How ‘Barbie’ Fits Into Greta Gerwig’s Filmography
In honor of the VOD release of Greta Gerwig’s Barbie, contributor Paul Wheaton assesses how it fits into the larger scheme of Greta Gerwig’s acclaimed filmography.
From Ben Shapiro (who thought it was an attack against men) to Marc Maron (who mocked the men who thought it was an attack against men), it seems like everybody is talking about Barbie. It is currently the biggest movie in the world and everybody who’s anybody (or isn’t anybody, it’s that much of a hit) has an opinion on it. The discourse is not without reason, however, as Barbie includes many ambitious narrative swings, some that have gelled with people and some that haven’t. I’m not here to talk about that. Today, I’m here to talk about Barbie’s place in Greta Gerwig’s overarching filmography. Known for her relatable, thought-provoking films that have garnered her a loyal following, Gerwig manages to weave in familiar motifs throughout the film, tackling everything from aimlessness, relationship politics, and the desire to go out on your own, among many others. With these overarching ideas sprinkled throughout the film, Greta Gerwig may have gone Hollywood but she’s brought her ideals right alongside her. Warning: Spoilers abound.
Barbie, wonderfully played by Margot Robbie, has a life that she loves, or more specifically, has grown accustomed to. With a daily routine that never falters or changes, she knows what to expect out of her life and her job (which is no job). Through divine intervention of an interestingly used narrative choice, however, she begins to feel trapped within the life she leads. Despite it feeling ideal or ‘dreamlike,’ Barbie longs for a life that’s more adventurous and unpredictable. As a fan of Gerwig’s filmography, this motif felt familiar to me and it will feel familiar to you too. If you’ve seen Frances Ha, that is.
Played by Gerwig herself, Frances and Barbie are surrounded by people that are leading better lives than them. These people constantly remind them of their ability to do better, which slowly but surely eats away at them. In Barbie’s case, this is literally, as all of her friends are essentially her with a job (see: Doctor Barbie, Lawyer Barbie, President Barbie, etc.) Meanwhile Frances’ friends all have stable jobs and, in her eyes, stable lives. Both protagonists are surrounded and filled with ambition but in their current states, feel powerless to do anything about it. This feeling also manifests to an extent in Little Women as Jo watches her sisters excel with their talents and lives as she sits in the periphery.
Saoirse Ronan’s Jo and Barbie live ideal lives for the settings they’re in. Jo loves living with her family while Barbie lives in Barbieland and has the best day ever everyday. But as time goes on, the people around Jo start to shift, whether it be through marriage, traveling or fatal sickness. Barbie is the original Barbie and therefore was made without the ability to be anyone more than just herself. Her friends all have more variety in their lives, while she often spends her time aimlessly smiling and having banter with no one. Barbie and Jo are stuck standing still while the world changes and evolves around them. Jo makes the decision to eventually go out on her own and write. Barbie solves this issue by doing another Gerwig character hallmark: Leaving her hometown, as seen in Lady Bird.
At both the beginning and end of Barbie, Barbie decides to leave Barbieland. Initially, it’s to seek out whoever’s playing with her in order to find out why her feet have gone flat, and why she’s suddenly thinking about mortality. But as the film progresses, it becomes more and more apparent that Barbie left Barbieland in order to find herself. At the end she leaves permanently in order to pursue dreams she couldn’t have achieved in her hometown. This reminded me of how Christine in Lady Bird longed to leave Sacramento despite how much easier it would have been for her to stay. Christine and Barbie both decide to take a leap of faith when faced with the decision to stay idle, remaining in the same place for the rest of their lives. (Once again I mean this metaphorically for Christine and literally for Barbie.) Another connection between the two is the space Barbie and Jo’s mothers occupy in their lives. The “Mothers stay still so their daughters can see how far they’ve come” quote comes to mind. Ruth and Marion both center their daughters while providing the necessary foundation for them to grow as people. Speaking of the characters that surround Barbie and inspire her, Gloria (America Ferrera)’s inclusion and character arc in the movie reminded me of Mistress America.
