Barbie is only a few weeks from hitting theaters, and yet not much is known about the plot. From trailers, know that Margot Robbie’s heroine is hit with some good old fashioned existential dread. We know that she enters the real world, where Will Ferrell is running Mattel. We also know that a lot of talented actors loved the script by director Greta Gerwig and her real-life partner Noah Baumbach, which sounds uncommonly, perhaps unnecessarily good for a movie based on a doll brand. As it turns out, at least one part of it was so edgy that it freaked out Mattel top brass.
A new Time profile of the film (in a bit teased out by Variety) reveals that Richard Dickson, COO and president of Mattel, was so alarmed by an “off-brand” scene that he got on a dang airplane to London to argue with Gerwig ant Robbie. It’s not clear with scene so riled up Dickson, but Gerwig and Robbie were able to assuage his fears by acting the scene out for him.
“When you look on the page, the nuance isn’t there, the delivery isn’t there,” Robbie explained.
Mattel top dogs were reportedly not initially copasetic with some of Gerwig and Baumbach’s ambitions, which includes questioning the feminist bona fides of a doll that has long been criticized for representing impossible beauty standards. (Or for being, until 1980, when the first Black Barbie debuted, exclusively white.) But Gerwig, with the help of Robbie, was able to earn their trust.
The Time piece also features some more newly publicized details about the movie, including that it opens with some narration by Helen Mirren, who informs viewers that in Barbie Land “all problems of feminism and equal rights have been solved.” It also reveals our protagonist also starts aging:
Those arched feet go flat. Cellulite appears on her thigh. To combat these changes, she must venture into the real world with Ken, who has been feeling like a mere accessory in Barbie’s dream life. The real world is, well, real. Men in suits at Mattel—led by Will Ferrell’s CEO—make disingenuous speeches about female empowerment; preteens dress Barbie down for wreaking havoc on their self-esteem. Both Barbie and Ken go on quests of self-discovery, and that’s when things get really interesting. (I won’t give away Ken’s story, but Gosling nearly steals the show.)
There’s also “surprisingly balletic musical number that appears to be inspired by Grease and Singin’ in the Rain; a car-chase sequence; a mysterious woman in a kitchen; and a running gag about Sylvester Stallone’s penchant for mink coats.”
Barbie hits theaters on July 21, and Tom Cruise thinks you should see on a double with Oppenheimer.