One Ticket for the Barbie Movie, Please
April 12, 2023
Greta Gerwig’s Barbie movie has already gained popularity for its nostalgic concept, and the newest teaser trailer made fans even more excited to see Barbie and Ken on screen.
Barbie is the first ever live-action Barbie movie–and it looks incredible. Margot Robbie will play the titular character, but there are at least 10 other confirmed dolls in the movie. The star-studded cast includes Emma Mackey as a Nobel prize-winning Barbie, Dua Lipa as a mermaid Barbie, Issa Rae as President Barbie, and Kate McKinnon as a messed-up Barbie (possibly the most accurate rendition, with cut-up hair and crayons all over her face).
Alongside Robbie’s Barbie is Ryan Gosling’s Ken. Like the Barbies, other Ken’s include Simu Liu, Kingsley Ben-Adir, and Ncuti Gatwa. Other dolls are Micheal Cera as Allan and Emerald Fennell as Midge. Alongside them are mysterious human characters, some played by America Ferrera, Connor Swindells, and Will Ferrel. We have considerably less information about Ken and humans, but that aligns pretty well with the movie’s tagline: “She’s everything. He’s just Ken.”
Despite the hype, very little is known about the plot of Barbie. Two teaser trailers have dropped. The first parodied a scene from Stanley Kubrick’s sci-fi film 2001: A Space Odyssey and highlights a giant Margot Robbie in the first-ever Barbie outfit, leading kids out of the prehistoric (doll) ages. The second gives a little more information. Set in the pastel pink dreamworld of Barbie Land, it gives us a look at Robbie and Gosling’s hilarious dynamic with each other and the other dolls. The trailer is vibrant, peppy, and fun–but people suspect there’s more to the movie than what meets the eye.
Theories range from a Truman Show-esque setup to a Wizard Of Oz-style adventure to a full-on psychological doll existential crisis. Originally, it seemed like Robbie’s Barbie would get kicked out of Barbie Land for being an imperfect doll. However, in the teaser, it looks more like she’s choosing to go out and see the real world. Despite the mystery, there’s no doubt that Barbie will be the movie of the summer. See it in theaters on July 21!