Warner Bros. debuted the second trailer and character posters for Barbie, showing off more of Margot Robbie’s Barbie (girl) in her Barbie world, as well as her fellow Barbies, Kens, Humans, and more. We still don’t know too much about the plot, but director and co-writer Greta Gerwig’s choices already give us so much to appreciate without giving away the total package. Basically, what I’m saying, is that this second tease is the perfect trailer.
The biggest takeaway, though, is just how much it transports us into Barbie’s world so completely in just a minute and a half.
In a Barbie World
Said world is bright, precisely tailored, and optimistic. The first shot of Barbie stepping out of her three-inch heels and continuing to stand on the balls of her feet is such a good shortcut into understanding how these characters are going to be handled. We immediately know that this isn’t an “adapted” story about a character named Barbie who also happens to look like a doll, but is more akin to the ‘90s TV movie Life-Size, which featured Tyra Banks’ as a doll named Eve who, equipped with a lifetime of various professional skills, clashes with the real world.
Gerwig is making it clear that these characters are the embodiment of Mattel’s iconic toys. Immediately, the trailer transports you to the Barbie world of your dreams. Imagine that, as a kid, you had the largest collection of Barbies to dress up, make dance, and create drama at your disposal. (And, yeah, if Kate McKinnon’s Barbie is to believed — mutilate at your leisure.) This allows for every version of Barbie to co-exist in the world Gerwig is showcasing, offering infinite opportunities for the film we’re about to see in July.
Based on what we see in the trailer, Gerwig doesn’t ignore the real world of Barbie’s history either. We see both Midge (Emerald Fennell) and Allan (Michael Cera) in their original forms, and Kate McKinnon, specifically, as the messed up Barbie that many of us contorted, defaced, and destroyed in the most appalling ways in our youth.
Life in Plastic, It’s Fantastic
Beyond the dolls themselves, the design of Barbie World is so faithful to how many of us pictured it when we were kids while also hinting at something more. The natural elements are rendered static, lending themselves to the plastic reality of playing with any Barbie play set. The harsh, overhead lighting purposely mimics the sheen of lights against cold, hard plastic. Buildings, vistas, and landmarks in the background use the same effect you’d see on any Barbie play set that had a window looking out to a 2D landscape to manufacture depth. Homes all have the extreme indoor-outdoor architecture to mimic the accessibility of a Barbie Dream House. Buildings and cars are pastel and/or gradient colored and 30% too small compared to every citizen of Barbie Land, yet accessories are hilariously humongous.
And what an absolutely stacked cast! Fan of Netflix British TV shows? Marvel movies? Comedy? Pop stars? Helen Mirren? There’s something here for everyone. And, by appealing to such a wide range of audiences, the second hook is genius, because what are Barbie dolls if not a projection of a personality we’ve created for them?
Ryan Gosling runs away with the trailer as Ken. His delivery of “I’m not actually sure…” when Robbie’s Barbie asks him what he’d want to do at a sleepover as boyfriend and girlfriend is so pure and hilarious, especially given the anatomy of all Mattel dolls. There is absolutely nothing rattling around in that empty space of a doll head, and Gosling sells it without shame here.
It also seems like he’s competing with another Ken (Simu Liu) for Barbie’s attention. Does this mean that there is some good, wholesome pining on the horizon? Do I sense a dance-off in our future? These characters are so removed from our world that the phrase “beach me off” is said in such earnest without a single batted eye or errant giggle, an aspect of the film that leaves Gerwig with endless comedy runway.
Come on Barbie, Let’s Go Party
Barbie Land seems to exist in a weird mirage/alternate universe version of what looks like Los Angeles. Aside from the doctors, lawyers, celebrated authors, mermaids, and Pulitzer/Nobel Prize recipients that reside there, somehow it also has a President, a Supreme Court Justice, and a diplomat. Where are their lines of jurisdiction? Is Barbie Land a hidden world like Atlantis? Is this a diplomat from Barbie Land or are they from a different country? When is her assignment over? Can she become an ex-pat in Barbie Land?
This line of questioning takes me to my next point: Why would Barbie ever leave Barbie Land? The trailer shows her driving through the desert decidedly away from home, highlighting the planned fish-out-of-water plot of the movie that will have Barbie coming across humans like America Ferrera and Ariana Greenblatt. Her life seems pretty idyllic. But maybe Barbie’s chasing something more interesting than “perfect.”
Gerwig is crafting the perfect camp/satire film about the iconic doll using Hollywood’s most beautiful and expressive adjustable humans to do so. The Barbie movie already teeters on the brink of ridiculousness that appeals to those who want to ironically watch it, but also backs itself with a committed cast and faithful style that will hopefully let it stand on its own in years to come.
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2023-04-06 22:07:41Z
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