COME ON BARBIE, LET’S GO PARTY!
While the usage of translating bestselling novels into feature films is the more “commonplace” practice of moviemaking adapting, Hollywood has found a somewhat unique interest in find theatrical endeavors that are set around (or derivate from) popular toys, board games, and animated TV show. While finding inspiration in an old classic game or finding spiritual influence based on a real-world toy line, this peculiar little niche of a source material has been around for quite some time and has produced cinematic representation of some well-known and / or familiar brands for past several decades. From action figures to family party games to even episodic cartoons, some of these films are considered cult classics and can range from memorable hits to mixed bag flicks, and even some box office flops. This include such projects like Waddingtons / Parker Brothers’s board murder mystery game Clue (1985’s Clue), Hasbro’s strategy board game Battleship (2012’s Battleship), the 80s animated TV series Jem (2015’s Jem and the Holograms), Mattel’s action figure Max Steel (2016’s Max Steel), as well as franchise tag films series like TSR / Wizards of the Coast fantasy board game Dungeons & Dragons (Dungeons & Dragons 2000-2023), Hasbro’s robot action figure / animated TV series Transformers (Transformers 2007 – 2023), and Mattel’s popular doll line of American Girl (American Girl 2004 – 2016) and several others. Now, Warner Bros. Studios and director Greta Gerwig releases the latest film in reimagining a popular toy line for a cinematic experience in the movie Barbie, based on the long-running doll brand. Does this movie reinvent the classic female doll for modern times or is it just a glitzy (yet shallow) glitter ball jaunt that goes nowhere?
THE STORY
In the glamorous and perfected world of Barbie Land, Barbie (Margot Robbie) lives in joyful bliss. Live in her dream house, she is surrounded by other Barbie, with the role of women in control of the populace and reaching various admirable career goals, while Ken (Ryan Gosling) and the other Kens are left with their beautiful image and unchanneled male bravado, finding the male doll desperately in love with Barbie, yet doesn’t how to do it. One day, however, Barbie, begins to think of death, soon followed by the loss her arched pointy feet, ordered to visit the sage-like Weird Barbie (Kate McKinnon) to figure out what’s going on. It is then that Barbie is tasked with traveling to the Real World, heading to Los Angeles to confront the girl who’s been playing with her, and doing a bad job of it. While beginning her journey, Barbie is joined by Ken, with the pair exposed to the bizarre strangeness of the Real World, which gives the male doll a detailed education on the allure of patriarchal life, inspiring him to bring such pronouncement back to Barbie Land. For Barbie, however, her life is now one of utter confusion and emotional mess, heading to Mattel headquarters to meet with its C.E.O. (Will Ferrell), quickly realizing the men in charge want to get ride of this iteration Barbie, who’s beginning to understand the pain of the female experience. With the help of Gloria (America Ferrea), a Mattel employee, Barbie sets out to solve the mystery and give her some clarity as to what it means to be an iconic and individualistic human at the same time.
THE GOOD / THE BAD
Much like opening paragraph states, Hollywood has always turned towards other source material for both inspiration and influences for their filmmaking endeavors. While the “book to film” has indeed been the most proven effort to tap into (generating plenty of “based on a novel” features), studios have looked to other media outlets and mediums to garnish “popular” ideas for cinematic storytelling. For toys, such an idea seems to be very interesting take on such nuance, for taking closer examination of revolving around dolls, action figures, board games, and even cartoon series and build a motion picture around it. There’s definitely allure and one that I find a bit fascination to do so, especially if the project can either emulate the same type of energy or excitement from the toy itself or delve further into its own background / lore. Such is the case with the Transformers movies. While the film franchise has indeed been of the blockbuster variety and as has had a rocky journey throughout several installments, it has made a lucrative box office business of the action figure toy line and various animated TV series in depicting the conflict between autoboots and deceptions. 1985’s Clue is another prime example of a successful adaptation of a popular toy, with the film capturing the classic “murder mystery” aspect of the whodunit game and creates a cheeky take on the cat and mouse chase of figuring out the murderer. However, there are some endeavors that fail capture such imagination within this realm, with such personally opinion falling upon such movies like Jem and the Holograms and Max Steel; both of which were poorly conceived films and really didn’t match up to its source material. Of course, there are other films that I didn’t mention (LEGOs with its box office success with The LEGO Movies and American Girl DTV lineup releases), but it’s quite easily to see that Hollywood isn’t slowing down their keen eyes of turning towards turning popular toys and board games into new cinematic adaptations for audiences to marvel over and try to reignite such nostalgia feeling.
