TV NEWS
Barbie: Things Only Adults Notice
By RITA DORSCH & BENJAMIN FALBO
This story contains spoilers for “Barbie.”
SPOILER ALERT!
Barbies don’t behave like humans because they’re dolls being played with by humans. This is why Margot Robbie floats from her roof and can drive with no hands.
Dolly Details
Taking a closer look at Barbieland, there are more accurate dolly details. Any parent would recognize the stickers that make up Barbie’s refrigerator or the water in the pool.
“Barbie” contains a myriad of references to famous films that came before it. Even the teaser trailer showed a parody of Barbie in “2001: A Space Odyssey.”
Movie Allusions
Other references include “Rocky” and “The Godfather.” More subtle allusions are for “The Wizard of Oz,” “The Truman Show,” “Saturday Night Fever,” and so many more.
Apart from the stunning leads, Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, the cast is full of famous faces. The cast includes comic legends Rhea Perlman, Kate McKinnon, and Will Ferrell.
Casting & Cameos
John Cena is a mermaid and Annie Mumolo is Anxiety Mom. Director Greta Gerwig’s partner, Noah Baumbach, is seen for a split second, and the film’s narrator is Helen Mirren.
“Barbie” was released with a PG-13 rating, which is surprising, but not unusual for family films. A reason for the rating could be the amount of double entendres.
Double Entendres
The film is full of jokes that are meant to go over kids’ heads. The first of these entendres is seen in the trailer as the Kens try to “beach” each other off, which is Ken’s career.
The whole premise of “Barbie” is a feminist exercise that examines patriarchal society by comparing it to the girl-powered fantasy of Barbieland.
Feminism & Patriarchy
In the real world, Barbie feels a looming threat and Ken feels affirmation. It’s a dark joke about how it took women centuries to get where they are, but are still not fully equal.