By this point in its existence, cinema has seen just about every potential property turned into a film at some point, with Hollywood essentially being built on a foundation of scouting for the most popular ideas and transferring them to the screen in some way or another. When it comes to Barbie, arguably the world’s most famous doll, there have been far too many animated films based on the property to count – but yet there were rarely any real efforts to make a live action version, which was perhaps the final frontier in terms of the kinds of stories the industry was looking to explore. It took over half a century and many different films that circled around the idea without ever being intrepid enough to actually seek out the approval of Mattel, who have been notoriously protective of their most iconic products over the years. The people that eventually got the company to relent were Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach, who took the reins and wrote Barbie, the first official live-action film centred around this cultural phenomenon, which has been transformed into one of the year’s most surprisingly complex, engaging comedies that take many unexpected avenues towards bringing this icon of global culture to a new medium. Perhaps they are not necessarily the most expected names in theory – although it has been made very clear that Gerwig was primarily driving the production, Baumbach serving solely as a co-writer that helped develop some of these wacky ideas with his trademark scathing wit – but filmmakers that have a solid track record of creating memorable work that stands the test of time, and would be able to weave together something truly subversive without it being too cutting-edge that it loses the audience midway through. Barbie is a tremendously entertaining film, a comedy that places a sheen of colourful playfulness over its satirical edges, which are as delightfully jagged as we would expect, taking aim at a number of intriguing themes that we may not expect from a film of this nature, but which have become subjects that Gerwig in particular has spent a great deal of her time exploring through her work as both a writer and director, this being yet another strong motivation for her place as one of the most exciting filmmakers currently working in the industry.

It seemed inevitable that we would at some point see a live-action film based on this character, with the likely reason it took so long coming down to the fact that there isn’t a ratified mythology around this character, and the lack of a backstory (beyond the marginal traces of inspiration left by Ruth Handler, who invented the product) means that there wasn’t any easy way to approach the material without building it from the foundation, which is a daunting task, especially when a writer is given keys to the proverbial kingdom of one of the most recognizable products of the past century. Gerwig is a very intelligent filmmaker with a keen attention to detail, and Baumbach has been around for a while and has proven himself to be a masterful storyteller – therefore neither of them would be willing to sacrifice their credibility or the spark of originality on which they have built their respective careers for the sake of making a film that didn’t at least offer something unique to the audience. Gerwig chose to approach this material with a sense of self-awareness within the characters – they know that they are toys, and there is a clear delineation between the real world and the fantasy world in which the film takes place, which prevents the film from relying on the cliched arc where the characters realize that they are fictional constructions, and instead allows the film to pursue a few more interesting aspects, many of which are quite unexpected. Even just viewed as a series of moments, Barbie has many very intriguing elements that propel it forward on a narrative level – Gerwig has always had a taste for the more peculiar, something that was not present in her previous two solo directorial efforts (which were good, but weighed down by the fact that they were extremely conventional – but we can at least excuse this by noting that Gerwig was still a novice filmmaker trying to find her voice, and succeeding through following specific patterns), but which she enforces fully throughout this film, which is arguably her most audacious project to date, and the one that will likely lay the foundation for a lot of her future work, even if only in how it toggles between reality and abstraction.

The smartest decision this film made was to acknowledge its own artifice, which is intrinsically tied to the concept of metanarratives, something that Gerwig makes sure to make abundantly clear throughout this film. Without any sense of hyperbole, Barbie is one of the most actively engaging works of postmodern literature we have seen since it was pioneered over half a century ago – it may not be the defining work (especially since by its very definition, the concept of absolutes is entirely non-existent in postmodernism), but it employs so many of the major themes that have been associated with the artistic movement, it is difficult to not look at this film as at least partially an experiment in unsettling the narrative status quo. We understand that postmodernism is seen as a complete deconstruction of metanarratives, and Barbie (whether intentionally or not) proves that there isn’t any guiding principle behind our lives – as we see throughout this film, characters, both human and plastic, effortlessly move between existential realms, with the laws of physics and logic being more elastic than they have ever been, something that the screenplay frequently leans into and uses as the foundation for a lot of its humour. There is a genuine sense of imagination that guides this film, albeit one that never feels entirely compelled to explain anything, with the attempts to rationalize the story being used as comedic fodder. Essentially, nothing has to make sense, and anyone who tries to apply logic to this world is looking at it from the entirely wrong perspective, which is a peculiar way of telling any story, but one that allows Barbie to retain that sense of childish joyfulness, but also has a satirical edge, the two working in close symbiosis to be a surprisingly entertaining deconstruction of capitalism, and while Gerwig is not quite intent on infusing the film with a sense of Marxist belief, there is a complexity to how this film approaches most of its ideas that feel refreshing and unique. Furthermore, the very clever references to existing works prove how much Gerwig was inspired by previous films, carefully curating her influences to create a vibrant and bitingly funny film that pays tribute without being tacky or relying too heavily on concepts that feel out of place with this material.

