The teaser trailer for Greta Gerwig’s take on legendary Mattel toy ‘Barbie‘ was not what anyone was expecting –– unless they really were expecting a spoof of ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’.
With the new, full trailer for the movie, we still have little idea of the actual plot, but we’ve gotten a much better look at the pink plastic-hued world where Barbie (Margot Robbie) and Ken (Ryan Gosling) live.
Nothing about the film seems to be the expected choice, between Gerwig (who co-wrote the script with creative/life partner Noah Baumbach), to the main stars jumping aboard.
But with Gerwig as the creative driving force here, you knew this was going to be far from a basic toy tie-in (though she has said that Barbie company Mattel gave her the thumbs up for anything she wanted to do) so expect commentary on social mores and plenty of subtext under all that pink.
Margot Robbie as Barbie in Warner Bros. Pictures’ ‘Barbie,’ a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo Credit: Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures. Copyright: © 2023 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.
What do we learn about ‘Barbie’ here.
From what we can ascertain, it appears that Gerwig and co. could be looking for a meta story along the lines of ‘The LEGO Movie’, with Barbie at one point driving towards the “real” world (with Ken –– and his roller blades, of course –– along for the ride whether she wants that or not).
There is a shot of Will Ferrell as, presumably, a toy company bigwig, astonished to see Barbie strut into his office, which also gives credence to the idea that a character considered a toy will crossover in our reality.
Beyond that, we have the seemingly innocent relationship between the main Barbie and Ken, a multitude of variant Barbies and Ken, plenty of rivalry among the Kens, with a running gag of them threatening to “beach” someone off, a fight on the sand, the potential for more than one musical number and fun easter eggs such as Barbie’s corvette that appears to drive itself.
(L to R) Emma Mackey as Barbie, Ncuti Gatwa as Ken, Simu Liu as Ken, Margot Robbie as Barbie, Ryan Gosling as Ken and Kingsley Ben-Adir as Ken in Warner Bros. Pictures’ ‘Barbie,’ a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo Credit: Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures. Copyright: © 2023 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Related Article: First Look at Ryan Gosling as Ken in ‘Barbie’
Who is in ‘Barbie’?
A new set of character posters for the movie offer further teasing possibilities. While they confirm that the likes of Simu Liu, Ncuti Gatwa and Kingsley Ben-Adir as Kens, and Dua Lipa, Issa Rae, Alexandra Shipp and Kate McKinnon as other Barbies (all hilariously listing the Barbies with their specialist skills or jobs and the Kens as simply “Ken”, in keeping with the toys), there are also mention of humans in the film, including America Ferrera and Emerald Fennell, who is playing a pregnant woman named Midge.
Given the sprawling ensemble list for the movie, it might be easier to name who isn’t in it –– challenging Chris Nolan’s ‘Oppenheimer’ for Biggest Cast List 2023.
Alongside Robbie, Gosling, Liu and the people we have listed above, here’s who else you’ll see (or hear, in one case) on screen…
Emma Mackey, Hari Nef, Ana Cruz Kayne, Sharon Rooney, Ritu Arya, Nicola Coughlan, Scott Evans, Michael Cera, Helen Mirren (as the film’s narrator), Ariana Greenblatt, Jamie Demetriou and Connor Swindells.
Oh, and Ferrell’s poster just says, “Please call me mother” on it. Um… Okay?
‘Barbie’ drives into theaters on July 21st.
(L to R) Ryan Gosling as Ken and Margot Robbie as Barbie in Warner Bros. Pictures’ ‘Barbie,’ a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo Credit: Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures. Copyright: © 2023 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Ryan Gosling as Ken in Warner Bros. Pictures’ ‘Barbie,’ a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo Credit: Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures. Copyright: © 2023 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.
(L to R) Margot Robbie as Barbie,Alexandra Shipp as Barbie, Michael Cera as Allan, Ariana Greenblatt as Sasha and America Ferrera FERRERA as Gloria in Warner Bros. Pictures’ ‘Barbie,’ a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo Credit: Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures. Copyright: © 2023 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Issa Rae as Barbie in Warner Bros. Pictures’ ‘Barbie,’ a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo Credit: Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures. Copyright: © 2023 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.
(L to R) Issa Rae as Barbie, Scott Evans as Ken, Simu Liu as Ken, Emma Mackey as Barbie and Ncuti Gatwa as Ken in Warner Bros. Pictures’ ‘Barbie,’ a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo Credit: Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures. Copyright: © 2023 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Kate McKinnon as Barbie in Warner Bros. Pictures’ ‘Barbie,’ a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo Credit: Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures. Copyright: © 2023 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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‘Barbie’ is produced by Warner Bros. Pictures, Heyday Films, LuckyChap Entertainment, and Mattel Films. It is set to release in theaters on July 21st.
