Welcome to Commentary Commentary, the place we sit and hearken to filmmakers speak about their work, then share probably the most attention-grabbing elements. On this version, Rob Hunter revisits Greta Gerwig’s billion greenback toy business with the commentary for Barbie.
When you consider films primarily based on youngsters’ toys, it’s most definitely so-called boy toys that come to thoughts like G.I. Joe, Transformers, and such. The best-grossing one, although, belongs to the women. Greta Gerwig‘s Barbie is a giant hit strolling the road between an truthfully important comedy and a toy business, and there’s a bit of one thing in it for everybody.
Whereas the bodily Blu-ray launch doesn’t embody a commentary observe — boooo — Gerwig recorded one for the iTunes launch — boooo — that has now made its solution to HBO Max — cool. So maintain studying to see what I heard on the commentary for Barbie.
Barbie (2023)
Commentator: Greta Gerwig (director/co-writer)
1. “To begin with, sure, we have now our pink brand,” she says, including that’s was great of Warner Bros. to allow them to modify the studio’s opening brand for the movie.
2. They knew they wished to open with an homage to Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Area Odyssey (1968), however provided that they “may do it with the utmost integrity.” The Kubrick property allowed them entry to the unique panorama plates. In addition they preferred the concept some audiences may momentarily assume they’d entered the unsuitable theater. Unrelated, the visions that Barbie has of the human lady she’s related to have been known as “The Shining” on set, persevering with the Kubrick connection. She provides later that the massive boardroom desk within the Mattel constructing is a Dr. Strangelove reference “besides we made it a coronary heart.”
3. Gerwig is a giant Helen Mirren fan and requested the appearing legend to relate the movie. “I assumed it gave a way of gravitas to what will likely be very foolish proceedings.”
4. The enormous plastic legs are modeled on Margot Robbie‘s legs.
5. The sequence displaying all of the completely different human Barbie dolls was designed like a Busby Berkeley musical with every mannequin on their very own spinning Lazy Susan.
6. She shouts out the improbable manufacturing design — legit a few of the 12 months’s finest — by Sarah Greenwood. Quite a lot of time was spent deciding on colours, brightness ranges, the mix of 2D/3D components
7. The shot the place Barbie (Robbie) seems right into a mirror that isn’t truly there’s lifted from Jerry Lewis’ The Girls Man (1961).
8. Barbie waves to the pilot after which some astronauts, and when she says “Yay, house!” it’s Gerwig’s absolute favourite factor. “It simply feels prefer it captures one thing great and dorky and real about Barbie.”
9. “Allan (Michael Cera) is probably the most tragic determine in Barbieland,” and that’s one thing that Gerwig and Cera felt was precisely proper for the character as not everybody will get their fantasy.
10. Barbie’s large dance social gathering was designed and choreographed with solely the bottom of the Dua Lipa tune prepared because the precise observe wasn’t accomplished but. Lipa truly sat within the sales space and sang “to the image.”
11. In Barbieland the boys dance for the women, however a few of the actors have been anxious about their dance abilities. “No, you’re gonna be good,” replied Gerwig. “The imperfections of it’s what makes it charming.” The background characters each right here and in different group scenes are literally dancers. “They stand in a method that individuals like me don’t stand, it’s only a heightened high quality.”
12. Gerwig and Kate McKinnon have been buddies since they have been eighteen years previous and roommates in faculty. “Once I met her I assumed ‘she’s probably the most proficient, humorous particular person I’ve ever met,’ and I used to be proper.” Bizarre Barbie (McKinnon) is vulnerable to random splits, and so they completed it with each a gymnast double and a faux leg that McKinnon may transfer into place.
13. She loves in films when somebody “explains” the plot or drawback with some large, critical, fake-science speech, so she confirmed McKinnon a supercut of scenes from a number of movies, “and I stated ‘I need you to clarify all of it like this stage of authority but it surely’s simply gobbledygook.’”
14. Gerwig is a giant fan of The Matrix (1999).
15. “There are such a lot of issues our artwork division did that I didn’t even notice till we have been there.” Unrelated, Gerwig doesn’t point out the map in Bizarre Barbie’s home that triggered the movie to be banned in Vietnam as a consequence of its obvious eight-line illustration of China’s “9 sprint line” territorial declare.
16. She reveled within the movie’s results work as she and her crew did as a lot as potential utilizing “old fashioned” sensible results and methods, albeit with CG assists. From miniature units to 2-D dioramas, it was each painstaking and rewarding. “I’ve an amazing love of painted backdrops.”
17. Robbie felt genuinely self-conscious and uncomfortable in the course of the Venice Seashore rollerblading sequence as actual folks have been staring in disbelief. ‘They appear bananagrams.”
18. Gerwig praises everybody within the movie, however she has probably the most compliments for Ryan Gosling‘s efficiency. So sure, she most likely understands why he obtained one of many movie’s two Oscar nominations for appearing. “He’s an actual comedian genius.”
