Film Review: Barbie (8/10)

Cynthia Rodriguez
Aug 12
3 min read

Pretty in Pink, Sharp in Thought

Let’s get one thing straight — Barbie could’ve been a disaster. On paper, it’s the kind of project that screams “brand exercise.” But under the direction of Greta Gerwig, it becomes something far more dazzling — a pink-hued meditation on womanhood, identity, and the contradictions of growing up in a world that still expects perfection in heels.

With co-writer Noah Baumbach, Gerwig takes a toy box and turns it into a thesis. It’s funny, self-aware, and occasionally heartbreaking, the kind of studio movie that actually respects its audience’s intelligence.

And in the center of it all, Margot Robbie shines — less plastic icon, more existential dreamer.

STORY (2/2)

“Barbie” opens in the dazzling perfection of Barbieland — a utopia painted in bubblegum and optimism — before taking its heroine into the messy, unfiltered world beyond. What could’ve been a simple “fish-out-of-water” comedy becomes a story about self-definition and the impossible expectations placed on women.

Gerwig’s genius lies in tone. Every joke hides a truth, and every truth sneaks up on you between the glitter and the choreography. The story unfolds like a mirror that keeps shifting — first playful, then pointed, and finally, deeply personal.

It’s smart without ever feeling smug. That’s rare.

VISUALS (2/2)

Visually, Barbie is a cinematic dessert buffet — every frame meticulously composed, every color loud with intention. The art direction and costume design are jaw-dropping in their precision; Barbieland looks like a place where nostalgia and feminism can somehow coexist under fluorescent skies.

But what really elevates it is the irony in the visuals — this is manufactured perfection used to critique perfectionism itself. The contrast between Barbieland’s pastel plasticity and the real world’s muted tones isn’t just pretty — it’s commentary.

Gerwig and cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto make consumer imagery feel almost painterly. It’s Barbie as pop art, and it’s gorgeous.

SOUND (1/2)

The soundscape matches the film’s maximalist energy — loud, confident, occasionally over-amped. The soundtrack’s pop bangers (Dua Lipa, Billie Eilish, and even Ken’s now-infamous power ballad) give the movie its momentum, though at times the mix overshadows dialogue that deserved more space to breathe.

Still, Eilish’s closing song, “What Was I Made For?”, hits like a quiet emotional grenade. It’s the heart of the film distilled into melody — soft, questioning, and achingly human.

CHARACTER (2/2)

Margot Robbie’s Barbie is a revelation. She plays her like a woman awakening mid-dream — all poise and precision until the cracks of reality start showing through. Her vulnerability feels earned, never staged.

Ryan Gosling, meanwhile, steals scenes with absurdist brilliance. His Ken is both parody and pathos — a man who’s finally realized he’s been written in the margins. Together, they form a duet about gender that’s as hilarious as it is cutting.

The supporting cast — America Ferrera, Simu Liu, Issa Rae, and an army of perfectly cast Barbies and Kens — enrich the world rather than crowd it. Ferrera’s monologue alone feels like it should be preserved in the Smithsonian for “Modern Feminism in Under Two Minutes.”

FACTOR X (1.5/2)

Walking out of Barbie, I didn’t feel like I’d watched a toy movie. I felt like I’d watched a filmmaker pull off a miracle — sneaking a gender studies seminar into a $145-million doll commercial and making everyone laugh while learning something.

The beauty of Gerwig’s vision is that it’s playful and piercing. She doesn’t reject Barbie — she reclaims her. In doing so, she reminds us that empowerment doesn’t mean choosing between femininity and substance; it means defining them on your own terms.

Barbie may not land for everyone. Its satire is too sharp for some, its sincerity too vulnerable for others. But that’s exactly why it matters.

Barbie isn’t just pink — it’s powerful. A satire wrapped in sincerity, a comedy wrapped in commentary, and a blockbuster that actually has something to say.

If this is what “brand cinema” looks like in Gerwig’s hands, we should all be buying tickets.