In most of Gerwig’s work, her lead characters tend to become very inspired by a fellow female character. They often idolize these other characters and create an image of them within their heads that is ultimately shattered, such as Lady Bird’s adoration of Jenna. Christine took to Jenna because she perceived her as a cool, popular girl. Jenna does not transcend Christine’s idea of her, but rather adheres too close to it, which ends up pushing Christine away from her. They can also take this image and use their perception of it for artistic expression, as was the case in Mistress America with Tracy’s essay or Gloria’s drawings. Tracy tried to use her essay to achieve a career goal, and Gloria’s drawings served as an escape from an unfulfilling life. These actions still work in tandem as their inspiration leads to creation.
Furthermore, the connection between Tracy and Brooke has more connections to Gloria and Barbie. They’re both tethered to one another through family in a way that can easily be severed. Tracy and Gloria see Brooke and Barbie as beautiful people who have their lives together. Not necessarily because this is true but because Brooke and Barbie present themselves that way. Only whenever Brooke and Barbie reach a conflict directly tethered to their self presentations are Tracy and Gloria able to see who they really are. In turn, this helps them evolve as people while realizing these people they idealized are as flawed as they are. It could be said that Barbie centers a character that usually would be on the periphery of a Greta Gerwig movie. The Jo’s, Christine’s and Tracy’s stay on the sidelines this time. Another character that has his personal image of himself shattered within this movie would be the man of the hour, Ken.
Ken, played by Ryan Gosling, is presented in the film as the closest thing to a male second lead that Greta Gerwig has written since Nights and Weekends. He spends his time experiencing a much more condensed version of Barbie’s arc. He goes to the real world, discovers humanity and comes to terms with who he is as a person. Ken is presented as a supplement to Barbie’s progression and another reflection of how far he’s come. His closest counterpart within her filmography would probably be Lucas Hedges’ Danny in Lady Bird. Both him and Christine shed an element of their identities they’ve used to hide behind and evolve into more fully fledged people because of it. For Christine, its her name and for Danny, it was being closeted. While their storylines diverge, they’re bonded by the brief time they spent together and how far they’ve grown since then. Ken and Barbie’s storylines are also intertwined in a similar way as well, despite the trajectory of their relationship.
A notable motif I’ve found in the movies Gerwig has directed and written, from Nights and Weekends on, is that her female leads do not end their films coupled. While the most recent parallel proves my point immediately, looking to Nights and Weekends cements it. Nights and Weekends follows a couple, Mattie played by Gerwig herself and James, played by Joe Swanberg, that try to make their long distance relationship work. The film is split into two acts, with the first half and second half being about a year apart and, spoiler alert: their attempt at a long distance relationship does not work. The movie ends with Mattie dumping her boyfriend and leaving. Barbie ending her decades-long relationship with Ken after not being around him for the longest time ever throughout the course of their relationship directly correlates with that.
Another Gerwig hallmark is people eventually learning they’ll outgrow their loved ones and eventually must leave. Independence is the truest happy ending and Barbie understands this fully. While one of the reasons it has been made may have been to sell a few toys, the movie also directly explores the highlights of the human experience. Throughout all of Greta Gerwig’s work, she analyzes the human experience to a certain extent. Whether it’s a focus on friendship, joy, love and work, her films always come together to reflect how the everyday qualities of life are beautiful.
Barbie satirically showcases the human experience in how Barbie experiences the world. She’s harassed, arrested, chased and brought into a new family. She also encounters an older woman and comments on her beauty. This moment, while heartwarming, also highlights another aspect of being alive that is foreign to Barbie: Aging. As the people in Barbieland seem to never age (as they aren’t alive), the idea of getting older isn’t something she’s familiar with. However, with how the movie progresses, she slowly comes to realize it is what she craves. Once she experiences the world for the first time after spending decades in an artificial one, Barbie decides to become a real person. As most Gerwig protagonists do, she takes the first step into the beginning of the rest of her life. While it certainly won’t be easy, it also won’t ever be monotonous or repetitive. As I left the theater after watching the movie, it dawned on me how blessed I was to be alive. I think Barbie would say the same thing.
Barbie is now available on VOD. You can follow Paul Wheaton on X.