Barbie

8.5/10 While i'm not so sure at first, the movie kept getting even more fun, entertaining, and definitely better, also surprisingly deal with a legit serious stuff, Barbie is a weirdly fun movie that fills with this very interesting concept, definitely the first time that's ever done, Greta Gerwig has created this whole new style of filmmaking specifically for Barbie, from the intentionally weird yet creative editing, some awkward and cringe scene, i found the comedy so funny instead of cringe, Barbie is one of the most original movie of the year and also one of the most original movie i've seen in a while, we all know Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling is gonna carry the movie and they are, but Will Ferrell, Simu Liu, and the whole rest of the cast were also great and entertaining, the soundtrack was just great, except Nicki Minaj and Ice Spice "Barbie World" song that are just absolutely terrible, but Billie Eilish "What Was I Made For?" tune that kept haunting in the background until it finally get the perfect scene to played it was really the best thing because that song was just beautiful and emotional, anyway, Barbie is a lot of fun, while there is still some noticeable flawed, most of them i found it funny, entertaining, colourful, creative, and fun, pure fun, it's something that i probably will love it even more the second time i see it, but as of right now, Barbie was a good time, definitely recommended and with this movie somehow it's actually possible to have a live-action Barbie movie, all you need to have is a good writer, good director, and good cast, and they delivers mostly.

I got free tickets for a preview and to be honest I was more than a little embarrassed to go. I did not tell a soul. As a cool middle aged gentleman if word got out this could have really affected my street cred.

Anyway, I embraced the journey and I'm glad that I did. Here is my review written as a pretentious critic that I aspire to be in my next life:

In Greta Gerwig's latest directorial venture, "Barbie," the esteemed filmmaker takes on the monumental task of unravelling the enigma that is Barbie, the iconic doll that has fascinated and polarized society for decades.

With Margot Robbie as the eponymous character and Ryan Gosling as Ken, Gerwig's live-action rendition delves into the complex world of Barbie, attempting to extract deeper meaning from this cultural phenomenon.

Gerwig masterfully navigates the treacherous waters of branded material, infusing the narrative with a blend of adventure, comedy, fantasy, and romance. The result is a thought-provoking exploration of Barbie's role as a feminist symbol, challenging societal perceptions of femininity and girlhood.

Can a doll with impossibly perfect features and a smile of perpetual happiness truly embody feminist ideals?

Gerwig compels the audience to contemplate this question, weaving it throughout the fabric of the film.

In reality Margot Robbie dominated the film as expected and has developed into a true cinematic icon. The flm was fun and far above my expectations hence I'm giving it an 8 and boasting I watched Barbie.

I was honestly doubting this movie at first, but surprisingly I find myself really liking it quite a lot.

Set in the colorful Barbie Land, stereotypical Barbie lives a perfect life every single day. One day, she shows signs of being...a human. She decides to go to the Real World to find the cure in order to make herself perfect again.

Barbie is a fun movie that has surprisingly plenty of heartwarming moments and good messages to offer. The set designs are eye-catching and on point as well. Both Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling nailed their parts, but it is Gosling who mostly shines.

Something I'm pretty sure of is this movie getting nominated for the Oscars, most likely for Best Production Design, Best Costume Design, and probably Best Song for Billie Eilish. That song is beautiful and it's stuck in my head right now.

I wanted to like it. But I just didn't. The story wasn't very compelling to me because it seemed as if the entire point of much of the movie was to provide learning moments for viewers with some slapstick comedy and quick-delivery comedy. The story itself should nearly always be more important.

All of the goofiness largely would have been excused to me if the comedic moments were really funny. And the way this film was hyped made me think it was going to be super funny. But I rarely laughed. And that's even more of a shame given the talent assembled for the cast. There also weren't many surprising reveals to the audience when maybe there could have been if things were presented differently.

I also found it annoying to see Will Farrell play a similar part to what he played in the Lego Movie. Sure he's a CEO rather than a dad. But he was filling the same evil disciplinarian adult role for a movie about a kid's toy. It just felt lazy to not cast someone else for that part, and just made me wish the movie was able to provide the humor and intrigue that the first Lego movie provided to its audience.

I'd rather this film felt like a comedy or dramatic experience which has some relevant takes on feminism and culture than thinly veiled sermon with occasional jokes that land amongst a ton that didn't land.

I also felt like the movie had way too many characters and ideas thrown together. There was Barbie, Ken, many other Barbies, many other Kens, the crazy Barbie, the CEOs, the mother, the teen, the narrator and more. And it's not just that they had all of these characters. They also tried to have some learning moments delivered-by or delivered-to a majority of these characters. I felt like they would have been better off trying to deliver all these lessons over 3-5 movies rather than 1. And obviously you don't want it ever to seem like the lessons are being delivered but experiences through the story and the consequences of the actions and stakes created by the characters' decisions. Instead there didn't seem like any stakes because the Barbies didn't seem to fit in the real world and the real people didn't fit in the Barbie world.

Honestly my favorite part of the movie was a lot of the Easter egg stuff about odd Barbie products over the years. And Easter eggs shouldn't be the best part of any movie. They should be a bonus to the overall experience of the story.

Margot does the best with what she's given, but this film was very disappointing to me. It was marketed as a fun, quirky satire with homages to other movies. It started that way, but ended with over-dramatized speeches and an ending that clearly tried to make the audience feel something, but left everyone just feeling confused. And before you say I'm a crotchety old man, I'm a woman in my 20s, so I'm pretty sure I'm this movie's target audience. The saddest part is there were parents with their kids in the theater that were victims of the poor marketing, because this is not a kid's movie. Overall, the humor was fun on occasion and the film is beautiful to look at, but the whole concept falls apart in the second half of the film and becomes a pity party for the "strong" woman.