Things Get Real for Margot Robbie’s Iconic Doll in Official “Barbie” Trailer
Barbie (Margot Robbie) is used to everything being perfect in Barbie Land. Perfect health, perfect weather, perfectly happy, all the perfect time. But at last, we’ve gotten a hint at what writer/director Greta Gerwig is up to with the official trailer for Barbie, in which Barbie’s forced to take a trip to a deeply imperfect place—the real world. As the logline puts it, “To live in Barbie Land is to be a perfect being in a perfect place. Unless you have a full-on existential crisis. Or you’re a Ken.”
Joining her on the trip to the real world is Ken (Ryan Gosling), and the trailer reveals how Gerwig plays with both Barbie’s fantasy world and the real world of fantasy-making that is Los Angeles. As onlookers gawk and gape at Barbie and Ken, one doofus makes the mistake of touching the doll-come-to-life, and for his efforts, he gets a punch to the face, and Barbie gets booked. This is how much Gerwig is playing with the idea of a real-world Barbie; from the perfection of Barbie Land to the imperfection of Los Angeles, captured in a Barbie mug shot.
The film boasts a bevy of Barbies—including Issa Rae’s President Barbie, Dua Lipa’s Mermaid Barbie, Kate McKinnon’s gymnast Barbie, Nicola Coughlan’s diplomat Barbie, Alexandra Shipp’s writer Barbie, Ritu Arya’s journalist Barbie, Emma Mackey’s physicist Barbie, Sharon Rooney’s lawyer Barbie, Hari Nef’s doctor Barbie, and Ana Cruz Kayne’s judge Barbie.
Meanwhile, Gosling’s Ken isn’t the only Ken—he’s in direct competition with Simu Liu’s Ken, and their rivalry will make up at least part of the plot. Joining the Kens and Barbies are Emerald Fennel’s Midge, Barbie’s longtime best friend, Will Ferrell, Ariana Greenblatt, America Ferrera, and Jamie Demetriou.
Gerwig said one of the things that drew her toward doing the film was terror, which she revealed on Dua Lipa’s podcast At Your Service: “It was something that was exciting because it was terrifying,” she said. “It felt like vertigo, starting to write it, like: ‘Where do you even begin, and what would be the story?’ And I think it was that feeling I had, knowing that it would be really interesting terror. Usually, that’s where the best stuff is, where you’re like, ‘I am terrified of that.’ Anything where you’re like, ‘This could be a career-ender — then you’re like, ‘I should probably do it.’”
She did it. It looks wild. Check out the official trailer below. Barbie lands in theaters on July 21.
For more on Barbie, check out these stories:
“Barbie” Trailer Reveals Margot Robbie in Greta Gerwig’s Live-Action Look at Mattel’s Iconic Doll
First “Barbie” Trailer Reveals Margot Robbie as the Iconic Mattel Doll Come to Life
Ryan Gosling on Playing Ken in “Barbie” – “Gotta do it for the Kens”
Margot Robbie’s “Barbie” Reveals First Photo, Release Date at CinemaCon
Featured image: Caption: Caption: (L-r) RYAN GOSLING as Ken and MARGOT ROBBIE as Barbie in Warner Bros. Pictures’ “BARBIE,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures
