Last night the world premiere of Barbie took place in Los Angeles with title star Margot Robbie once again sporting a class dress worn by the doll back in 1960.
Much mystery has surrounded the upcoming comedy directed by Little Women’s Greta Gerwig, with Ryan Gosling co-starring as Ken.
The synopsis reads: “After being expelled from the utopian Barbie Land for being less-than-perfect dolls, Barbie and Ken go on a journey of self-discovery to the real world.”
And now the first reactions for the new film, which goes up against Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer on July 21, are in with glowing responses from the critics.
Check out what they had to say after last night’s world premiere below.
Variety
Barbie is perfection. Greta Gerwig delivers a nuanced commentary on what it means to be a woman in a whimsical, wonderful and laugh-out-loud funny romp. The entire cast shines, especially Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling in roles they were clearly born to play.
Screen Rant
Barbie caught me off guard and I mean that in the best way possible. It’s funny, bombastic, & very smart. Greta Gerwig aims for the fences & hits a home run. Margot Robbie’s performance is great and Ryan Gosling and Simu Liu are pure entertainment! The whole cast is brilliant!
This Week Media
“Barbie is a triumph. A pitch-perfect script backed by great performances – particularly from Ryan Gosling – turns what could be a simple studio comedy into a sharp commentary on our society that makes its nuance palatable for those that may not take it at face value.Greta Gerwig is 3/3.”
Collider
I have seen Barbie! The craftsmanship is incredible. In particular, the costume & production design includes next-level work that heavily contributes to creating the feeling that these truly are Barbies, their dream houses, and their worlds come to life.
As for the story, that’s where I’m a bit more mixed. I think the film serves Margot Robbie’s Barbie and her journey especially well, but there are other characters experiencing important arcs that needed more screen time to really dig into and explore to the fullest.
Overall, Barbie isn’t the home run I was hoping for, or that I think it needs to be given the topics it’s tackling, but it’s still a well-made, bold film with a VERY strong voice and vision, one that often made me think, HOW does this movie exist? And that right there is almost always a quality in a film that will win me over.
ComicBook.com
I can’t officially quit Twitter before telling you all that Barbie is currently my favourite film of the year. Greta Gerwig somehow exceeded my expectations. She tackles the positives and negatives of Barbie so beautifully. Give Ryan Gosling an Oscar nomination, I’m dead serious!
Barbie hits cinemas on July 21, 2023.