19. The older lady sitting on the bench beside Barbie is Ann Roth, legendary costume designer from stage and display. “I assumed that she had probably the most marvelous, stunning face. Additionally, she doesn’t take crap from anybody.”
20. Mattel’s workplace house is predicated across the movies of Jacques Tati. “He does these unimaginable company areas in Playtime, and in addition, there’s loads of influences from Mon Oncle.”
21. “I felt that it was actually vital that we criticize Barbie very articulately, from a personality who has a really reliable standpoint.” That character right here is Sasha, performed by Ariana Greenblatt, who got here in, auditioned, and instantly intimidated each Gerwig and Robbie. The scene
22. She wished Ruth Handler’s (Rhea Perlman) room to really feel like a David Lynch creation. The kitchen itself is predicated loosely on the one which Gerwig grew up with.
23. Gerwig by no means anticipated to shoot a automobile chase, not to mention for a Barbie film, however she praises 2nd unit director George Cottle for being improbable at his job and for working by it so nicely together with her and the cinematographer, Rodrigo Prieto. “As people who find themselves nice at making movies, a lot of it was simply, like, taking part in with little vehicles on a desk. It nearly demystifies it.”
24. They really made some Ken Mojo Dojo Casa homes as toys, and Gerwig tried to persuade Mattel to place them into manufacturing on the market.
25. She confirmed Robbie and Gosling Howard Hawks’ Twentieth Century (1934) with Carole Lombard and John Barrymore as a reference “as a result of I feel they’re simply so humorous after they combat.”
26. Earlier cuts featured Gosling’s Ken singing “Boys Simply Wish to Have Enjoyable” for 3 minutes straight whereas Kingsley Ben-Adir‘s Ken danced beside him, however “it stopped the film utterly.”
27. She’s by no means recognized within the movie, however the character at Bizarre Barbie’s home “who sort of seems like a nineteenth century any person” is definitely meant to be Proust Barbie.
28. Gloria’s (America Ferrera) large speech to Barbie about what it means to be a lady on this world left most of the ladies on set crying and a few of the males emotional. “On one hand it’s completely ridiculous. She’s speaking to brainwashed dolls in a dollhouse. And then again it seems like she’s talking on to us.”
29. Say Something (1989) is considered one of Gerwig’s favourite films.
30. “I really like adults sitting with their ft dangling,” she says, and provides that she thinks she’s included it in each film she’s made.
31. Ken’s mink initially simply fell to the bottom after being thrown, however Gerwig’s stepson recommended that it ought to get a freeze-frame with title similar to Barbie’s garments did earlier.
32. Gerwig noticed photographs of a really pregnant Emerald Fennell on-set for Promising Younger Girl (2020), after which noticed her pregnant once more whereas accepting her Oscar. “I used to be like, ‘You’re such a badass, and also you’re so great, and also you’re by no means not pregnant. And I feel you have to be Midge.’” Midge, in fact, is the mute, pregnant Barbie.
33. the house film montage on the finish is made up of clips from forged/crew members. “I wished it to be a reminder this film is made by folks.” Billie Eilish wrote the tune “What Was I Made For?” after seeing solely thirty-five minutes of the movie.
34. Extra films she names as references embody Jaws (1975), The Warriors (1979), Shut Encounters of the Third Variety (1977), Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986), A Matter of Life and Loss of life (1946), Singin’ within the Rain (1952), Grease (1978), Heaven Can Wait (1978), and The Wizard of Oz (1939).
Greatest in Context-Free Barbie Commentary
“This little nugget’s face is one of the best.”
“All of the little women have been very unhappy to smash the dolls, which, I understood that.”
“Once I first wrote this I assumed ‘Oh no, am I truly going to do a 2001 parody? However then I pitched it to my therapist who thought it was hilarious, so right here we’re.’”
“Issa Rae as president nonetheless makes me smile.”
“We determined no person is aware of what ‘beach-off’ means.”
“America is actually the center and soul of the film.”
“I’ve seen this film lots of of occasions, and I can’t watch it with out laughing at Ryan.”
“In a method, I feel the film is at all times about sort of doing the factor and undercutting the factor on the identical time.”
“Ryan taking part in guitar and singing is among the high comedian moments of all time.”
“That is so unusual, however I like it a lot that I’m simply going to consider that different folks will like it, too.”
Ultimate Ideas on the Barbie Commentary
Some people really feel as if Barbie, the forged, and the filmmakers have been snubbed with the current Academy Award nominations, however almost one and half billion {dollars} on the box-office is its personal type of satisfying. It’s a very good film with fundamental concepts offered in participating, nicely crafted methods, and it’s additionally fairly darn humorous once in a while. Gerwig’s commentary makes it very clear simply how a lot thought and work went into the movie’s writing, preparation, and execution, and you’ll’t assist however love the response that the world has given the forged, the crew, and Gerwig herself.
Learn extra Commentary Commentary from the archives.
Associated Matters: Barbie, Commentary Commentary, Greta Gerwig