Barbie Review: 8 Ups & 2 Downs

3. The Rules Of Barbieland Are Genius

Barbie Ryan Gosling Margot Robbie
Warner Bros.

Greta Gerwig's Barbie doesn't just capture the the look of the iconic doll but the feel of it. The inhabitants of Barbieland are well-aware they are dolls, which is why they move around and interact as if they are being played with.

Mirrors don't contain glass, since it would be too dangerous to include in a doll set. Showers don't disperse water, since it's not a real machine. Instead of walking, dolls inexplicably float to where they need to go, as if a child is picking them up and placing them in their new destination. The characters' dialogue is so clunky, it sounds like a child wrote it (because they did). The Barbies and Kens sometimes move in an unnatural way to emulate the clumsy way kids play with them. (And in case you were wondering, yes, Barbie references the age-old gag how she and Ken aren't packing anything downstairs.)

If mishandled or overused, this concept could wear thin fast. Fortunately, the filmmakers keep finding new ways to play with it (no pun intended). Not only does this gag never outstay its welcome, it perfectly captures what it feels like to play with a toy.

Contributor

James Egan has been with Whatculture for five years and prominently works on Horror, Film, and Video Games. He's written over 80 books including 1000 Facts about Horror Movies Vol. 1-3 1000 Facts about The Greatest Films Ever Made Vol. 1-3 1000 Facts about Video Games Vol. 1-3 1000 Facts About James Bond 1000 Facts About TV Shows