Amanda's Picks

   

 

Looking at the eye-popping numbers from the July 21 weekend box office, there is a very good chance that like Amanda, you spent some time at the movies.  Barbie and Oppenheimer, or “Barbenheimer” as the phenom has been dubbed, raked in  $235.5 million at the domestic box office, enough to deliver the fourth biggest weekend of all time.

At $155 million, the super-hyped Barbie (PG-13) gives Director Greta Gerwig the best opening ever for a movie directed by a woman. The numbers are even more impressive when you add in $182 in International box office. Meanwhile, Oppenheimer outperformed its expected numbers, raking in $80 million, impressive for a three-hour-plus historical drama about the man who created the atomic bomb. 

My daughter Emma and I talked about Barbenheimering, seeing both movies in one day. But we were keen on seeing Oppenheimer in IMAX and waited too long to get tickets. I’m glad it worked out that way, because Barbie was too good to share the day with another film.

It only takes Gerwig a minute to alert moviegoers that this Barbie is not going to be a frothy confection about a popular fashion doll. Yes, Stereotypical Barbie (Margot Robbie) has beautiful blonde hair and lives in a perfect pink dreamhouse. But Barbie Land is a feminist utopia with President Barbie, Supreme Court Barbies and Doctor Barbie, reminding us that, at least in the past few decades, Barbie, and the little girls who “own them,” can be anything they want to be.  

And Ken? If you played with Barbies, you probably had a Ken.  But I bet you had several Barbies with fabulous wardrobes and a single Ken with maybe two outfits. Like Barbie’s high-heels and tiny handbags, Ken was an accessory and that’s what Kens are in Barbie Land. Stereotypical Ken (Ryan Gosling) lives for Barbie’s attention and doesn’t have much of a purpose without her. While every day is perfect for Barbie, not so much for Ken. 

Then one day, life isn’t so perfect for Barbie. She has negative thoughts and her shower is cold. The other Barbies suggest she talk to Weird Barbie (Kate McKinnon) who is also Wise Barbie and sends our heroine off to the “real world” (Los Angeles) to find her owner, solve her existential crisis and set things right.  

Barbie soon learns the real world is not the same as Barbie World. Men call the shots here from the catcalling construction workers to the boss at Mattel (Will Ferrell) who wants to get Barbie literally back in the box. But Ken, who hitched a ride in Barbie’s convertible, is empowered by his trip to L.A. and decides to shake things up in Barbie Land. 

Meanwhile Barbie tracks down her owner, a surly teenage girl (Is there any other kind in the movies?) who cruelly dismisses Barbie as a bad role model. However, Gloria (America Ferrera), Sasha’s stressed-out mom who happens to work at Mattel, connects with Barbie, and the three team up to take back Barbie Land.

The production design of Barbie is off the charts. The sets are stunning, the costumes are worthy of a fashion icon and her friends, and the makeup is, of course, perfect. I expect all will be nominated for Academy Awards. The songs are catchy and clever although the musical numbers do sidetrack the story on a couple of occasions. 

There’s a lot going on in the screenplay by Gerwig and her partner, filmmaker Noah Baumbach. The writing is funny, provocative, smart and observant. Somehow the pair seamlessly works in the campy song  “I’m Just Ken” and the most spot-on speech about the female experience I’ve seen on film, and make it work. 

Gerwig also gets next-level performances from her actors, no surprise when you look at her first two films Ladybird and Little Women. Robbie is certainly as beautiful as you’d imagine a “real-life” Barbie would be. But I didn’t expect such a complicated and emotional performance. Gosling is gold as the devoted and confused Ken. Michael Sera as Allen, Ken’s friend who nobody remembers. and McKinnon are very funny, overshadowing the usually over-the-top Ferrell who opts for subtlety here. Ferrera is terrific as always. The other Barbies and Kens are all fun, but not very developed as characters. And it was disconcerting how quickly snarky Sasha magically transforms to supportive, sweet Sasha. 

Ultimately, it’s writer/director Gerwig who deserves the credit for Barbie’s box office and critical success. I went into Barbie expecting a fun, visually rich escape and I got that and much more. Barbie made me laugh. It made me think and out of nowhere it made me cry. I can’t wait to see what Gerwig does next. 

Barbie: 5 STARS