They then manipulate the Kens into fighting among themselves, distracting them from enshrining male superiority into Barbieland's constitution, and the Barbies regain power. With the assistance of Sasha, Weird Barbie, Allan, and the discontinued dolls, Gloria's speech deprograms the Barbies from their indoctrination. She becomes depressed, but Gloria gives her a speech about society's conflicting expectations of women, restoring Barbie's self-confidence. Barbie arrives and fails to convince everyone to return to the way things were. Returning to Barbieland before Barbie does, he persuades the other Kens to take over, and the Barbies are indoctrinated into submissive roles, such as agreeable girlfriends, housewives, and maids. Meanwhile, Ken learns about patriarchy and feels respected for the first time. Mattel attempts to put Barbie in a toy box for remanufacturing, but she escapes with Gloria and Sasha's help and the three travel to Barbieland with Mattel executives in pursuit. Distraught, Barbie discovers that Gloria, a Mattel employee and Sasha's mother, inadvertently caused her existential crisis after Gloria began playing with Sasha's old Barbie toys. Barbie tracks down her owner, a teenage girl named Sasha, who criticizes her for encouraging unrealistic beauty standards. Alarmed by their presence, Mattel's CEO orders their recapture. Ken stows away in her convertible to join her, to which Barbie reluctantly agrees.Īrriving at Venice Beach, Barbie punches a man for groping her, leading to her and Ken's brief arrest. She seeks out Weird Barbie, a disfigured doll, who tells her she must find the child playing with her in the real world to cure her afflictions.

Overnight, she develops bad breath, cellulite, and flat feet, disrupting her usual routines the next day. One evening at a dance party, Barbie is suddenly stricken with worries about mortality. Beach Ken ('Ken') is only happy when he is with Barbie, and seeks a closer relationship, but she rebuffs him in favor of other activities and female friendships. While the Kens spend their days playing at the beach, considering it their profession, the Barbies hold prestigious jobs in science, politics, media, and so on. Stereotypical Barbie ('Barbie') and fellow dolls reside in Barbieland, a matriarchal society populated by different versions of Barbies, Kens, and a group of discontinued models who are treated like outcasts due to their unconventional traits. Named one of the top 10 films of 2023 by the National Board of Review and the American Film Institute, it received critical acclaim and other accolades, including eight Academy Award nominations (including Best Picture) and won two Golden Globe Awards. The film has grossed $1.44 billion and achieved several milestones, including becoming the highest-grossing film of 2023 and the 14th highest-grossing film of all time. Its simultaneous release with Universal's Oppenheimer led to the Barbenheimer cultural phenomenon, which encouraged audiences to see both films as a double feature. Studios, Leavesden, in England and at the Venice Beach Skatepark in Los Angeles from March to July 2022.īarbie premiered at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles on July 9, 2023, and was released in the United States on July 21. The rest of the cast was announced in early 2022, with principal photography occurring primarily at Warner Bros. Robbie was cast in 2019, after Gal Gadot turned down the role due to scheduling conflicts, and Gerwig was announced as director and co-writer with Baumbach in 2020. Following multiple writer and director changes and the casting of Amy Schumer and later Anne Hathaway as Barbie, the rights were transferred to Warner Bros. Development began in April 2014, when Sony Pictures acquired the film rights. The supporting cast includes America Ferrera, Michael Cera, Kate McKinnon, Issa Rae, Rhea Perlman, and Will Ferrell.Ī live-action Barbie film was announced in September 2009 by Universal Pictures with Laurence Mark producing. The film stars Margot Robbie as the title character and Ryan Gosling as Ken, and follows the pair on a journey of self-discovery through both Barbieland and the real world following an existential crisis. Based on the eponymous fashion dolls by Mattel, it is the first live-action Barbie film after numerous computer-animated films and specials. Barbie is a 2023 fantasy comedy film directed by Greta Gerwig from a screenplay she wrote with Noah Baumbach.

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