Barbie (2023) Dir: Greta Gerwig
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Part two of the greatest double feature in cinema feature came from Greta Gerwig's already iconic, flamboyant, colourful and meaningful comedy.
Expectations have been near-astronomical for this, and, in all but a few ways, it has met those lofty hopes with an infectiously wonderful energy.
The film is great fun, but has a lot of very real themes that it tries to address throughout. The messages the film is bringing to its audience are important and necessary.
They are, for the most part, well presented, although it bordered on feeling a little bit shallow at a few points - to say that the film is a bit on the nose with it is being polite, but then, nothing about this film is subtle, which is not a criticism.
I loved the costume and set designs, as well as the brilliance of the hair and makeup department. The story itself is very entertaining, and allowed for a lot of exciting and enjoyable sequences.
Margot Robbie is as iconic as the famous toy she brings to life, in what is an absolutely remarkable performance. She was very much the perfect casting choice - Robbie embodied the ideas and ideals of the story with emphatic commitment. She balanced the sincere and emotional moments with the outlandishly funny and over-the-top with an ease befitting her talents.
Ryan Gosling matched his co-stars commitment and then some, with a wonderfully enjoyable performance. He is often criticised for a lack of personality in his roles, but what he brings to this is a colourful, flamboyant, charismatic and hilarious persona that was just fantastic to watch.
America Ferrera and Ariana Greenblatt have great chemistry with one another, and form an important bond with which to build and nurture one of the film's key subplots.
Michael Cera was a pleasant surprise in a role that I did not expect to get as much attention as it did. His character was one of the most entertaining of any in the film, and so much of that had to do with Cera's delightful display.
There was only one character I didn't like and they played by Kate McKinnon. I just found her somewhat irritating.
The other noteworthy cast members include Issa Rae, Emma Mackey, Will Ferrell, Simu Liu, Alexandra Shipp, Hari Nef, Sharon Rooney, Ana Kayne, Ritu Arya, Nicola Coughlan, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Ncuti Gatwa, Rhea Perlman, Connor Swindells, Helen Mirren, John Cena, Dua Lipa, Rob Brydon, Lucy Boynton, Will Merrick and Jamie Demetriou.
Overall, I think this is a truly wonderful piece of cinema, as well as a clever piece of marketing, that has a strong message and an abundance of colour and exuberance.
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