From the meaning behind Ken's flashy fur coat to the purpose of a pooping dog, let's explore
all the subtle jokes and references tucked away in the "Barbie" movie.
One of the cool elements that director Greta Gerwig brings to the film is calling attention
to the specific kinds of Barbies each character represents.
Margot Robbie's "Stereotypical Barbie" look doesn't outshine other Barbies, like Issa
Rae's "President Barbie" or Kate McKinnon's hilarious "Weird Barbie."
"Hi, I'm weird Barbie.
I am in the splits, I have a funky haircut and I smell like basement."
However, what really attracts the audience's interest are the discontinued Barbie dolls,
which Gerwig includes to pay homage to both the triumphs and mistakes of Mattel's ideas.
For example, Michael Cera plays Ken's best buddy Allan, who was discontinued after Mattel
realized that kids were not even that interested in playing with Ken, let alone his sidekick.
"There are no multiples of Allan.
He's just Allan."
"Yeah, I'm confused about that."
Additionally, Emerald Fennell plays the often-forgotten Midge, who is a discontinued pregnant doll.
You can see other infamous discontinued dolls like "Video Girl Barbie," who functioned as
a working video camera, and "Earring Magic Ken" who has an earring and… a big round necklace.
One scene that was featured in the first trailer and opens the film is the little girls' revolt
against baby dolls.
With Helen Mirren narrating, the scene is cinematically gripping.
In it, young girls solemnly play with their baby dolls and act as mothers, while Mirren
tells the audience how little girls were always force-fed the baby doll.
That is, until Barbie came on the scene, showing little girls that the role of mother was not
the only aspiration they could have.
As a result of seeing Robbie's powerful stance, the little girls smash their baby dolls and
revolt against this motherly ideology to opt for a Barbie.
The scene might seem slightly off-putting to those who haven't seen the original source
material, but the "Barbie" opening is entirely based on the opening from "2001: A Space Odyssey."
However, instead of an alien monolith appearing before a crowd of cavemen, Robbie's beautiful
1950s swimsuit-clad presence dominates the scene.
The young women are inspired by Robbie's Barbies, and instead of breaking skulls like the cavemen
do, the little girls smash their baby dolls in the same intense, animalistic manner.
A baby doll is thrown into the air before transitioning into the "Barbie" logo, a clear
homage to Stanley Kubrick's famous match shot in "2001: A Space Odyssey" that turns a flying
bone into a satellite.
The entire scene is absurd in these circumstances, but manages to cover a lot of exposition to
contextualize Barbie for the audience.
One of the key elements to perfecting the "Barbie" movie comes from recreating the doll's
iconic looks.
Costume designer Jacqueline Durran wanted to fully capture the history of the doll by
recreating some of the most memorable and niche costumes for casual fans and superfans
alike to enjoy.
The designer started with the very first look you see Robbie's Barbie wearing: The 1959 Barbie swimsuit.
This look is featured in the "2001: A Space Odyssey" parody opening scene, with Robbie
sporting a black and white one-piece swimsuit, red lipstick, and sharp sunglasses.
The recreation of this look is almost identical to the earliest model of the Barbie doll.
It makes sense to start the film off with Barbie's origin, and Durran absolutely nails it.
If you are anywhere on the internet, then you've probably seen the video of Ryan Gosling
at 12 years old dancing in an episode of "Star Search."
He stands, front and center, with a group of dancers, and absolutely tears it up for
the whole audience to see.
The MC Hammer pants, the facial expressions, and everything else about the video is incredible
and totally on brand.
However, nothing could prepare you for Gosling's song and dance movies in the "Barbie" movie.
Gerwig truly leaned into the hype surrounding Gosling's resurfaced video and created a musical masterpiece.
Ken sings about his meaningless existence, giving the audience more insight into Barbie's
male accessory.
This musical number is a great callback to Gosling's younger days and gives the movie
more of a quirky tone, if that's even possible.
"No one rests until this doll is back in a box."
Barbie has many sidekicks, including siblings, friends, and, of course, Ken.
However, Barbie also has several pets, including a golden retriever named Tanner.
One of the quick little moments in the "Barbie" movie that you might miss is the inclusion
of Barbie's dog, Tanner.
When Barbie goes to Weird Barbie's house, she finds the dog walking through the house
and leaving poop pellets along the way.
The dog is only present for a few seconds, but real Barbie fans recognize it right away.
One Barbie toy that was discontinued was Tanner, an accompaniment for Potty Training Barbie.
When Barbie would walk the dog, it would drop poop pellets, and Barbie would have the tools
to pick them up.
The problem, though, was that the pellets were so small that they constituted a choking
hazard for small children.
Additionally, the toy was recalled because the small magnet in the scooper fell off way
too easily, providing yet another safety issue for kids.
This toy is one that lives in infamy, but is certainly a hilarious addition to the "Barbie" movie.
There are many Barbie universe references throughout the film, and pretty much every
single one of them is called out by Helen Mirren's narration.
However, because of all of them, it seems especially jarring when the reference is unrelated
to Barbie.
Fans will notice the discussion surrounding "Pride and Prejudice" and the feminine right
to watch it whenever they want.
