Barbie (film)

Barbie is a 2023 fantasy comedy film, based on the fashion dolls of the same name by Mattel, about Barbie and Ken, who go on a journey of self-discovery beyond the realms of Barbieland.

Directed by Greta Gerwig. Written by Gerwig and Noah Baumbach.

She's everything. He's just Ken.

If you love Barbie, this movie is for you. If you hate Barbie... This movie is for you.

Barbie (Stereotypical Barbie)

I want to do the imagining — I don’t want to be the idea. Does that make sense?

It is the best day ever — and so is yesterday, and so is tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow, and even Wednesdays, and every day from now until forever!
Do you guys ever think about dying?
Some things have been happening that might be related. Cold shower. Falling off my roof. And my heels are on the ground.
Basically, everything that men do in your world, women do in ours.
How can I be a fascist? I don't control the railways or the flow of commerce!

Ken (Beach Ken)

I'm just Ken and I'm enough. And I'm great at doing stuff.
Shredding waves is much more dangerous than people realize.
If I wasn't severely injured, I would beach you off right now, Ken.
Horses are just men extenders.
To be honest, when I found out the patriarchy wasn't about horses, I lost interest anyways.
Does the label "long-term long-distance low-commitment casual girlfriend" mean nothing to her?

Narrator

Barbie has a great day every day. Ken only has a great day if Barbie looks at him.

Gloria

It is literally impossible to be a woman. You are so beautiful and so smart... and it kills me that you don't think you're good enough. Like, we always have to be extraordinary, but somehow we're always doing it wrong. We have to be thin, but not too thin and you can never say you want to be thin. You have to say you want to be healthy, but also, you have to be thin. You have to have money, but you can't ask for money because that's crass. You gotta be a boss, but you can't be mean. You have to lead, but you can't squash other people's ideas. You’re supposed to love being a mother, but you don't talk about your kids all the time. You have to be a career woman but also always be looking out for other people. You have to answer for men's bad behavior, which is insane, but if you point that out, you're accused of complaining. You're supposed to stay pretty for men, but not so pretty that you tempt them too much or that you threaten other women because you're supposed to be a part of the sisterhood. But always stand out and always be very grateful, but never forget the system is rigged, so find a way to acknowledge that but also always be grateful. You have to never get old, never be rude, never show off, never be selfish, never fall down, never fail, never show fear, never get out of line. It's too hard! It's too contradictory and nobody gives you a medal or says thank you! And it turns out in fact that not only are you doing everything wrong, but also everything is your fault. I'm just so tired of watching myself and every single other woman tie herself into knots so that people will like us. And if all of that is also true for a doll just representing women, then I don't even know.

CEO of Mattel

If this got out, this could mean extremely weird things for our world. This would be catastrophic!
No one rests until this doll is back in a box!
Women are at the foundation of this company! There was a female CEO in the 90s and then another one... at some point. So that's two right there!

Other

Allan: Allans have been in the real word before, no one's noticed! NSYNC? They're all Allans! Even that one!
Aaron Dinkins: I'm a man with no power, does that make me a woman?
Sasha: Men hate women and women hate women. It's the one thing we can all agree on.
Kenmaid (Portrayed by John Cena): Hi, Barbie!
Ruth Handler: We mothers stand still so our daughters can look back to see how far they’ve come.

Dialogue

We mothers stand still so our daughters can look back and see how far they've come.

Ruth: You understand that humans have only one ending. Ideas live forever. Humans not so much. You do know that don’t you?

Barbie: I do.

Ruth: Being a human can be pretty uncomfortable.

Barbie: I know.

Ruth: Humans make things up, like "patriarchy" and "Barbie" — just to deal with how uncomfortable it is.

Barbie: I understand that.

Ruth: And then you die.

Barbie: Yeah. Yeah. I want to be part of the people — to make meaning — not the thing that's made. I want to do the imagining — I don’t want to be the idea. Does that make sense?

Barbie: [in tears] I'm not pretty anymore!

Gloria: What? You're so pretty!

Barbie: I'm not stereotypical Barbie pretty!

Narrator: Note to the filmmakers: Margot Robbie is the wrong person to cast if you want to make this point.

Ken: I thought I might stay over tonight.

Barbie: Why?

Ken: Because we're girlfriend and boyfriend.

Barbie: To do what?

[pause]

Ken: I'm actually not sure.

Barbie: I do not have a vagina and he does not have a penis. We have no genitals.

Ken: I have all the genitals!

Ken: I just don't know who I am without you.

Barbie: You're Ken.

Ken: But it's Barbie and Ken. There's no just Ken. That's why I was created. I only exist within the warmth of your gaze. Without it, I'm just another blond guy who can't do flips.

Cast

Margot Robbie - Barbie
Ryan Gosling - Ken
America Ferrera - Gloria
Issa Rae - President Barbie
Kate McKinnon - Weird Barbie
Michael Cera - Allan
Ariana Greenblatt - Sasha
Rhea Perlman - Ruth Handler
Helen Mirren - Narrator
Will Ferrell - CEO of Mattel

Quotes about Barbie

She [Gerwig] told me that when she was growing up, her Christian family’s closest friends were observant Jews; they vacationed together and constantly tore around each other’s homes. She would also eat with them on Friday nights for Shabbat dinner, where blessings were sung in Hebrew, including over the children at the table. “I want people to feel like I did at Shabbat dinner,” she said. “I want them to get blessed.”
- Willa Paskin in "Greta Gerwig’s ‘Barbie’ Dream Job" The New York Times Magazine (July 11, 2023)

It’s a f—— doll movie! It’s a doll movie. It’s a fun movie about dolls who come to life and try to interact with the real world.
- Joe Rogan quoted in "Joe Rogan 'appalled' at political outrage over 'Barbie:' 'It’s a f—— doll movie!'"] The New York Post (August 9, 2023)

You take a shot every time Barbie says the word 'patriarchy', you will pass out before the movie ends.
- Elon Musk on Twitter (July 24, 2023)

My hope for the movie is that it’s an invitation for everybody to be part of the party and let go of the things that aren’t necessarily serving us as either women or men. I hope that in all of that passion, if they see it or engage with it, it can give them some of the relief that it gave other people.
- Greta Gerwig quoted in "'‘Barbie' Largely Praised For Feminist Themes—But Draws Anger From The Anti-Woke Forbes (July 26, 2023)

During his opening monologue at the ceremony, Koy said that while Oppenheimer was "based on a 721-page Pulitzer Prize-winning book about the Manhattan Project," Barbie was based on "a plastic doll with big boobies!"
- Jo Koy quoted in "Greta Gerwig Responds to Jo Koy’s Controversial Golden Globes Joke About Barbie’s ‘Big Boobies’" The Messenger (January 10, 2024)

Whatever happened to she’s everything and he’s just Ken?
- Entertainment Weekly's Shania Russell in "Barbie star Margot Robbie snubbed for Best Actress but she's still an Oscar nominee" commenting on Oscar's nominating Ryan Gosling for Best Supporting Actor but not Margot Robbie for Best Actress (January 23, 2024).

Greta Gerwig: Made a critically acclaimed, culturally profound, feminist movie about Barbie and the patriarchy that made a billion dollars at the box office. Oscar nomination goes to … Ken.”
- Shannon Watts quoted in "‘Barbie’ Oscars snubs prompt a backlash, even from Ken (and Hillary)" Associated Press (January 24, 2023)

External links

Wikipedia

Wikipedia has an article about:

Barbie (film)

Barbie quotes at the Internet Movie Database