In Greta and Noah we trust.

Gotta say I was pretty skeptical when I heard that Greta Gerwig was making a film based around Mattel’s iconic Barbie doll. I thought, do we really need another IP-based piece of pop cinema trash, self-aware adult and kid friendly Marvel-esque shite? Then I saw the first teaser which paid homage to Stanley Kubrick’s legendary 2001: A Space Odyssey and I was reminded that Gerwig, who co-wrote the script with indie darling Noah Baumbach, is not the type of director who would put out lazy comedy cheese. And now we have the new teaser, which has genuinely got me excited for the film.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zIf0XvoL9Y

In the 90-second trailer we see Barbie (Margot Robbie) and Ken (a shredded Ryan Gosling) living in the Barbie universe. A world with sunny beaches, multiple versions of Barbie and Ken and a non-existent sex life – it’s the world of Barbie as seen through the eyes of a child, which in itself would be a pretty fun romp. Later, however, we see the duo heading towards the “Real World”, which may mean they’ll be showing up in modern-day America… Now you got me.

Once the idea of seeing Barbie and Ken thrust into fast-paced reality began simmering in my mind, I couldn’t help but be reminded of Elf, and then Will Ferrell pops up as what I’m assuming is a Mattel executive of some sort. Throw in a coupla jokes about a jealous Ken and rollerblades, a Michael Cera cameo, and soundtrack it to the Beach Boys’ ‘Fun Fun Fun’, and it’s looking like Barbie might be one of the best movies of 2023.

The supporting cast is pretty huge, with a bunch of different Barbies set to play a part (see below). So who knows, it might be nothing more than a typical studio comedy of the last 10 years that has kinda fallen flat since Judd Apatow’s magical run of the 2000s… We will see. Watch the trailer here: