Ryan Gosling as Ken in ‘Barbie’ – Photo courtesy Warner Bros.
The Barbie movie has taken the box office by storm, becoming an instant hit with audiences worldwide.
The colorful and vibrant film, led by Margot Robbie as the titular Barbie and Ryan Gosling as her Ken, raked in a staggering $162 million in ticket sales during its first weekend.
That’s enough for the production to earn back its production budget (though not when including what was apparently a huge marketing spend).
For those who have yet to experience the magic of Barbie on the big screen, beware of spoilers ahead!
The movie features not just one Barbie and one Ken but an ensemble of Barbies and Kens, each representing a different version of the doll once made available for kids. In addition to the stocked cast, there were initially even more well-known names expected to grace the film, adding to its star-studded ensemble.
Director and co-writer Greta Gerwig and casting director Allison Jones have been actively promoting the film and sharing fascinating behind-the-scenes insights.
They revealed several prominent actors were approached to portray Kens but couldn’t ultimately join the cast. Among them were three highly talented individuals – Bowen Yang, Dan Levy, and Ben Platt, all of whom would have been great in the role.
Unfortunately, due to various constraints, including Covid-related restrictions at the time of filming and other commitments, Yang, Levy, and Platt were unable to make appearances in Barbie.
Despite this, the film boasts an impressive roster of nearly 10 Kens, portrayed by equally gifted actors such as Simu Liu, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Scott Evans, Ncuti Gatwa, and John Cena.
Each actor brought their own unique style and charisma to their version of Ken, making them similar to one another, but also noticeably different.
Jonathan Groff was reportedly offered the role of Allan, an essential character in the Barbie universe. However, the part ultimately went to the equally talented Michael Cera, who brought his trademark quirky aloofness to the character.
About halfway through Jay Kelly, Noah Baumbach directs a love scene. I don't mean that there is a sex scene (those rarely appear in Baumbach's cinematic universe, except the mortifyingly awkward kind). I mean that Baumbach himself appears onscreen, in a wink-nod cameo, as a fictitious filmmaker, choreographing an intimate scene between our hero, Jay Kelly (played in flashback by Charlie Rowe), and an actress playing his wife (Eve Hewson), who becomes his real-life paramour, though not real real-life, but -- ah, who's to say what's real anyway?
Baumbach has never been the sort of director to place himself onscreen, but the indulgence fits with a certain metatextual thread in Jay Kelly, a wry Hollywood satire and wistful character study infused with the director's signature familial discord. Here is a film about making sense of your life when, as Jay puts it, "all my memories are movies"; a film about sifting through the thin thread that separates public persona and private identity. How much of your life is real when millions of people know and adore you for playing someone else? And what about the real family you neglected to pursue those celluloid dreams -- is it too late to make amends?
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