Barbie, Review | nerd league

a film by greta gerwig (And Noah Baumbach) is more or less what we expected after these months of (unbelievable) hype campaign and that’s not a bad thing at all, on the contrary, it’s probably the part of “unpredictability” that works better. It works because inside is the keeper of that promise of cinematic anarchy, combined with a raging commercial and political power the likes of which haven’t been seen in some time (and never in these terms) emerge from an American blockbuster. Features that, among other things, were never hidden by the film and whose synthesis is clearly visible on the billboard: the name of the doll, the names of the producers and the two stars and the two writers behind it. And lots of pink. Carefully selected shades.

Together barbie review, in italian theaters Warner Bros. From July 20We are talking about one of the most eagerly awaited films of the year (thanks also to its being part of a duet that, thanks to the internet, has made cinema’s fortunes in terms of marketing and which will probably save cinemas in these dreadful summer months), to the phenomenal charm of its well-designed aesthetic part (how beautiful the photography is) Rodrigo Prieto), why the doll Mattel Also for the tone of the story despite being behind Mattel, but also for the soundtrack with Billie Eilish and Dua Lipa, and for its willingness to be quoted, for the cultural history of North America. margot robbie (which is also a producer) and for Ryan Gosling,

And for Greta Gerwig, an iconic name coming from indie cinema and now considered a guarantee of generational films capable of reading society from a female perspective. Films that are political and conscious of creating division are sometimes surprising, but cinema is a political act, and therefore division is welcome, said a man more important than all of us.

In short, all the right reasons, at least for being one of the most awaited films of the year.

And lots of pink. Carefully selected shades.

beyond them will FerrellAmazing as ever, in a role that was perhaps a bit clumsy, but incredibly close to yet another movie (so beautiful) about another icon of the toy world, Helen Mirren (for those who will watch the film in a foreign language), Emma McKay and half the cast sex education (all good), simu liuA Michael Cera in great shape, America Ferrara, Kate McKinnon And many other non-trivial options.

coexistence problems

The Sacramento-based screenwriter, actress, director has garnered huge recognition in the Hollywood circuit (and beyond) after her work little WomenIn which she managed to exploit the contemporaneity of the classic text of the same name to come up with a very effective reworking, both of its strict literary function and of current events, while managing to speak to an entire generation while maintaining a coherent nucleus with reference material.

operation with barbie it’s too ambitious, but the concepts are similar in a certain sense, given that in the frame of the blockbuster we want to tell a coming-of-age story, involving criticism of the real world, starting with a dystopian story, and setting everything from the deconstruction of another “sacred” text, which has the characteristics of a doll, but is still a piece of American culture, trying to make it contemporary once again. As? Inverting its foundations: taking the symbol of a female product of capitalism and putting her in a complete identity crisis, humanizing her. An element that brings it closer to reality and also to masculinity.

Stereotypical Barbie (Robbie) lives in Barbieland, where everything is absolutely fake. Where everyone sings, dances and doesn’t drink, bathe or surf. The Barbies are (rightly) in charge of Barbieland and the Kens are the helpful, spare male, cheerleaders who only live when their female counterparts take one look at them. Yet his movements are delicate, sweet and melancholy.

As? Inverting its foundations: from taking the symbol of the female product of capitalism to a complete identity crisis, while also humanizing it.

They are women of the real world, a world where patriarchy exists, a world where Barbie and her Ken (Gosling) go to the strange Barbie (McKinnon) for advice because Barbie can no longer stand on her toes, discovers she has cellulite and only thinks of death.

In California, the unlucky girl would seek out the cause of her “malfunction”, bump into “men who love women as long as they live in metal boxes” and seek the solution in a specific girl (or person). The problem is, Kane will also discover California and the real world, and in them, he will find “redemptive” momentum.

The most complicated doll in the western world

Despite the presence of imbalances in some writing components (directing, editing, scenography and acting direction all excellent), mostly due to an incomprehensible caption and not always the right fit in terms of narrative rhythm, Gerwig makes a very interesting film, committed, conscious, dense and highly cinephile, able to play with reversals of viewpoints (apparently of the two sexes) and sometimes with really spot-on humor. In addition, it succeeds in performing a very important function: Show the world the power of an all-female cinematographic operation and its ability to tell a battle between the sexes by delivering a true image and capable of speaking to everyone, including boys.

Among other things, they are privileged (how sweetly does Gerwig look at them? The same way she looks at males). little Women) than girls, who however have the power to be heroes in the most extraordinary way, because they are able to do good for the other side as well, thanks to the fact that they are more self-aware and, above all, less slaves to masculinity weighing like a boulder. Sexuality and the relationship with it are essential to any self-respecting representation of capitalist society.

Demonstrating this argument is the on-screen relationship between Robbie and Gosling as actors and as Barbie and Ken. Their relationship lends strength to the film’s political aspect, for better or worse, and the two continually benefit from each other’s presence, with the Canadian interpreter churning out a capital test for restraint and versatility and the Australian actress knowing she’s in the role of life.

Sexuality and the relationship with it are essential to any self-respecting representation of capitalist society.

Although the resolution of some plot gimmicks can be a bit simplistic (not to be confused with others that are exceptionally deranged) and the notion of a certain difficulty in finding the right tone of voice to say what one has to say (indeed, sometimes one shouts and others whisper), the film remains incredibly consistent. Because, even though important issues sometimes risk being flattened by the disintegration they face, perhaps because the balance between the two souls (authorial and blockbuster) is rather complex and also because the type of metaphorical language chosen is not easily manageable, the film always manages to make itself felt in the “unexpectedly predictable” way mentioned above.

central point of the film, Always good to remember, this is the story of two creatures doomed to superficiality who have to manage the need to discover a new complexity in order to find their place.

Then there’s Mattel’s speech, which appears to have agreed to take on a series of ballads in an (understandable) attempt to update its flagship brand. Above all, the final work hinges on this decision, which leads us to think that the short-circuited “Barbie’s rebellion against Mattel” is much more controlled than a freelance writer who should “cheat the manufacturer” hopes to achieve. However, this constant compromise doesn’t have much effect on the film, which remains an excellent use of it to talk about something it’s really interested in.

barbie So it’s a complex, daring and very difficult film to make. A great trial by Gerwig, albeit not perfectly calibrated (think beginning and end), but with an extraordinary appeal and with which one must inevitably compromise, both for the beauty of the film and for its importance in the current panorama. Its quirks, its flaws, its not-always-timely playfulness, and its imaginative and thematic bulimia may have made it a cult to such an extent that it’s likely that it may begin to live a parallel life in viewers’ minds. A life was liberated by the making of the film itself. Like someone who sees dolls as a function of thought and not the logic of the market. Future generations will do justice.

barbie In cinemas from 20 July 2023 with Warner Bros.