“Barbie” isn’t just a movie that uses the iconic doll to explore themes of existentialism, the human condition and patriarchy. It’s also a true celebration of cinematic history. Writer and director Greta Gerwig shared her list of 33 films that inspired “Barbie” on the cinephile social network Letterboxd recently, but the film is such a fun, referential piece of cinema, that we couldn’t help but want to put together our own “Barbie” companion watchlist. So here are the movies that “Barbie” references or that “Barbie” made us think about while watching.
The very first “Barbie” teaser trailer featured a riff on the memorable opening of Stanley Kubrick’s pioneering 1968 sci-fi classic “2001: A Space Odyssey.” In the same way that the primates of “2001” are evolutionarily aided by the alien monolith, the little girls of “Barbie” toss out their boring baby dolls and upgrade to the fashionable career girl Barbie. Watch “2001” on Max or rent it.
While not on her official watchlist, there are two influential films from 1999 that share DNA with “Barbie.” The first is the Wachowskis' “The Matrix” — in the same way that Morpheus (Lawrence Fishburne) presented Neo (Keanu Reeves) with a red pill or blue pill choice, Weird Barbie (Kate McKinnon) presents Barbie (Margot Robbie) with the choice of a pink high-heeled shoe or a Birkenstock. She can either choose to forget or embrace her flat-footed life and embark on an adventure. There are also hints of David Fincher’s “Fight Club” in the identity crisis that Barbie and Ken experience in the real world, as well as the oppressive Mattel office, which also calls to mind the office sets of Jacques Tati’s “Playtime” (1967). Rent “Fight Club” on all digital platforms and watch “Playtime” on the Criterion Channel, Kanopy or rent it elsewhere.
Structurally, “Barbie” shares similar storylines to “The Wizard of Oz” (1939) and “Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure,” about an innocent who embarks on a journey to find home (Kansas, a bike, Barbieland), and encounters all kinds of helpful new friends and strange new villains along the way. Robbie’s heightened physical performance also calls to mind Paul Reubens’ as Pee-Wee, not that they are similar, but that specific choices are being made to embody these characters. Stream “Wizard of Oz” on Max, and rent “Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure” on all digital platforms.
Along those same lines, Peter Weir’s “The Truman Show” (1998) deals with the same concepts of a person discovering their reality is a simulation, and Gerwig mentioned to Letterboxd that she spoke to Weir specifically about a few details in shooting certain sequences. Stream “The Truman Show” on Paramount+ or rent it.
Aesthetically, Gerwig pulls from colorful, fantastical musicals like Jacques Demy’s films “The Umbrellas of Cherbourg” (1964) and “The Young Girls of Rochefort” (1967), both available on Max and the Criterion Channel. She also nods to the sumptuous imagery and dreamlike quality conjured by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger in “The Red Shoes” (1948) on Max and Criterion Channel. The dream ballets of Gene Kelly, as seen in “An American in Paris” (1951), available to rent, and “Singin’ in the Rain” (1952), streaming on Max, are also an influence.
The quippy pitter-patter of the dialogue harkens to the screwball comedy era, with films like “His Girl Friday” (1940), streaming on Prime Video, Paramount+, MGM+ and Tubi, and Gerwig also directly nods to “Grease” (1978), streaming on Max, in a dance sequence that tips its hat to “Greased Lightning” in the costuming of the Kens in black jeans and tees.
With such a reverence to the history of cinema, it will no doubt inspire audiences to seek out the origins of these images and ideas. You’ve got your “Barbie” homework cut out for you.
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