This brings me back around to talking about Barbie, a 2023 fantasy / comedy film and the latest movie adaptation of a popular kid’s toy line. Given the on-going trend of all the recent endeavors by Hollywood looking towards memorable IPs and brands to make into feature length projects, it was almost a forgone conclusion that a studio would eventually come around to pick up the film rights for Mattel’s Barbie. To be sure, Barbie (the brand) has been around for quite some time, spanning decades as the monumental toy line has seeing various representation throughout the years (i.e. doctor, lawyer, teacher, gymnast, mermaid, fairy, princess, etc.) as well as moving beyond its original format to other mediums and media outlets, including clothing, accessories, video games, and DTV (direct to video) releases. In essence, Barbie, much like other classic toys (i.e. Hot Wheels, LEGOs, and etc.) have endured throughout the years and have built a lucrative empire, with various generations able to connect with popular doll line and her many incarnations. Thus, when such an idea of a Barbie movie was approached, many people were quite elated as there hasn’t been a live-action adaptation of the doll ever before and would the first attempt to do so. Adding more fuel to that anticipation and excitement was that director Greta Gerwig would be directing the feature as well as actress Margot Robbie would be attached and be playing the lead role (who would be perfect in playing that). From that point onward, more tidbits of info nuggets dropped online here and there (cast, production images, etc.), which did interest me a little bit, but not enough to get me overly excited about the upcoming film. Next, the film’s movie trailers and marketing campaign began to ramp up and did provide a better context of how this Barbie movie was going to be. From the previews, it looked like a unique take on the classic doll toy, with a lot of pink (and I do mean a lot) and some humorous bits from its cast. It definitely looked like it was going to have mass appeal, which various generations, but I still wasn’t “super excited” to see it. But, given the amount of hype the feature was received, especially since the movie was being released on the same date as Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer (as a part of the “Barbenheimer”), I was definitely be going to see the movie. I did get to see Barbie during its opening weekend, but decided to wait a few days, for…..to collect my thoughts on the film as well as getting a chance to see Oppenheimer the follow day after seeing it. And what did I think of it? Well, it was good, but nothing spectacular. While the movie does suffer from some weak narrative elements as well as several lackluster characterization aims, Barbie is visually fun cotton candy wonderland that’s over-the-top silly premise, while problematic, still manages to make for some entertainment due to its lead performances and endearing commentary message. I don’t think that it is superb and fantastic as some are making it out to be (don’t think its worth the inherit hype), but it still has some paramount importance (and entertaining bits) to make the endeavor standout as one of the better film adaptations that are based on a popular toy line.
Barbie is directed by Greta Gerwig, whose previous directorial works include such films as Lady Bird, Nights and Weekends, and Little Women. Given her previous works and the amount of anticipation that has been building for Hollywood to make a live-action Barbie flick, Gerwig seems like a somewhat interesting choice to helm the Barbie movie. Although, I was quite surprised on subversive the project is and I must give towards Gerwig’s direction and approach to this particular film. To be sure, Gerwig shapes Barbie to be of a satire variety and embraces some of the goofy silliness one would expect from a expensive Hollywood studio feature that centered around the popular Mattel doll. Thus, from the immediate get-go, Gerwig gives a cheeky and often humorous presentation for this endeavor, making Barbie almost a satire piece that both pokes fun at the doll brand as well as reminiscing over the importance of it. This particular clash of “love and hate” for Barbie is kind of like the underlining tone for the feature, which Gerwig walks a fine line of how ridiculous everything is, yet still speaks to how there is to appreciate it. Of course, this poking fun of a satire endeavor definitely is the feature’s “bread and butter”, with Gerwig helming this project on that particular formula notion, which does offer some fun and amusing quips about the Barbies, Kens, and the whole Mattel brand. So, yes….Gerwig does layer the feature with plenty of goofy satirical dressing throughout, which certainly does provide of dose silly fun and entertainment value. However, there are moments where Gerwig, who plays double duty on Barbie as both director and script writer (along with Noah Baumbach), does draw sentimentality into the feature, which gives context to certain emotions; surmising even toys can have feel / have human conditions happiness, sadness, and self-understanding.
Perhaps the most surprising aspect that Gerwig does with Barbie is found within its thematical message and social commentary that are on full display. While some might dismiss these notions in the film for being a bit too “on the nose” in how they are presented in the story, I felt that they were a well-placed and certainly do speak volumes within the film’s context. Of course, they can a bit “broad” in Barbie’s examination of these, but their quite poignant and impactful. Heck, I was quite interested to see these themes pop up in a Barbie movie. It’s a bit straightforward in how everything is presented and is watered down a bit for a more broader audience grasping (silly at times), but that’s the nature of satire genre and what Gerwig most likely wanted to convey in the story. Of course, there are also themes of self-discovery and self-worth found in the feature and projecting them into this are quite universal in nature, which provides a somewhat wholesome experience in viewing this movie.
