Who exactly was this film aimed at? Most of the audience when I saw it were adolescents, and there were numerous (perhaps too many) colourful song and dance scenes, which might have appealed to younger viewers, but also a lot of philosophical debate about gender roles and inter-relationships that would have gone over their heads, particularly as these were delivered at a frantic, garbled pace. There were some good comic scenes, and stand-out performances by Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, but as the film wore on, it all became a bit preachy. The message seemed to be about finding self-fulfilment rather than romance. Okay, not every film, or every life, has to end in a fairy-tale romantic coupling, but the emphasis on individual fulfilment within the support structure of the sisterhood seems a little bleak. It also makes nonsense of the final confusing pay-off line of the film.
Review of Barbie
