SCREEN SHOT - Barbie

I must preface this review with a disclaimer. I viewed so many clips and interviews about this movie I am confident that it did affected my experience of the full movie. ending up feeling I'd already seen the best bits of it beforehand, so what had remained unseen left me significantly unimpressed, nonplussed, even at times indifferent. 

All its best gags, and Gosling's brilliant self parodying performance in particular, were so heavily trailed. It raised my expectations of it being a joyous laugh out loud irreverent camp fest. But no, this proved not to be. It was an entirely different, less inventive and, surprising, a much more predictable movie than I'd thought it would be. Its OK, but appears to lose its energy and sense of humour to the delivery of its no doubt well meaning and empowering message.

Stereotypical Barbie finds herself thinking about death and her fallen arches. The reason is someone in the real world has lost faith in what Barbie is meant to represent, that women can be awesome. Along with Ken she goes to the real world to find them. In the process Ken discovers a male dominated world where men are not just sexless blond bimbos and Barbie side kicks - they too can kick ass. Returning to Barbie world he delivers this message to the other Kens. The Kens take over Barbie World. A battle to return Barbie world to its feminine ideal state ensues.

The opening third of this movie truly is a lot of fun. As it gets itself increasingly entangled in empowering message delivery, it becomes a bit too laboured if not lame, the comedy  flabbier, more cartoon slapstick. Not helped by Will Farrell, the king of lame, having far too much screen time. The film could have benefited from being half an hour shorter and with much tighter wittier dialogue through out. At some point it forgot it needed also to imaginatively engage and amuse.

There were times when you could be forgiven for thinking you were watching a movie constructed entirely for Mattel product placement. Aimed, primarily, at a pre- teen audience, and, unsurprisingly, not for a sixty six year old gay man. But to say its doing well, understates the supreme effectiveness of its promotional juggernaut on cinema takings. It obviously has tapped into something that has a cross generational appeal, some of whom will get the irony in it. Performance wise Ryan Gosling pretty much steals it.

Structurally it sets itself a bright engaging story trajectory that it then has to work out how to extricate itself from, and find some happy resolution. The clunky machinery of the latter, led to my interest and patience largely dwindling in the process. The idea of this movie is much better than the actuality. Hence the deflated nature of my disappointment.

CARROT REVIEW - 4/8