Why Greta Gerwig Is the Perfect Filmmaker to Bring ‘Barbie’ to Life

Greta Gerwig‘s Barbie The finale is here, giving us star-studded performances, campy costumes, and clever references Stanley Kubrick‘s 2001: A Space Odyssey. Starring by Margot Robbie And Ryan Gosling As the Barbie and Ken dolls are the symbols of Mattel, it is clear that Gerwig is the perfect director to bring Barbie to life on the big screen for the first time.

Why Greta Gerwig?

Although now widely recognized as a director, Gerwig began acting in mumblecore films in the mid-2000s, before achieving greater success when she began working with frequent collaborators, and now partners, Noah Baumbach. Before writing together Barbie Together, Gerwig and Baumbach co-wrote Frances Ha And Miss America, with Gerwig starring as the lead in both. In 2016, she played a supporting role in Jackie And Women of the 20th centuryand star in Baumbach’s latest film White voiceComing to Netflix on December 30th.

Gerwig made her solo directorial debut in 2017 with Lady Bird, a biographical drama about high school senior Christine ‘Lady Bird’ McPherson as she tries to find herself and navigate a complicated relationship with her mother. It was nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Original Screenplay – also written by Gerwig – and Best Director, making her the fifth woman ever to be nominated in the category.

According to the preview and some leaked images, Barbie It appears to be very different from her first two films, but Gerwig is no stranger to adapting existing intellectual property. Her second film Little womanReleased in 2019, the adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s 1868 novel of the same name earned six Academy Award nominations and breathed new life into an American classic.

Looking at Gerwig’s career and what we’ve seen of the film so far, it’s clear why she’s the perfect director for a project like: Barbie. As a writer, director, she brings a certain passion and sensitivity to the exploration of women’s issues and relationships in her films. Her unique sense of humor and attention to detail is sure to bring her own feel to a concept that could easily remain one-dimensional in the hands of a different director.

Another of Gerwig’s standout feats is her ability to assemble a strong ensemble cast to complement her already distinguished repertoire. Saoirse Ronan And Timothée Chalamet Both starred in her first two films, along with the likes of Tracy Letts And Laurie Metcalf in Lady BirdAnd Meryl Streep, Laura DernAnd Florence Pugh in Little woman. for Lady Bird And BarbieGerwig collaborated with Allison JonesBehind the casting director OfficeAnd movies like: Not good And the bride. With Ronan and Chalamet nowhere in sight, Barbie For the first time Gerwig worked with Robbie and Gosling along with a wide supporting cast including Issa Rae, Ncuti Gatwa, American Ferrera, Ritu Aryaand more.

This is Gerwig’s most versatile expression to date, an element that is particularly important in a film about Barbie, a brand with a long history of promoting particular and exceptional beauty standards. For most of Barbie’s history, the classic blonde style has dominated the market, but the brand has evolved significantly over the years to include dolls of different races, ethnicities, and body types. This is reflected in the actors, with Rae, Gatwa, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Simu LiuAnd Hari Nef Set to play different versions of Barbie and Ken, plus plus-size actresses Nicola Coughlan And Sharon Rooney.

Why Barbie … and why now?

Barbie’s Mattel is one of the most recognizable toys in the world, loved by generations, but has been criticized and debated for years in the market, especially about the lack of diversity between the dolls and the unrealistic body proportions of Barbie, reinforcing the standards of beauty that are largely unattainable – thin, white, blonde, blue-eyed, big-waisted, big-waisted. In recent years, Mattel has made many changes to rebrand itself as progressive and empowering young girls, focusing more on their Career Dolls, which come with accessories related to different professions such as medical professionals, scientists, and teachers. The Barbie Role Models line launched in 2015, and the Inspiring Women line a few years later, honor strong female role models past and present, including women like Maya Angelou, Naomi Osaka, and Misty Copeland. With this in mind, it’s entirely possible that we could see the release of the Greta Gerwig doll at some point in the lead up to the film’s release.

Barbie’s incorporation of feminist messages into its brand also aligns nicely with the final decision to have Gerwig write and direct the upcoming film. Gerwig is aware in her portrayal of women, their complicated inner lives, and the differences in their relationships with each other and with men. She already solved the feminist issue Little woman, and we will see some level of subversion in her taking one of the most recognizable symbols of hegemonic feminism. Her parody of the opening sequence 2001: A Space Odyssey It’s a clever, tongue-in-cheek comparison for the huge impact Barbie had on American culture upon her release. It is the first toy doll that looks like an adult to be mass-produced in the United States, essentially replacing the baby doll, and giving young girls something to aspire to, for better or worse.

Gerwig knows what audiences expect when they hear the words “Barbie movie,” but quickly makes it clear. Barbie will be more than just bleached blonde hair and cute outfits. As Robbie put it in an interview with British Vogue Last year, “People hear ‘Barbie’ and think, ‘I know what that movie is going to be,’ and then they hear that Greta Gerwig is writing and directing it, and they’re like, ‘Oh, maybe I don’t…'”