This article contains spoilers for “Barbie.”The first live-action movie based on Mattel’s Barbie dolls could have easily been a cash grab: just another soulless vehicle for merchandise to fly off the shelves.
But writer and director Greta Gerwig looks at the cultural impact of this mammoth intellectual property with a complexity and depth that subverts audiences’ expectations.While Mattel’s endorsement is clear — like the sequences where the camera freezes on Barbie‘s outfit products and their names — Gerwig is not afraid to critique the fantasy we’ve bought from them.
Together with co-writer Noah Baumbach, she pokes fun at the company’s controversies and missteps while bringing Barbie and her world to life.
Mattel’s CEO Ynon Kreiz told Variety that he supports the corporation’s zany portrayal:”There are so many elements of humor and self-deprecation in the movie.
And we embrace that.
We take our brands very seriously.
We take what we do very seriously.
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