**© Warner Bros. Pictures, Mattel Films and Heyday Films**

Barbie – Film Review

Cast: Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, America Ferrera, Kate McKinnon, Issa Rae, Rhea Perlman, Will Ferrell, Hari Nef, Alexandra Shipp, Emma Mackey, Sharon Rooney, Dua Lipa, Nicola Coughlan, Ana Cruz Kayne, Ritu Arya, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Simu Liu, Scott Evans, Ncuti Gatwa, Michael Cera

Director: Greta Gerwig

Synopsis: After suffering an existential crisis, one Barbie (Robbie) must journey to the real world in search of answers…

Review: A parody of Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey is probably one of the last ways you’d expect a film centred on one of the most influential toys to have ever been created to start. “Since the beginning of time, since the first little girl ever existed, there have been dolls. But the dolls were always and forever baby dolls,” intones Helen Mirren’s narrator. It wasn’t until 1959, when a company called Mattel launched a toy which would change not just the doll industry, but the toy industry forever with over a billion dolls sold worldwide, and her name is Barbie. A plethora of animated movies followed since, but while it has been mooted for a long time, a live-action film had for a long time looked as though it would never escape the doldrums of the plastic box of development hell. This is until, Greta Gerwig, after her success with a beautiful directorial debut and a superb adaptation of one of the most beloved novels of all time stepped in, and the result is one of the funniest, and pinkest movies you will ever see in your life.

In the picturesque world of Barbie Land, live all of the Barbies, each of whom has their own unique role in their perfect society. One such Barbie is the stereotypical Barbie (Robbie), who wakes up every day living her best life, spending days by the beach, having parties in her dream house, and organising girls’ nights with all of the other Barbies in the community. Nights filled with sleepovers, parties and the dulcet tones of Dua Lipa and Lizzo providing an irresistibly catchy soundtrack. This is until one night, one passing comment about death causes everything in her perfect world to go very wrong, including cold showers, falling off her roof, and worst of all, gasps, flat feet. Determined to find answers, Barbie must journey, with her partner Ken (Gosling) in tow, to the real world to figure out what is causing the imperfections in her perfect lifestyle to happen and whether she can fix them before it is too late.

**You can see why they ran out of all the pink paint…**

As is the case with superhero movies, or murder mystery movies, it pays to know as little as possible before making the journey to Barbie Land. Beyond what is teased in the trailers, this is no ordinary Barbie movie. Gerwig’s screenplay (co-written by her partner Noah Baumbach) really goes all in on the themes it chooses to approach and is not afraid to tackle meaningful social commentary surrounding feminism, gender roles, the negative impact that Barbie has had on the standards of beauty for women, and the patriarchal nature of the real world and its abject treatment of women, a very stark contrast to the idyllic world of Barbie Land. A severe rude awakening for Barbie, but one that considerably piques Ken’s interest who finds a new sense of purpose to his existence beyond merely being an accessory for Barbie. Gerwig and Baumbach deserve great credit for their scope and ambition as the script strikes a playful balance between thought-provoking social commentary and Barbie’s toy history and also goes for some big swings, all with fantastic wit and sharp meta-humour.

From the moment she was cast, Margot Robbie felt like the perfect choice to play the lead role of Stereotypical Barbie, and she does not disappoint. Throughout her career, she has portrayed a wide range of charismatic characters and has always embodied those roles perfectly, whether it’s her perfect turns as Harley Quinn or as the no-holds-barred party girl in Babylon. Now she can add Barbie to that list of roles which felt tailor-made for her because she looks the part, but also has the required acting chops necessary for both the film’s light-hearted moments and the more serious moments. Alongside her, Gosling is equally perfect as Ken. His career has often seen him in intense dramas where he appears stoic and cold. However, he has also proved he has serious talent as a comedic actor and never has that shone more brightly than in The Nice Guys. His performance as Ken is unlike anything you have seen from him before. No matter if he’s showing off his muscles, or a passionate song and dance number, he owns every minute of screen time he has. In such a star-studded cast, Robbie and Gosling stand out among all the respective Barbies and Kens, though Weird Barbie (McKinnon) is given plenty of moments to shine. Outside of the would-be plastic dolls, America Ferrera gives a noteworthy as a disgruntled Mattel employee who might hold the key to why Barbie’s world is falling apart.

