Barbie. Not a brand I’ve had any dealings with. The American ‘Sindy’ is the best. A sharp advertising campaign dovetailed with personal events took me to OMG; I FEEL THE KENERGY I’M GOING FRIDAY!
Barbie’s journey from fantasy to reality is filled with sharp zingers and candy aesthetics. It is a fantastic site on the screen. Ostensibly Barbie is become more ‘real’ with problems real people have, hair, cellulite, and intrusive thoughts. And seeks to ‘purify’ herself of these things by coming to the real world and being ‘put back’ to as she was. Perfect. Along the way, we have mother-daughter bonding, evil corp being evil for no recognisable reason and jokes for and against Barbie and the role of men in the real world.
Margot Robbie is the driving force as she goes through so many emotions and ranges while retaining the simplicity of Barbie. It’s admirable. Open with her feelings and logic at most points. Gloria and weird Barbie are there to help her.
The design in the film is truthful to every aspect of what a material home would buy a child who can never play with anything for long. While MCU and Transformers try to ‘integrate’ the reality with grim and gritty, Barbie bears her teeth of conviction in every prop.
This is a good film that will open conversations. I was in a bar waiting to be served; I was pretty in pink and all done up, if I say so myself. The lady behind me and my mate asked, “Have you seen it, or are you going to “ I replied we had but elsewhere. She loved it, and it made her a bit weepy at points. I felt similar. I didn’t ask her where. But I know for me, and it was in one guy. Ken.
A bunch of arguments that escalated over the last year got me into seeing Barbie, but the Just Ken song nailed me going. And Ryan’s Ken is not only hilarious but relatable. When your existence is built around making sure someone you love has the best day, suddenly that is gone every day, and you must be ‘Just You’. It’s turbulent and confusing and …depending on how long it has been, frightening.
Coupled with Ken’s empowerment at the same time but coming from such a toxic notion, it’s hard not to relate to how he comes to the conclusions he does. I had to cut some notably Alpha Males out of my life last year because they needed to ‘be the best.
That’s not best; that’s saying you’re better than other people. And this blind spot and the way Barbieland responds to it will leave you feeling thrilled.
It’s got great lines. Younger viewers at two hours would imay losent interest I saw a few being taken out at the sold out screening. But 12+ in a world of crashy bashy city war where a train flies through space on fire while becoming a massive robot and a plucky non-powered vigilante fights a smaller goblin with a spatula inside its gonads…this is more fun than that.
Feel the Kenergy soon as you can.
The Irish Indian Times. 
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