as “joyful from minute to minute”.

But the British newspaper The daily mail opined that the film is “uneven and disjointed”, and the Time He noted that it is “beautiful, but not very deep”.

Robbie plays the famous doll in Greta Gerwig’s film, made in collaboration with toy manufacturer Mattel.

A “great” movie

In a five star review, Clarisse Loughrey of The independentwrote: “’Barbie’ is one of the most imaginative, flawlessly developed and astonishing mainstream films of recent years, a testament to what can be achieved even in the depths of capitalism.

“While it’s impossible for any movie studio to be truly subversive, especially when consumer culture has recognized that being mindful is good for business,”Barbie’ achieves so much more than you ever thought possible.”.

Robbie Collin’s The Telegraphalso gave a positive review, giving it four stars and describing it as a movie “profoundly strange, conceptually slippery and often laughing out loud”.

“It is an unexpected pleasure to report that while Greta Gerwig’s film is primarily a summer adventure comedy based on the Barbie toy line, It’s far from the crass money machine many of us feared it would be.“, wrote.

“The satirical angle – which will certainly reach older viewers much better than tweens – is wrung out with gusto and mischief (there are jokes that some male online communities love to mock).”

For her part, Sarah Vine of The independent she was less pleased with the film’s portrayal of men. Wrote: “It’s a profoundly anti-masculine movie, an extension of all TikTok feminism. which depicts every form of masculinity – except the most insignificant – as poisonous and predatory”.

“Each male character is either an idiot, a despot, or a sad and somewhat pathetic loser. If the tables were turned and a male director made a movie about how all women are neurotic, hysterical selfish witches, it would be accused – rightly so – of being deeply offensive and sexist.

He concluded, “It’s uneven, disjointed, the plot makes no sense, and the influence of corporate America weighs heavily on it.”

comedic interpretations

Peter Bradshaw’s Guardianalso gave a lukewarm review, giving the film three stars.

suggested that “Barbie” is “a well-intentioned, but also self-aware film” that “is very funny at times, but can sometimes feel subdued and inhibited.”as if the impulse to be comical can only be malicious and satirical.

He added: “This movie may be a giant two-hour commercial for a product, but no more than the Lego movie; However, Barbie doesn’t go for the jugular vein of comedy in such a light-hearted way.

Other reviewers were much more positive. David Fear from the magazine rolling stonessaid that “Barbie” could be “the most subversive blockbuster of the 21st century”, while Alex Flood noted that the script “has unexpected subtleties”.

“Barbie” premiered in the UK last Wednesday, in what was one of the last events before the Hollywood Actors Union announced the start of an indefinite strike.

Beth Webb, van richpraised Robbie and Gosling as Barbie and Ken in its four-star review.

“Robbie – who’s succeeded with everything since playing Harley Quinn – is hilarious, but the most convincing scene-stealer is Mr. Fragility Blonde.“, said.

“Gosling pours his heart into the insecure mind of Ken, who transforms from a Barbie accessory into the classic image of patriarchy. Every muscle tension, every movement of her hair, every tuft of her guitar string is perfect. There are times when you become breathless.”

There was also praise for the director, from Devan Coggan of Weekly entertainmentwho said, “Never doubt Gerwig.”

“The Oscar-nominated director has crafted a fierce, funny, and deeply feminist adventure that will make you laugh and cry.even if you are made of plastic”.

Lovia Gyarkyes The Hollywood Reporter he indicated that he disagreed, saying “As smart as Gerwig’s Barbie gets, there’s a darkness hanging over the whole process.”

“The director has managed to make her mark well, extracting deeper themes from a rigid framework, but the sacrifices to the story are obvious. The film’s intricate politics, coupled with its flat emotional landing, are signs that ‘Barbie’ ultimately serves a brand.”

“Life in plastic”

Other reviews focused on various critiques, such as Valerie Complex’s deadlinedescribing “Barbie” as “an imperfect film”.

“He falters a bit in dealing with his non-white characters. They mostly just serve as plot gimmicks for the stereotypical Barbie and Ken,” he said.

“There’s a compact 95-minute movie here, but you’re packed with music and dance scenes that are nothing more than filler.”.

Johnny Oleksinski The New York Post he even described “Barbie” as a “complete disappointment”.

“The Barbie packaging is so much more fun than the nasty toys that come in the box,” he said. “Almost paraphrasing Aqua’s song: Living in plastic, not fantastic (life in plastic isn’t fantastic)”.

The film’s tone drew criticism from the magazine’s Stephanie Zacharek Time: “It is a film that is very comfortable with itself. ‘Barbie’ never lets us forget how smart she is, every grueling second.”

Peter DeBruges van Varietyconcluded: “’Barbie’ is a positive example of female potential for future generations.

“In the meantime, it gives us permission to confront what Barbie stands for by showing a sense of humor in the face of the brand’s past missteps, unlike what you might expect from a toy movie.”