Movie Analysis: Barbie

‘Barbie’ May Be the Most Subversive Blockbuster of the 21st Century. - Rolling Stone

Trailer

Trivia

Quotes

Characters

Cast/Crew

Summary

Movie Analysis

Barbie

Barbie

Margot Robbie plays the main character Barbie.

This Barbie is differentiated from the rest of the Barbies in the movie by being the "Stereotypical Barbie" — the default blonde doll that everyone imagines when they think of the name. One evening at a dance party, Barbie is suddenly stricken with worries about death. Overnight, she develops bad breath, cellulite, and flat feet, disrupting her usual routines and the classic perfection of the Barbies. She then must travel to "the real world" to cure her afflictions

Ken

Ken is one of the main characters and former antagonist in the movie and is played by Ryan Gosling.

Throughout the movie Ken has an unrequited crush on Stereotypical Barbie and he joins her on her quest in the "real world". After spending some time in the real world, Ken learns about the system of patriarchy, and he brings this information back to the other Kens in Barbie Land where they plan to overthrow the Barbies. However his plans fail, and he lears by the end of the movie to accept himself without having to define himself by his relationship to Barbie.

Gloria

Gloria is a supporting character in the movie and She is portrayed by America Ferrera.

Gloria is a human that works for Mattel. She has a daughter named Sasha who she feels she is no longer connecting with. Gloria meets Barbie in the "Real World" and helps her and the other Barbies regain control of Barbie Land when the Kens try and take it over.

Sasha

Sasha is a supporting character in the movie and she is played by Ariana Greenblatt.

Sasha is human and is the teenage daughter of Gloria. Initially she is closed off to her mother but as the movie goes on they reconnect, mainly through their journey in helping Barbie. She along with her mother and the Barbies help regain control of Barbie Land when the Kens try and take it over.

Weird Barbie

Weird Barbie is a supporting character in the movie and she is played by Kate McKinnon.

Weird Barbie helps Stereotypical Barbie get to the "real world" and also helps the other Barbies snap out of the Ken's control. Weird Barbie is based off of when people play with their Barbies a little too hard, such as drawing on their face, cutting up their hair, and placing them into weird positions. She was originally the most beautiful Barbie until someone played with her too hard and was then known as Weird Barbie.

Allan

Allan is a supporting character in the movie and he is played by Michael Cera.

Allan lives in Barbie Land with the other Barbies and Kens. However, while there are mulituple Kens there is only one Allan, and he is Ken's buddy. Allan is shown to be different than the other Kens, hence his name. Unlike the Kens and Barbies, Allan seems to feel awkward and out of place, and gives off the impression that he's not the biggest fan of Barbie Land. After Ken changes Barbie Land, he even tags along with Sasha & Gloria as they attempt to return to the "Real World".

Aaron Dinkins

Aaron Dinkins is a supporting character in the movie and he is played by Connor Swindells.

Aaron is a Mattel intern in the Real World. He is the person who informs the CEO of Barbie's where abouts in Los Angeles and he spends most of the movie eattemting to follow the lead of the CEOs and other high level employees at Mattel while they try to find Barbie and later make their way to Barbie Land.

Mattel CEO

The Mattel CEO is a supporting character in the movie and he is played by Will Ferrell.

He is the Mattel CEO in the Real World. He is also one of the more cartnoony characters in the movie and he spends most of the film attempting to find Barbie and bring her back to Barbie Land. He along with the other high level employees at Mattel eventually make is to Barbie land themselves just in time to see it be restored by the Barbies.

• Just two weeks after arriving in theaters, Barbie earned the distinction of becoming the first-ever billion-dollar film solely directed by a female director.
• The production was unable to obtain the rights to the classic version of Aqua's huge hit 'Barbie Girl'. A new version by Nicki Minaj and Ice Spice was used instead.

• The swimsuit and overall look Barbie wears in the opening scene is a direct recreation of the original 1959 Barbie doll that first debuted in stores.
• For the first part of the movie, every character in Barbieland is lit from the back to flatter them (a common trick in cinematography). In fact, the sun essentially keeps changing positions between shots to achieve this (especially during the beach scene). However, when Weird Barbie is introduced for the first time, the sun is directly on her face, giving her an off-putting appearance.
• Per Greta Gerwig's instructions, all of the Ken actors trained and worked out in the same gym every morning to establish and maintain their bond and competitiveness.
• Margot Robbie wore 18 wigs and 30 hair pieces throughout the film. On average, each wig cost production $40,000 USD.

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Ken: "To be honest, when I found out the patriarchy wasn't just about horses, I lost interest."

Ruth: "Humans have only one ending. Ideas live for ever"

"I'm a man with no power, does that make me a woman?"

"We mothers stand still so our daughters can look back and see how far they've come"

Barbie: "It's like I've been in a dream where I was really invested in the Zack Snyder cut of 'Justice League'."

"Barbie has a great day every day. Ken only has a great day if Barbie looks at him."

"Hi, Barbie!"

Barbie: "This makes me emotional, and I'm expressing it. I have no difficulty holding both logic and feeling at the same time. And it does not diminish my powers. It expands them."

"Since the beginning of time, since the first little girl ever existed, there have been dolls. But the dolls were always and forever baby dolls. The girls who played with them could only ever play at being mothers. Which can be fun, at least for a while, anyway. Ask your mother."

Starring: Margot RobbieRyan GoslingAmerica FerreraKate McKinnonIssa RaeRhea PerlmanWill Ferrell

Directed by:Greta Gerwig

Writing Credits: Greta GerwigNoah Baumbach

Produced by: David HeymanMargot RobbieTom AckerleyRobbie Brenner

Cinematography By:Rodrigo PrietoEdited by Nick HouyMusic by Mark RonsonAndrew Wyatt

Barbie stars Margot Robbie as the title character and Ryan Gosling as Ken, and it follows the two of them on a journey of self-discovery. After an existential crisis Barbie must make the trek through both her home of Barbieland and the "real world". While hilarious and cinamatically gorgeous the film is also a commentary regarding patriarchy, feminism, and growing up.