‘Barbie’ first reactions praise “funny, bombastic and very smart” film

First reactions for the hugely anticipated Barbie movie have arrived, with critics praising a “funny, bombastic and very smart” film.

• READ MORE: The best films of 2023… so far!

Barbie is set for release on July 21 in the UK, with a runtime of 114 minutes. It stars Margot Robbie in the titular role, with Ryan Gosling as Ken.

After press screenings for the film, largely positive reviews have come back for Greta Gerwig’s film with ScreenRant‘s Joseph Deckelmeier tweeting: “Barbie caught me off guard & I mean that in the best way possible.

“It’s funny, bombastic, & very smart. Greta Gerwig aims for the fences & hits a home-run.”

Others to praise the film included ComicBook.com‘s Jamie Jirak, who said: Greta Gerwig somehow exceeded my expectations…Give Ryan Gosling an Oscar nomination, I’m dead serious!”

The film was also praised for being “witty, heartfelt and downright fun” as well as “a whimsical, wonderful and laugh-out-loud funny romp,” with Variety‘s Katcy Stephan saying that Robbie and Gosling were “born to play” their roles as Barbie and Ken.

See a host of first reactions to the film below.

#Barbie is perfection. Greta Gerwig delivers a nuanced commentary on what it means to be a woman in a whimsical, wonderful and laugh-out-loud funny romp. The entire cast shines, especially Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling in roles they were clearly born to play.

— Katcy Stephan (@katcystephan) July 10, 2023

#Barbie caught me off guard & I mean that in the best way possible. It’s funny, bombastic, & very smart. Greta Gerwig aims for the fences & hits a home-run. Margot Robbie’s performance is great & @RyanGosling & @SimuLiu are pure entertainment! The whole cast is brilliant! pic.twitter.com/oXH965aUIF

— Joseph Deckelmeier (@joedeckelmeier) July 10, 2023

#BarbieTheMovie is witty, heartfelt, and downright fun at times. Ryan Gosling is a scene stealer delivering most of the laughs while Margot Robbie’s heartfelt performance will tug at your heartstrings. While I enjoyed most of the film the screenplay feels bloated at times pic.twitter.com/lepggZKZIX

— Sharronda Williams (@payorwait) July 10, 2023

I have seen #Barbie! The craftsmanship is incredible. In particular the costume & production design includes next-level work that heavily contributes to creating the feeling that these truly are Barbies, their dream houses, and their worlds come to life.

As for the story, that’s… pic.twitter.com/97r3sSodcw

— Perri Nemiroff (@PNemiroff) July 10, 2023

A lot of us strive to be “perfect” like Barbie, but the film will show you don’t always have to be so perfect, because even in a “perfect world,” we still have flaws and that’s okay. It’s for teens and an adult crowd who grew up with the franchise. #BarbieTheMovie / #BarbieMovie https://t.co/7zKttIdhyx pic.twitter.com/P51xEEyIXR

— Boss & CEO (@iamtycole) July 10, 2023

I saw #BarbieTheMovie and Greta Gerwig left me all in my feelings as did the production design, costumes, Hair and makeup! I was living for the dance numbers led by Simu Liu ! It’s overblown fun with a feminist twist #BarbieMovie pic.twitter.com/tL7vaUsqT4

— Carla Renata (@TheCurvyCritic) July 10, 2023

Ahead of the film’s release, it has been given a 12A rating in the UK, due to the film’s supposed use of “moderate innuendo”, “brief sexual harassment”, “violence”, “dangerous behaviour” and more.

It was also recently revealed the the film is being banned in Vietnam as it includes the “nine dash line map” that depicts islands in the South China Sea as being controlled by Beijing.

“We do not grant license for the American movie Barbie to release in Vietnam because it contains the offending image of the nine-dash line,” the state-run Tuoi Tre newspaper stated, citing Vi Kien Thanh, director general of the Vietnam Cinema Department under the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism.

Billie Eilish also this week announced the release date and title of her new song ‘What Was I Made For?’, which will appear on the film’s soundtrack.

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