Barbie: Directed by Greta Gerwig

SYNOPSIS: Barbie and Ken are having the time of their lives in the colorful and seemingly perfect world of Barbie Land. However, when they get a chance to go to the real world, they soon discover the joys and perils of living among humans.

Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, Greta Gerwig and a wild premise. This film was always going to slap and the anticipation was at an all-time high. As one half of the Barbenheimer duo, I was so excited to take part in this cinematic event and see the full vision of Gerwig brought to life. There aren’t many directors that haven’t put out a bad project, and Gerwig is one of those rare examples. Anything she touches turns to gold, but like Barbie.

Greta Gerwig is a genius, both with the writing and behind the camera as the director. The passion that she brings to this project is felt in every pixel on the screen. Everything from the costumes to production design to music was all done so meticulously and you know that Gerwig had her hands all over it. Further than that, it’s just a well-directed movie. Her vision is stunning and the film is composed in such a creative and fascinating way. You can also tell that everyone is having the time of their lives which adds another level of fun to the final draft. Just so well done.

The writing is the best part of this film. Very meta at times, incredibly funny, shockingly emotional and contemplative. It’s a story about self-worth, identity and the meaning around why we do what we do in life. First and foremost, this movie is just hilarious. The best thing about this is the balance between that comedy and the seriousness. We’ve seen movies try and fail to balance those pillars of the script, but here Gerwig and Noah Baumbach knock it out of the park. I laughed my ass off and cried my eyes out by the end. It’s a beautiful story that shows the hard truths about life, especially for women. The commentary is on the nose and in my opinion really good and really important.

The performances are the most shining part of this film. Margot Robbie is picture perfect for this role. She was destined to play Barbie and brought all of the proper emotion that was necessary. She played the fish out of water so well and carried this project on her back. Ryan Gosling was born to play Ken and he absolutely knocked this role out of the park. The rest of the cast is also incredible with special shout-outs to Issa Rae, Kate McKinnon, America Ferrera, Simu Liu and Michael Cera.

FINAL: Barbie is an absolute revelation from Greta Gerwig. She brings such joy and passion and brightness to this very serious story at the core. A contemplative and emotional story that hits all of the right emotional marks while also being as funny as anything you will see all year. I laughed, I cried and my jaw was on the floor. The performances across the board are stellar, but Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling as expected are the best part of this film. The technical is some of the best I’ve ever seen with multiple Oscars coming their way. The movie of the summer that everyone should watch.

Point Breakdown:

15 for Writing: 15

15 for Performances: 14

10 for Entertainment: 10

10 for Direction: 10

10 for Emotions: 9

5 for Cinematography: 5

5 for Score: 5

5 for Pacing: 5

15 for Technical: 15

5 for Rewatchability: 5

5 for Automatic: 5

Barbie: 98/100

Jack Lautaret is a Banana Meter approved film critic, Host of the Jack Lautaret YouTube Channel and writer for Music City Drive-In. He is a member of the Online Film and Television Association. Twitter: @JackLautaret