This is not what I was expecting.
Which is to say, unfortunately, that this is exactly what I would’ve expected from a Barbie movie that had no higher ambitions than being a quick cash grab.
Okay, that’s not entirely fair.
The visual candy land that is, well, Barbieland is an eye-popping spectacle of design and color that is legitimately ambitious and creative.
But when acclaimed indie writer / director Greta Gerwig (Little Women, Ladybird) is the visionary here — along with her equally acclaimed co-writer and partner, filmmaker Noah Baumbach — the expectation is something more than cheap entendres delivered with wide-eyed, oblivious innocence.
And yet, that’s exactly what this new teaser trailer for Barbie delivers, coming off as little more than a feature-length SNL sketch.
I’ll give it a pass for now, as it would also be a safe assumption that the studio marketing team would want to front with the most obvious, populist, fluff reduction so as to attract the widest audience — so that’s what I’ll assume is going on here.
Hopefully the actual film will deliver more…while also, yes, having some fluffy air-headed fun (because there’s nothing wrong with that).
Starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling as Barbie and Ken (who, I have to confess, look too old for the roles despite being perfect for them about ten years ago), Barbie opens in theaters this summer on July 19, 2023.
Click on any image for larger gallery
