BARBIE. The most highly anticipated movie in recent history is finally out. The girls and the gays are flocking to their nearest movie theater donning their best Barbie-inspired ensemble. In the mad rush to see the film of the century, reviewers are cranking out their impressions. As expected, it’s bubblegum pink perfection.
The chief movie critic of The New York Times, Manohla Dargis, recognized the “inherently commercial parameters” of the film but praised director Greta Gerwig’s execution. She wrote, “the Mattel brand looms large here, but Gerwig, whose directorial command is so fluent she seems born to filmmaking, is announcing that she’s in control.”
Lovia Gyarkye of The Hollywood Reporter called the film a “pink fever dream” and praised the humor sprinkled throughout the story. She described the film as “a tricky balancing act of corporate fealty and subversion.”
Variety’s chief film critic Peter Debruge praised Gerwig’s take on the toy, calling her “so darn smart.” He also recognized the “Barbenheimer” trend, highlighting the fact that Barbie was released on the same day as Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer. He stated the coincidence was “kind of perfect” as “Gerwig’s girl-power blockbuster offers a neon-pink form of inception all its own.”
Kyle Smith, The Wall Street Journal‘s movie critic, did not expect the feminist undertones of the film. He wrote, “As bubbly as the film appears, its script is like a grumpier-than-average women’s studies seminar.” He added that moviegoers may be “puzzled” to find that the movie was not “Fun Barbie” as they expected.
The Associated Press’ culture writer, Jocelyn Noveck, was excited by Gerwig’s Barbie, calling it “brash, clever, idea-packed (if ultimately TOO packed) and most of all, eye-poppingly lovely” despite “some less-than-developed character arcs.”
At the time of this writing, Barbie is sitting pretty at 89% on Rotton Tomatoes.
Have you seen Barbie? Did the reviewers get it right? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!
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