Spoilers for the Barbie movie are ahead!
Barbie is a very unique movie. Instead of making a cut and dry IP movie about the iconic doll, Greta Gerwig, writer and director of the film, decided to put her own feminist spin on the project. She made a comedy film, featuring obscure pop culture references, in-jokes, academic language, and hilariously big performances to communicate themes of girlhood and patriarchy. It was such a big swing, but paid off, and became the biggest movie of the year. As Barbie continues to break box office records, Gerwig reveals that even she was surprised that she was able to get away with some of the material and jokes that ended up in the movie.
In a recent interview with Radio 1, the one and only Greta Gerwig chatted about directing the summer blockbuster and what her mindset was while she was writing some of the jokes in the script. She admitted that many of the jokes she wrote were so out there and she didn’t think many people would understand some of the quips that she wrote for herself. The Oscar nominee explained that many weird jokes got in the movie that surprised her, saying:
There’s lines in this movie, maybe one person will laugh at them. Like when she says, ‘I’m having a real Proustian flashback,’ and he says, ‘Remember Proust Barbie? That did not sell very well.’ Things like that, I’m like, ‘I can’t believe we’re writing these jokes into this movie. And it was like, so much of it felt so… in a way we did [write it for ourselves].
For context, Proust was an early 20th century French novelist, and a "Proustian flashback" usually refers to a memory being triggered involuntarily. It’s an incredibly layered and high-brow joke for something so commercial like Barbie, however it somehow works with the tone of the story. Gerwig is able to make complex references and ultra-specific jokes, and still appeal to such a wide audience. She does this several times throughout the film, like when Margot Robbie’s Barbie character goes on complex patriarchal rants, or makes several references to 90s pop culture.
The complexities of Barbie aren’t really a surprise for those who have a relationship with Gerwig’s previous work. Her first solo directorial debut, Lady Bird, dealt with the complicated relationships between daughters and mothers during the high school years. She further explores girlhood in Little Women, breathing life into the classic novel with a modern feminist lens. It’s no surprise that she would want to bring the same themes to a toy and symbol geared towards young girls. The director explains that she felt compelled to direct Barbie, saying:
I thought, ‘I can’t bear to let anyone else do this.’
She had great instincts and clearly was the best woman for the job. The movie has touched so many audiences, who see themselves in Gerwig’s quirky sense of humor and deep perspective. While references to things like “Proust” may have seemed arbitrary and niche, the specifics of the film is what makes it feel so universal and intimate. It turns out, a lot of girls have scrolled through their ex bestie’s social media while watching BBC's Pride and Prejudice, or have had a man play guitar at them while singing a Matchbox 20 song . While there was a little pushback from Mattel on some things, I’m glad the toy company eventually saw the vision, and allowed Gerwig to bring her intellect and wit to their beloved IP.
Barbie is still in theaters, so make sure to check out the summer phenomenon on the big screen before the Mattel project heads to digital DVD and streaming. For more information on other great films heading to cinemas later this year, make sure to consult our 2023 movie release schedule.