There's also the brief discussion about loving Zack Snyder's "Justice League" cut and the
masculine urge to shove that in everyone's face.
However, there are some quirkier and more subtle references too, like Weird Barbie offering
Barbie the truth or a way to ignore everything with a high heel and a Birkenstock.
This is a nod to the red pill and blue pill decision from "The Matrix."
Or, in the montage sequences, there are brief clips from "The Godfather," "Grease" and other
popular pieces of media.
So it's great to watch Gerwig give both subtle and blatant nods to popular culture.
Can we get some applause for Ken's outfit choices throughout the film?
Most of the focus in costume conversations surrounding the film comes from Barbie's looks,
and rightfully so.
However, the choices for Ken's outfits are just as incredible.
"Did you bring your rollerblades?"
"I literally go nowhere without them."
In keeping with the theme of making numerous pop culture references throughout the film,
there are many references to Sylvester Stallone, and to "Rocky" as a whole.
They are mostly subtle but the biggest reference comes from Ken's outfit choice when he takes
over Barbieland with the patriarchy in tow.
His giant white fur coat and no shirt make for a bougie look — and a reference.
Sylvester Stallone wore that white fur coat in the '70s and '80s, even earning himself
a GQ article about it.
Gosling learns about the patriarchy, horses, and Stallone in the real world and takes all
of that, including Stallone's fashion choices, back to Barbieland with him.
Though the coat in the film is fake fur, costume designer Jacqueline Durran said that they
lined it with horse print as a homage to Ken's obsession with horses.
For those who are fans of Stallone, and appreciate Ken's love of horses, the coat is a nice little easter egg.
There is one particularly beautiful scene in the movie that features Barbie telling
an older woman at the bus stop that she is beautiful.
The woman, in response, says she "knows it," giving Barbie a nice smile.
The scene perfectly encapsulates what the Barbie movie is all about, and it is one of
the most heartfelt moments in the film.
However, fans began speculating who the woman is, and many were led to believe it was Barbara
Handler, daughter of Barbie inventor Ruth Handler.
Pump the brakes, though, because that woman actually is not Barbara Handler.
Instead, the woman in question is actually Oscar-winning costume designer Ann Roth.
The scene is still particularly meaningful, but does not have the connection to the Handler
family that many fans speculated.
However, there is a big mention of Barbara Handler and the way she inspired Ruth to create
the Barbie doll, so she is not totally absent from the film.
Though Barbara Handler was not actually featured in "Barbie," Gerwig found a way to put her
mother Ruth Handler in the film.
Gerwig's cool way of paying homage to Barbie's inventor is by having Rhea Pearlman play Ruth
in the film.
This is not just a glorified cameo either — Handler and Barbie have a nice conversation
at the end of the film about humanity and their relationship with one another.
However, the inclusion of Handler featured a couple of quick jokes regarding Handler's
tax evasion, which fans might not understand.
In the 1970s, Handler was indicted after charges of fraud and false reporting to the Securities
and Exchange Commission were brought to light.
She pleaded no contest and was fined $57,000.
In addition, she had to serve 2,500 hours of community service.
Because there were no serious consequences, it is something people feel comfortable joking
about, which is why Gerwig used it as a quick quip in the film.
"Get that Barbie!"
Greta Gerwig is able to explore many themes in the film, particularly about feminism,
coping with existence, and trying to find your individuality in a world that demands
you to be perfect.
However, one more subtle theme that Gerwig tackles throughout the movie comes from her
exploration of the way Barbie and Ken are attached to one another, and who Ken is without Barbie.
"I'm coming with you."
"Okay."
A lot of the film revolves around Barbie's crisis with who she is and what she was made for.
Meanwhile, Ken's crisis in the film is learning about how he can be his own person and exist
as something other than an extension of Barbie.
It functions as an interesting take on the creation myth in Genesis, and how their relationship
is like Adam and Eve, but flipped.
Barbie was invented as a way of empowering women.
As a result, Ken was created after Barbie to essentially function as a human accessory
to her — just as Eve was created after Adam.
Furthermore, Gerwig also found a way to play on the concept of Eve being created from Adam's rib.
The director emphasizes this in reverse with Barbie and Ken, showcasing how Ken was created
from Barbie's fame.
Though most of the "Barbie" movie focus comes from Robbie and Gosling's performances, it's
important to acknowledge how incredible the entire cast is, particularly America Ferrera.
She perfectly encapsulates what it is like to be a woman, and the intense pressure women
are under to successfully make it through even one day.
Her acting is lovely and her obsession with Barbie is relatable — but we're not here
to talk about that.
We're here to talk about the quick little line that references one of Ferrera's older,
iconic films: "Gotta Kick It Up."
Ferrera's character, Gloria, has to help Barbie get Barbieland back from the Kens.
Meanwhile, her husband is learning Spanish to better connect with his wife and daughter,
and says "Si Se Puede" to Barbie at the end of the film.
Though the comment is one of encouragement, essentially meaning "you can do it," it is
more of a nod to "Gotta Kick It Up" which is alternately titled "Si Se Puede."
The reference could also extend to Ferrera and Eva Longoria's digital lifestyle community
for Latin people called "She Se Puede."