ReelBob: Catching Up: ‘Barbie,’ ‘Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 3’ & ‘Asteroid City’
By Bob Bloom
“Barbie” (PG-13) ★★★★
Greta Gerwig’s smart and witty satire of gender roles, expectations and politics had it from its opening Stanley Kubrick-“2001: A Space Odyssey” riff to the movie’s bright and sassy finale.
The script by Gerwig and Noah Baumbach is an observant, charming and shrewd social critique that pokes fun at toxic masculinity, patriarchy and the general devaluing of women — in and out of the workplace.
Margot Robbie is funny and a slyly perplexed chronicler of the real world she discovers, to try to solve her existential crisis, outside of Barbie Land, while Ryan Gosling is dazzling as Ken who feels powerless and unappreciated in Barbie World, but deeply dives into what he perceives as a man’s world after experiencing life outside of his normal bright and plastic existence.
Gerwig’s movie is gleeful and observant. It will dazzle and surprise you with its charm and intelligence. It is one of the best movies of the year, with wonderful supporting performances by America Ferrera, Kate McKinnon, Michael Cera, Simu Liu and Kingsley Ben-Adir.
Do not be surprised if the movie earns plenty of recognition when awards season arrives.
“Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 3” (PG-13) ★★★
James Gunn’s “Guardians” movies are usually lighthearted affairs that easily blends action and humor.
Not so this finale of the trilogy, which takes a much darker tone as it details the horrors that transformed a raccoon into the acerbic and cynical Rocket.
The film is centered on the High Evolutionary, who seeks perfection by continuing to tinker with life forms, hoping to create the perfect society — no matter how much pain and suffering he must inflict on his subjects.
At 150 minutes, the movie drags in spots. What keeps it afloat is the camaraderie of its characters and their quest to save one of their own at any cost.
And, of course, the movie features a bitchin’ soundtrack that sometimes overwhelms the on-screen action.
But if this is to be the final adventure for Chris Pratt’s Peter Quill-Star Lord, David Bautista’s Drax and some other characters, it’s a fun way to say goodbye.
“Asteroid City” (PG-13) ★★½
Wes Anderson’s latest movie is an interesting cavalcade of sequences that basically do not mesh as a whole — which, like most Anderson features, means it is watchable and entertaining if somewhat chaotic and challenging.
What propels the movie is an all-star cast, including Jason Schwartzman, Scarlett Johansson, Tom Hanks, Jeffrey Wright, Tilda Swinton, Adrien Brody, Bryan Cranston, Edward Norton, Liev Schreiber, Hope Davis, Stephen Park, Rupert Friend, Maya Hawke, Steve Carell, Matt Dillon, Hong Chau, Willem Dafoe, Margot Robbie and Jeff Goldblum.
Some may only have a sequence or two, but they perform them admirably.
Ostensibly, the movie, set in 1955, centers on a Junior Stargazer-Space Cadet convention, bringing together the smartest students, as well as their parents, in the country for a scientific competition as well as fellowship. But an unexpected guest, with world-changing implications, disrupts the proceedings.
The movie, told as a playwright’s work in progress, slides between theatrical artificiality and obvious movie backdrop sets. Cast members, as well, speak in a manner that purposely feels pretentious.
Anderson’s movie may be somewhat confusing and enigmatic, but it is not dull.
I am a founding member of the Indiana Film Journalists Association. I review movies, 4K UHD, Blu-rays and DVDs for ReelBob (ReelBob.com), The Film Yap and other print and online publications. I can be reached by email at bobbloomjc@gmail.com. You also can follow me on Twitter @ReelBobBloom and on Facebook at ReelBob.com or the Indiana Film Journalists Association. My movie reviews also can be found at Rotten Tomatoes: www.rottentomatoes.com.