Casting any film is key, but when it comes to Barbie, there was an additional challenge to choose someone who was not only a terrific actor, but could look the part and take on the many unexpected elements that define these characters. Another very smart choice – and one I imagine will be the source of a lot of discussions as he continues to analyse this film in upcoming years – was the refusal to have one definitive Barbie character, since this essentially removes the decades of goodwill the company has amassed in catering to a wider audience by having the character take on different appearances as well as a range of other individual details that could never feasibly be conveyed by a single actor. Margot Robbie is a pitch-perfect choice for the stereotypical Barbie, and she shows an abundance of charisma that proves that she is one of our best actors currently working, and someone who is often excellent with the right material. The rest of the Barbies are played by a wide range of actors (with standouts like Kate McKinnon, Issa Rae and Alexandra Shipp being terrific), with diversity being a primary aspect of this film, and one of the many reasons to celebrate the versatile cast that represent a much broader scope of identities, which is nothing if not totally admirable. The same can be said for the actors cast as Ken – Ryan Gosling is as hilarious as ever as the hopelessly desperate stereotypical Ken, but he is joined by some other terrific actors that prove to be just as strong, even if they don’t quite match Gosling in pure passion for the material, as he is committed to playing this part in ways that few actors have ever exhibited. Outside of the Barbie and Ken actors, we have terrific performances from America Ferrera and Ariana Greenblatt, the former delivering a striking monologue that is unquestionably powerful and ties all the themes of the film together, making it very clear what the message of the story was, which Ferrera sells with nothing but the most earnest, genuine honesty that essentially allows her to steal the film. We can say the same for Rhea Perlman, who has only two scenes but is absolutely brilliant and essentially serves as the beating heart of the story. No one in the cast is doing revolutionary work, but they are having fun, which is always delightful, since we may enjoy intense acting, but there is always a place for a film that allows the actors to take on less challenging roles, and instead excel in other ways, which was the entire purpose of this film.

However, everything about Barbie comes down to the deeper message, and this film was always going to draw our attention to the meaning underlying most of the narrative. Gerwig has been vocal about her intentions to take the concept of Barbie and use her as a symbol for a film based on feminism, both past and present. It is a cause that is obviously very close to the director’s heart, and something that has resonated with audiences that have embraced her work, on both sides of the camera. Perhaps it is obvious to use the character and her creation as the foundation for a feminist manifesto, but sometimes the most simple concepts are the ones that make the most impact, especially when dealing with subjects as broad as this one. Barbie acknowledges that the titular character is being used as a tool for a broader conversation around what it means to be a woman in society, and how despite living in a progressive time in which a woman is able to do much more than in the past, the world is still a treacherous place when it comes to being female, and that there are still insurmountable obstacles that every woman has to face, most notably having to do with socio-cultural perceptions of femininity. Gerwig makes sure that we know that this is the central message of Barbie, but it never feels gaudy or tacky, since it is all approached with a strong sense of humour and a sincerity that is increasingly difficult to find in a cinematic landscape focused on overly ambitious concepts, and where audacity immediately equates to brilliance, when in reality it isn’t so much the idea that makes a film engaging, but the manner in which it is executed that allows it to be relevant, especially when touching on very pressing issues such as womanhood. Arguably, some of the humour can be quite on-the-nose, and it is never all that subtle, but for the most part, Barbie succeeds relatively well in laying out its conceptual framework and ensuring that we implicitly understand its message and everything that it represents.

We cannot overstate the joyfulness that exists at the heart of Barbie, bringing these characters to life (no pun intended) in a colourful, hilariously irreverent comedy that proves to be one of the year’s most enjoyable confections. Yet, the only way it manages to achieve this effervescence is through a genuinely earnest approach to much deeper themes – it can be sometimes quite obvious the direction in which the film is heading, and the story makes very few concessions when it comes to how it delivers the message, since there is a much broader purpose to this story than simply being about the relationship between dolls and their owners, which is a surprisingly paltry addition to the plot, a red herring that hides the more intriguing elements of the story. This is a very charming film, and it is filled to the brim with an infectious gleefulness that is difficult to not embrace, even at its most outwardly bizarre. In fact, its the willingness to be strange that makes Barbie so entertaining – it sees the opportunity for subverting our expectations and challenging conventions, and while it may not always do it in a way that seems particularly notable, it ultimately amounts to something valuable once we are in the thick of the story. Objectively well-made, with the production design and costumes being extraordinary (and special mention must be given to the presence of iconic costume designer Ann Roth, who was not involved with the film in the traditional sense, but appears in a pivotal moment, perhaps the most heartfelt in the film), and written with vigour and charm, Barbie lives up to its potential, and it is difficult to imagine any part of this film that could have been improved. Gerwig took a bold risk with this film, and challenged herself to do something far more abstract – and while there are those that will find its message heavy-handed, and not entirely faithful to what their expectations may have been going into the film, it is clear that Barbie achieved what it set out to do, delivering a strong and willful message that is beautifully honest, endearing and hilariously funny, anchored by terrific performances and a strong set of ideas that feel like the work of someone who genuinely cares for both the material and what it represents, a simple but wonderful trait to find in any director, and the reason why this is a major leap forward for Gerwig, who seems to have finally arrived as a filmmaker.