Review: 'Barbie' puts satire in place of glitz as it skewers gender roles

I’m eagerly and anxiously awaiting the Academy Awards to see the production number slot that should be given to “I’m Just Ken,” because it’s absolutely hilarious to watch a bunch of guys — many seen as alpha males — rip off the façade in a thoroughly uproarious moment from the film “Barbie.”

It's not surprise to anyone, even the most stone-faced movie fans, that "Barbie" would provide a few laughs. But Greta Gerwig’s satirical, biting skewering of patriarchy is smarter than anyone had the right to expect, given its date on the release schedule.

Summertime films are supposed to be frivolous exercises in escapism, right? Well, theoretically speaking, “Barbie” is just that with its shades of pink and superficial view of all things that the unbelievably perfectly proportioned doll allegedly represents.

But it doesn’t take Gerwig (“Little Women”), directing from a script she wrote with Noah Baumbach (“Marriage Story”), long to lessen some of the frivolity and blend it with a social commentary.

She gets her point across effectively and in a way that makes the audience think.

Margot Robbie stars as the embodiment of the perpetually popular toy who’s living her best life in Barbieland – until she isn’t.

Dark thoughts invade her sun-shiny existence and taking counsel from Weird Barbie (Kate McKinnon), she traverses her way to the real world accompanied by Ken (Ryan Gosling) to track down the individual owner (America Ferrara) whose dark thoughts are being foisted upon her.

There, Barbie comes up against the execs at Mattel who’ve exploited her and her Barbie sisters in various forms over the doll’s 60-plus year existence.

More disturbingly for her, however, she enters a world where women – Barbies – do not rule. It’s a wee bit of a culture shock for her as she tries to navigate her new reality.

It’s Ken, however, who acts like a child in a candy store as he’s introduced to the real world’s patriarchal system. It’s as if he’s freed. He learns the joys of guzzling beer, sports and bad Sylvester Stallone wardrobe choices from the “Rocky” era.

It’s in both characters’ perspectives that Gerwig sharpens her satirical eye and takes aim at the assorted gender roles and stereotypes that have afflicted women — and in some cases, men — since the beginning of time.

She’s assembled a committed cast that takes the ride with unabashed glee, giving memorable performances along the way. Robbie gives an understated comedic performance laced with emotion. Gosling has never been accused of superficiality in his work and gives one of his funniest and best performances as the emotionally, intellectually void Ken.

As absolutely enjoyable as their two performances are, however, there are a host of performers assuming the roles of Ken (Kingsley Ben-Adir, Simu Liu, John Cena) and Barbie (Issa Rae, Alexandra Shipp) who deliver. Of them, “Saturday Night Live” vet McKinnon with her loopy, intellectual Weird Barbie, steals nearly every scene she inhabits.

“Barbie” blends frivolous fun with thought provoking social commentary.

George M. Thomas dabbles in movies and television for the Beacon Journal.

Review

Movie: “Barbie”

Cast: Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, Will Ferrell, Kate McKinnon

Directed by: Greta Gerwig

Running time: 1 hour 54 minutes

Rated: PG-13 for suggestive references and brief language.

Grade: B+

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Review: 'Barbie' proves to be an exercise in intelligence, frivolity