Is Barbie the Movie of the Year?

Hello, bookworms!

How’s it going? I am back to work, and I’ve been super busy in the past few days, which is why I took a short break from catching up with content for the blog. I have basically exhausted my social batteries for the next two years, if I have to be honest, but alas.

Back to less exhausting and more interesting things, though, today I am here to talk about the movie I was most anticipating this year, Barbie by Greta Gerwig. If you are a human being who lives and breathes, you surely have heard of it, if not seen it directly.

So, Is Barbie the Movie of the Year?
Yes, it is. Or at least, it is for me for the time being. It’s the best movie I’ve watched in 2023 so far, and one of the very few I have given five stars to this year. But most importantly, it is one of the few things that did not disappoint me. Having high expectations is always a double edged sword, but this time I didn’t get cut and I am very happy to report it.

Barbie Mania
But let’s backpedal a bit here. As you know, I am no cinephile nor cinema connoisseur, which is why my movie reviews are not actual reviews, but something like a discussion.

I have always loved Barbie. More specifically, I am one of the biggest Barbie movies — the animated ones — fan you’ll ever meet. I have watched all of them up until 2014 multiple times and I can quote most of them from memory. I actually do on a daily basis.

So you can imagine my excitement when I found out a director I really like (Greta Gerwig) was working on an adaptation of one of my favourite franchises (Barbie) starring an actress I really enjoy (Margot Robbie) and a cast of actresses and actors I have seen and appreciated in other media. I was over the moon and I was hyped ever since it was announced.

Therefore, seeing all the marketing that led up to the movie release, and seeing the whole world being as excited as I was, picking their pink outfits to go to the cinema and whatnot, was probably the best thing about the whole thing for me. Also, I went to watch the film with my mother, who has watched all the antimated ones with me, so it was super nice.

Not only did I get to experience a Barbie live action, I also got to experience what I can only define as the biggest fandom I’ve ever been into. Add to this the fact that men all over the world crying and bitching about Barbie and feminism, and you can say I’ve been fed.

The Actual Movie
Marketing and fan experience aside, I honestly loved the movie. There were so many nods both to the toy itself, but also to the animated movies and the general vibe Barbie has always given out. I found it was thought out in every little detail, and it was so comforting seeing Barbieland as an adult, reminescing of times when I used to play with my Barbies (and also my Polly Pockets, which I kinda hope they will adapt one day, to be honest).

In my non-expert eye, the cinematography and set design were so good. I loved the contrast between Barbieland and the real world, but also the way they smoothly went together. The costumes were also something I really loved and I honestly want every single Barbie dress. And also the ones that Margot Robbie wore during the press tour, while we’re at it.

In general, I felt the love everyone involved in the movie had for the project. I don’t know if it was just my impression, but I really felt like the whole crew was happy to work on this movie. Greta Gerwig most definitely was, and I can’t wait to finally watch Little Women, now that I know she works well when translating pre-existing media to the big screen. I am a big fan of Lady Bird, but I’ve always been scared to watch Little Women, since I have a very emotional bond with the books for various reasons. I will let you know my thoughts in an article as soon as I get to it, maybe, since it’s an adaptation and I love talking about those. 

My Only Complaint
My one and only small complaint about the movie is not a real complaint, to be honest, because I understand why they did so. However, I honestly would have done without the last dialogue between Barbie and Ken, or rather I wish Barbie had been a bit harsher. Then again, it’s not like I don’t understand why they decided to write it as they did.

The Actors
I think a shoutout to the actors is needed: every single person who acted in this movie, gave it their all, and you could totally tell. Even the Barbies and Kens who had very few lines.

Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling are born to play Barbie and Ken, but everyone already knew this before seeing the movie and no one in their right mind had any doubt about it.

What I want to focus on is America Ferrera outstanding performance. Once actors and writers (hopefully) reach an agreement with those little shits, get a fair pay and award ceremonies are back, I truly hope she gets the recognition she deserves.

I haven’t watched enough movies this year to even begin to imagine which ones are going to be Academy Award Nominees, but I imagine Barbie will be there and America Ferrera deserves at the very least a nomination as Best Supporting Actress, if not the Oscar itself.

The Italian Dub
One small thing before I wrap this article up. In case you didn’t know, I am Italian so I watched the movie twice, once in Italian and once in English. I want to give some credits to the Italian voice actors and to whoever adapted the dialogues because they did a great job, adapting everything they could (some word plays were lost, but they were impossible to translate). I didn’t expect anything less, since we actually have some of the best dubbers and dubbing industry in general in the world, but they do deserve a proper recognition.

Overall
If you haven’t watched Barbie yet, I truly recommend giving it a try (unless you are Juls, in that case I am not talking to you). Most of the people I know have at least enjoyed it if not straight up loved it, so chances are you will love it too!

And that is going to be all for today, I will talk to you soon with a new review.