It’s been well documented when designing the film’s incredible sets, they needed so much pink paint that it contributed to a worldwide shortage of that particular colour, no expense spared for Barbie’s dream house, as it should be, and it was most definitely worth it as the film’s production design is immaculately impressive and rich in its detail. The same is also most definitely true of the costumes which have been faithfully recreated for the big screen. While the film blasts through its 114-minute running time, there is one side plot with Will Ferrell’s ~~Lord Business~~ Mattel CEO which can feel a bit throw away but it does not detract from the fact that Greta Gerwig has created a film which manages to be a fuschia-infused party, an uproarious comedy, and a thought-provoking look at modern society rolled into one and completes Gerwig’s hat-trick after her success with Lady Bird and Little Women. Come on Barbie, let’s go party!

A feminist and hilarious ode to the doll which has defined generations and will almost certainly continue to do so for many more generations to come. Life in plastic is truly fantastic!

Polite Society – Film Review

Cast: Priya Kansara, Ritu Arya, Nimra Bucha, Akshay Khanna, Seraphina Beh, Ella Bruccoleri, Shobu Kapoor, Jeff Mirza

Director: Nida Manzoor

Synopsis: An up-and-coming martial artist must hatch a plan to save her sister when she gets engaged…

Review: In the history of cinema, the genre of kung-fu/martial arts is one which has been typically male-dominated, with the works of icons such as Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan inspiring filmmakers to this day. However, there has been no shortage of iconic female characters who have left their mark on this genre, such as Uma Thurman’s The Bride from Kill Bill or some of the many films starring the icon that is Michelle Yeoh, including a certain Academy Award-winning multiverse inspired adventure. On the back of that film’s phenomenal success, which only added proof (as if it was needed) of women firmly establised their credentials as badass warriors capable of taking anyone down, along comes Nida Manzoor with her wickedly funny directorial debut to reinforce that notion, and is ready to chop down anyone who would say otherwise.

Ria (Kansara) is an aspiring martial artist codenamed “The Fury” and harbours ambitions to become a prominent stuntwoman for major Hollywood productions. She is close with her sister Lena (Arya), who moved back home after dropping out of art school. Lena helps to film the videos for Ria’s YouTube channel and the sisters have formed a close bond. However, their relationship is strained when Lena meets the handsome Salim (Khanna) and promptly falls head over heels for him. When Lena accepts Salim’s proposal of marriage after a relatively short period of time of being together, Ria becomes immediately suspicious and must use a combination of her martial arts expertise and aspiring sleuth skills, with the assistance of her friends Clara (Beh) and Alba (Bruccoleri), to try to understand what it is about Salim that has captured Lena’s heart and form a plan to somehow prevent her sister from going through with tying the knot.

Hell Hath No Fury like the fists of The Fury…

As the budding young martial artist at the centre of this delightful fusion of Bollywood, meets action comedy, meets coming-of-age tale, Priya Kansara’s wonderful breakthrough performance deserves to put her on an immediate path to stardom. Her commitment and dedication to her craft as a martial artist, and unwavering career ambitions are immediately relatable. Her relationship with Lena is also very sincere and both Kansara and Arya share a warm chemistry, where both sisters are passionate and determined to support each other in their lives, particularly given the expectations of their parents (Shobu Kapoor and Jeff Mirza). Though their bond is put to the test when Salim enters the picture and the looming possibility of seeing her sister married to this man prompts Ria and her friends to get creative with their sleuthing, which lends itself to plenty of comedic moments.

With a handful of TV directorial credits under her belt, including Doctor Who and her Channel 4 comedy series We Are Lady Parts, Manzoor makes the transition to the big screen seamlessly. Her script captures the family dynamic of a British-Asian family, while also being instantly relatable for anyone who’s harboured ambitions to make their mark on their chosen profession and will stop at nothing to achieve it, even in the face of setbacks. Yet, this is just one facet of the film, with some fast-paced, exhilarating action scenes. The influences of the works of Edgar Wright’s Cornetto Trilogy and Scott Pilgrim are undeniable, but Manzoor’s direction is assured and framing these scenes against a backdrop of a traditional Pakistani wedding works to perfection. Furthermore, PC Williams’s costume design ensures these colourful and stunning wedding garments leap off the screen.

Without straying into too much detail, there’s an element of outlandishness to the direction the plot goes in. However, given the film is a near blast to watch from start to finish, it is easy enough to roll with the punches and enjoy the ride. In a year, which has already seen the wonderful Rye Lane charm audiences with its fresh take on the rom-com genre and establish Raine Allen-Miller as an exciting new voice among up-and-coming British filmmakers. Nida Manzoor follows suit with a wonderfully unique film, which lets the fists of The Fury fly, all while celebrating the power and badassery of women and the unbreakable bond of sisterhood.

A joyous fusion of the warm and loving bond between sisters, quintessential British comedy and a celebration of Bollywood, as well exhilarting action sequences ensures Polite Society is a fist-pumping good time, with a star-in-the-making performance from Priya Kansara.