Little Women

• From Oscar-nominated writer/director Greta Gerwig ("Little Women," "Lady Bird"), "Barbie," stars Oscar-nominees Margot Robbie ("Bombshell," "I, Tonya") and Ryan Gosling ("La La Land," "Half Nelson") as Barbie and Ken.
• Gerwig directed "Barbie" from a screenplay by Gerwig & Oscar nominee Noah Baumbach ("Marriage Story," "The Squid and the Whale"), based on Barbie by Mattel.
• "Barbie" has taken the box office by storm, earning more than $1.38 billion worldwide to become the highest grossing film in Warner Bros.' 100-year history; the highest grossing film ever from a female filmmaker at the domestic box office; and is the largest worldwide film release of 2023.
• To live in Barbie Land is to be a perfect being in a perfect place.

• After a months-long marketing blitz, the much-hyped Barbie movie is released this week.
• From a Malibu Barbie dreamhouse listed on AirBnB, an AI tool that transforms selfies into Barbie movie posters and multiple Barbie-themed brand collaborations ranging from nail polish to roller skates, Barbie is everywhere.
• Read more:
  In a Barbie world ... after the movie frenzy fades, how do we avoid tonnes of Barbie dolls going to landfill?

The Barbie backlash

• Sales plummeted across 2011 to 2015 against the cultural backdrop of a rise in body positivity and backlash against a doll that represented narrow ideals and an impossible beauty standard.
• After all, at life-size Barbie represents a body shape held by less than 1 in 100,000 real people.
• And despite the multiple careers Barbie has held over the decades, research highlights that girls who play with Barbie believe they have fewer career options than boys.

Reinventing a long-established icon

• This was not without criticism, with “curvy” Barbie still considered thin and dolls named in ways that drew attention foremost to their bodies.
• From a white, well-dressed, middle-class, girl-next-door with friends of a similar ilk, Barbie has since been marketed as a symbol of diversity and inclusion.
• A gender neutral collection called “creatable world” was added in 2019 to open up gender expression possibilities when playing with Barbies.

The latest step in Barbie’s transformation

• Barbie the film is simply the next step in an evolution to make brand Barbie inclusive.
• And with a rumoured film budget of $100 million, the supporting marketing machine provides a critical opportunity to reset the Barbie narrative.
• Yet, Robbie Brenner, executive producer of Mattel Films, has explicitly stated that Gerwig’s Barbie is “not a feminist movie”.

• With the new Barbie movie, Greta Gerwig is joining an elite class female filmmakers.
• Alongside Ava DuVernay, Patty Jenkins and Kathryn Bigelow, Gerwig is one of only a few women to direct a live-action film with a budget of US$100 million.
• She is known for her dedication to telling women’s stories with heart and humour, and an intimate “indie” style of film-making.

Mumblecore

• Due to the improvisational nature of mumblecore films, the cast often shares writing credit, taking an active role in constructing dialogue, character and story.
• Andrew Bujalski’s Funny Ha Ha (2002) is generally considered to be the first mumblecore film.
• We can see the influence of mumblecore in TV shows like Girls (2012-2017), Broad City (2014-2019) and High Maintenance (2016-2020).

Indie darling

• After her mumblecore success, Gerwig began working as an actor with more established indie writer-directors, such as Woody Allen in To Rome with Love (2012), Whit Stillman in Damsels in Distress (2011), and Rebecca Miller in Maggie’s Plan (2015).
• Gerwig quickly established herself as a quirky leading lady who The New York Times’ film critic, A.O.
• Scott, describes as “more goose than swan … big-boned and a little slouchy, indifferent to the imperatives of gracefulness”.
• In recent years, Gerwig has moved increasingly behind the camera, starting with her directorial debut, Lady Bird (2017).

A director

• Gerwig was nominated for writing and directing, making her only the fifth woman to be nominated for the best director award.
• Perhaps owing to her career as a writer and actor, Lady Bird catapulted Gerwig onto many “directors to watch” lists.
• Lady Bird also established Gerwig’s investment in femininity, women’s culture and the lives of young women, which are historically devalued.
• Given her track record of honouring femininity, intimacy, domesticity and women’s culture, I think Barbie is in safe hands with Gerwig.

• Zooz Cinema Center by Marbl Toronto hosted A-list Events opening weekend of the film fest from Friday, January 20 - 22, 2023.
• casts and filmmakers of the film festival, all of which fans can follow on Collider.
• Each evening, the Zooz Cinema Center by Marbl Toronto hosted an impressive schedule of festival premiere receptions for:
  "FAIRYLAND" featuring producer Sofia Coppola, Emilia Jones (Coda), Adam Lambert (Queen), and Scoot McNairy (Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile).
• Luxury transportation to and from the Cinema Center was provided by the all-electric Fisker Ocean, "The World's Most Sustainable Vehicle".