Barbie was highly praised by critics, who called the upcoming movie “dazzling” in early reviews.
Critics who have watched the film have shared their thoughts about it Rotten tomatoeswith one describing Margot Robbie’s highly anticipated film as “one of the most entertaining films of the year.”
The Barbie movie will hit theaters July 21, with Margot, 33, leading the cast as the eponymous Barbie doll alongside her boyfriend Ken, played by Ryan Gosling, 42.
Critics also praised director Greta Gerwig, 39, for achieving “a pleasing balance between the wacky and the serious.”
“This is truly original work – one of the smartest, funniest, sweetest, most insightful and downright entertaining films of the year,” said Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun-Times.
Critics pleaser: Barbie was a hit with critics, who called the upcoming movie “dazzling” and “one of the most entertaining movies of the year” in early reviews
Meanwhile, Coleman Spilde of The Daily Beast was stunned by the film.
In the capable hands of Gerwig, even a film about one of the most popular toys of all time eludes expectations every time. Barbie is her mainstream masterpiece, a dizzying dream that will touch the soul of all who see it.”
Chandler Levack of Globe and Mail called the film “both a master’s thesis on feminism and an Austin Powers-esque romp.”
Barbie’s silliness, combined with Gerwig’s interest in puncturing patriarchy, makes the film a baggy, tonally dissonant viewing experience at times. But for the most part, she strikes a pleasant balance between the silly and the serious,” wrote Ann Hornaday of the Washington Post.
Katie Walsh of Tribune News Service called the film a “barbed statement wrapped in a visually lush and sublimely silly cinematic confection”.
Others praised the film for being soulful, including Tomris Laffly of TheWrap.
‘A soulful film among all the stubborn fuchsia. One that has heart and ambition as well as abundant beauty, inside and out.”
Many also praised the cast for their dynamic performances.
Barbie world: The Barbie movie will hit theaters July 21, with Margot, 33, leading the cast as the eponymous Barbie doll alongside her boyfriend Ken, played by Ryan Gosling, 42
Feminism: Critics who watched the film shared their views. Chandler Levack called the film “both a master’s thesis on feminism and an Austin Powers-esque romp”
Dynamic Pair: Many also praised the cast. “What really makes this comedy click is the great performances, from the lead through to the end,” wrote Peter Howell of the Toronto Star.
Dream team: Critics also praised director Greta Gerwig, 39 (pictured center) for achieving “a pleasing balance between the crazy and the serious”; The trio pictured on June 25 in Los Angeles
“What really makes this comedy click is the great performances, from the lead. This is the funniest cast I’ve seen in ages,” wrote Peter Howell of the Toronto Star.
“This is a wonderfully fun watch that somehow manages to simultaneously celebrate and satirize the Barbie brand, its feminism and girlishness, like gorpcore sandals with a flowy pink skirt,” wrote Time Out’s Alice Saville .
Justin Chang of the Los Angeles Times praised Robbie in his review.
“Robbie takes an archetype long dismissed as a down-to-earth caricature and teases and makes her deeply felt from moment to moment,” he wrote.
Aside from Robbie and Gosling, other cast members include Will Ferrell, Kate McKinnon, Michael Cera, Emma Mackey, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Rhea Perlman, Ariana Greenblatt, Ana Cruz Kayne, Alexandra Shipp, Ritu Arya, Sharon Rooney, Connor Swindells , Scott Evans and Jamie Demetriou.
The movie’s IMDB synopsis reads, ‘A doll living in ‘Barbieland’ is expelled from school for not being perfect enough and goes on an adventure in the real world. A live-action feature film based on the popular Barbie toy series.”
For the Australian actress, bringing the beloved childhood toy to life has been a bit daunting due to mixed feelings about what the doll represents.
During a pre-recorded interview with Good Morning America on Tuesday, the actress explained, “I was both scared and excited by the idea of people coming into this movie who already had a strong feeling for the lead.”
Robbie promised that thanks to Greta Gerwig’s script and direction, the film would be far from “surface level.”
The actress continued, “I think in many other hands a Barbie movie would remain shallow.
Concerned: Margot recently shared her initial fears when she signed on to take on the role of an iconic doll, but promised the film would be far from “shallow”; Pictured on July 12 in London
Competition: Barbie hits theaters July 21 and faces stiff competition from Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, who critics have hailed as a “total knockout”
“But I knew Greta would have a lot to say, and I knew she’d give Trojan Horse a lot—big trouble in a very fun world.”
Revealing her hopes for the film, the Wolf of Wall Street star stated, “I hope people walk away… I hope they feel good watching it.”
“I feel like there’s a kind of relief in this movie and the message is ultimately, ‘You’re good. You’re good just the way you are.'”
Barbie will hit theaters July 21 and will face stiff competition from Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer – due out on the same day – who was hailed by critics as a “total knockout” and “spectacular performance” following its Paris premiere. .
Oppenheimer features an all-star cast and is led by Cillian Murphy, who plays theoretical physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, also known as the father of the atomic bomb.