By Maalik Hawkins
Trinity Times Movie Reviewer
The Barbie movie is a monster box office hit.
Just three weeks into its run Barbie raked in more than $1 billion, a history making event for writer-director Greta Gerwig, now the first solo female director to hit the billion-dollar mark, all on a $128 million budget.
Pink-clad moviegoers can be seen lined up outside of theaters all over the Metropolitan D.C. region, a phenomenon not seen since before the COVID-19 Pandemic, demonstrating the strength of the appeal of the 60-plus years of Barbie in the pop culture world.
Mattel discovered a clever way to bring Barbie fans of decades into movie theaters for this iconic character.
Though the Barbie movie had tons of marketing, it’s lived up to its hype – pushing beyond the product-placing galore to tell a poignant story that still delivers a ton of laughs.
The Barbie movie focuses on a world created by the Mattel toy company for their products, including the Barbie dolls and their wonderland. Each variety of Barbie and Ken represents a different toy created throughout the years, such as President Barbie and Basketball Ken.
The main Barbie and Ken this story follows are the “Stereotypical Barbie” – played by Margot Robbie – and her Ken – played by Ryan Gosling.
The film follows a Barbie who is having unusual feelings for dolls and their programming – an existential crisis if you will – and ventures outside of Barbieland into the real world at the toy corporation’s headquarters in search of someone who can fix her, meaning her creator or the head of Mattel (Will Ferrell).
There are some important human characters like America Ferrera’s Gloria, who provide wisdom and insight.
Yes, there are product placements set all over this movie, but the story engages deep conversations regarding how the world views women and men verses how people should really see themselves.
Though some critics winced at the film’s message for women to be prideful of their femininity, it’s really an important element for this story.
And while the movie tackles tough topics, it shines bright in its side-splitting comedy, creating thunderous laughter among the audience.
Barbie’s world is created masterfully to resemble an actual toy ecosphere, with the colorfully quirky sets making the film thoroughly entertaining beyond the imagination.
Paired with a genius story and this year’s freshest plot, the Barbie movie has something for everyone from the cinephiles to the everyday theater goer.
The performances given by Robbie and Gosling completely exceeded expectations, delivering the illusion of perfect toys with human likenesses.
This movie is fun for all ages, even if it targets the generations who’ve played with these Mattel toys in their childhood.
Visually speaking, the Barbie movie doesn’t miss a beat and the audience members wearing pink outfits, well, they appeared to be getting even more film fare enjoyment.
Everyday Moviegoers – 9.5/10
Critics – 8.8/10
Cinephiles – 9/10
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Maalik Hawkins is a graduate student at Trinity Washington University