Audiences at CinemaCon got to see more of the wacky, pink and fashion-forward world of Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” in Las Vegas on Tuesday. The footage reveal was preceded by Gerwig walking onstage alongside Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling and America Ferrera.
“Everyone knows Barbie,” declared Robbie, “but she’s never been on the [big] screen.” Gerwig noted that she had never met Gosling prior to making the film. Gosling joked that he previously only knew Ken from {the outside} but now he knew Ken from within. While he initially doubted his “Ken-ergy,” Gerwig and Robbie brought it out “like pink scarlet fever.”
Ferrara noted that by the end of the film, she was a Barbie Girl.
“You’ve never seen so many grown men find an excuse to come to the set,” remarked Robbie. “It was like a dopamine hit.” Replied Gosling, “I think I finally know what Dorothy felt like.”
Noting the film’s comic elements, Robbie said that she had watched a cut of the film and could tell when Gerwig had to cut away before Margot broke character.
The trailer opens with Barbie waking up in her dream house and her dream world before meeting up with Ken who invites himself over to Barbie’s giant choreographed party. Life is good for all until Barbie asks if any of them think about dying. Meanwhile, trouble is afoot with cold showers, falling off the roof and heels touching the ground. Barbie visits “Weird Barbie” (Kate McKinnon) who makes a very Morpheus-like bargain. She can go into the real world and learn the truth or go back to her make-belief existence.
Barbie eventually decides to go to the real world, with Ken in tow. The next half is a conventional culture clash comedy with Barbie and Ken rubbing up against the real world, along with the real-world toy boss (Will Ferrell) not being thrilled about the dolls driving into the real world. The final gags involve Barbie struggling to drink a real beverage (she’s not used to drinking from non-empty containers) and Ken walking around a doctor’s office in a cowboy outfit, much to the befuddlement of the staff.
The hotly anticipated film has captivated audiences since a trailer debuted back in April, giving just a glimpse of Barbie’s world and her relationship with long-time paramour Ken. The Oscar-nominated “Lady Bird” and “Little Women” filmmaker Gerwig co-wrote the script for the film alongside Noah Baumbach and also took on the directing reins.
The ensemble includes America Ferrera, Will Ferrell, Simu Liu, Michael Cera, Kate McKinnon , Emma Mackey (“Sex Education”), Kingsley Ben-Adir (“High Fidelity”), Rhea Perlman (“Cheers”), Ncuti Gatwa (“Sex Education”), Ariana Greenblatt (“Avengers: Infinity War”), Ana Cruz Kayne (“Little Women”), Alexandra Shipp (“Tick, Tick, Boom…”), Ritu Arya (“The Umbrella Academy”), Sharon Rooney (“Dumbo”), Connor Swindells (“Sex Education”), Scott Evans (“Almost Love”) and Jamie Demetriou (“Fleabag”).
Robbie is pulling double duty with “Barbie,” also serving as an executive producer through her LuckyChap banner alongside David Heyman.
The struggle to bring “Barbie” to the big screen has been a long one. The film initially started out with Anne Hathaway and Amy Schumer looking to star before Robbie arrived. The movie is already famous on social media, particularly as it’s set to take on Christopher Nolan’s epic “Oppenheimer,” as both are releasing on the same day.
“Barbie” hits theaters on July 21.