As a sidenote and as a word of caution to viewers out there, Gerwig’s Barbie can be hard to figure out who it’s target audience is. Yes, it’s quite clear that anyone who has ever played with Barbie (in some point in their lives) is their target, but the feature does have some mixture of kid style humor (both in physical sight gags and in dialogue driven jokes) as well as some adult humor throughout. While not uncommon practice of blend these two together in projects (The Shrek movies is something that immediately comes to mind), some more sensitive viewers might take a little bit offense towards such risqué humor found in a movie that younger viewers might want to see. To me, it didn’t bother me as much. I did find myself laughing out loud more times than what I was expecting to, with some of the acting talent providing some humorous bits within their scenario scenes. Thus, it’s not a “deal breaker” for me, but just putting it out there for viewers.
For it’s presentation, Barbie is, without a doubt, a visually colorful endeavor that catches a viewer’s attention through its heightened usage of the color pink (all shades and hews) as well in its candy-colored style of bringing Mattel’s fantasy-esque lifestyle of Barbie to life. With a production budget that could rival a summertime superhero blockbuster feature, the film indeed has a large production budget (somewhere in the $128 – $145 million) and gives Gerwig and her team plenty to work with. Of course, while scenes in the “real world” are presented in a more grounded affair (lifelike and real) in their depictions of Los Angeles, the real background setting star is the film’s almost primary setting found in Barbieland, a wonderland paradise that is filled with so much visual aesthetics of the color pink and having all the right amount of whimsical nature of actually playing with the Mattel dolls. I do place a lot of emphasis on this aspect as Gerwig and her team definitely create a very vibrant and colorful world in Barbieland that looks like a one foot in reality (believable), yet still utilizes the child-like wonder of the plastic nature of the Mattel toy line. Thus, the film’s “behind the scenes team”, including Sarah Greenwood (production design), Katie Spencer and Ashley Swanson (set decorations), Jacqueline Durran (costume designs), and both the entire art direction and the hair / make-up team for their efforts in making the movie’s visual setting come alive in its own right from beginning to end. In addition, the cinematography work by Rodrigo Prieto is pretty good and offers up some creative and dramatic moments in the film….in both over-the-top silliness and heartfelt tenderness. Lastly, while the movie’s score, which was composed by Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt, is good and definitely hits all the right notes (thematically and dramatically) for a project like this, the real standout would have to be film’s soundtrack, which has plenty toe-tapping and bubbly pop songs that are perfect for this Barbie movie.
Unfortunately, Barbie does falter in a few areas, with the feature coming up a bit lopsided within its undertaking and overall execution of this endeavor. How so? Well, for starters, the script is rather thin and does have fragmented narrative threads. While I do give a lot of credit for the film’s themes and commentary messages to conveyed in the feature, the script is rather surface level, despite wanting to go deep in a few areas. Several scenes really don’t go nowhere, certain characters become less important, and important details are left out and / or left ambiguous. It’s like Gerwig and Baumbach took a lot of time developing the themes and message for the movie and it didn’t have enough to develop properly (and throughout narrative). Speaking of narrative, Barbie (in a nutshell) seems quite predictable and formulaic for most of the picture. While I didn’t expect anything grand or creatively done, I certainly was expecting something a bit more, especially with Gerwig at the helm in both directing and writing. Yes, the definite comparison of Barbie to 2003’s Elf, which finds a fictional-like character from wonderous place goes to real “human” world and discover more about themselves and gets several people while there. The side-by-side comparison of the two is quite clear and, while Barbie only takes half of narrative threads found in Elf, I think that the 2003 did it better, with a far less ambition and production cost.
In addition, there are some wonky decisions made in the movie, which (again) derives from the feature’s script shaping / handling. Some parts of the film’s world-building is left rather ambiguous. How were the Barbies and Kens created? Did the Mattel CEOs create them? Are they human? Do their thoughts, feelings, and judgements affect the real world (and vice versa)? Are they Barbies and Kens assigned to one person in the real world or do they collectively represent everyone? There are a few more other ones that give me a bit of a “headscratcher” for me, but you get the idea. Again, I knew that this is a Barbie movie and I wasn’t expecting any heavy-duty world-building aspects like in Avatar, Star Wars, or Lord of the Rings, but sometime type of better grasp of how this movie’s world works in a cohesive manner. Maybe it’s all left to imagination of the viewer? Who knows? But a little insight would’ve been beneficial. Also, I do have to mention that the “human” aspect of Barbie gets quite messy and woefully underdeveloped. It’s not for a lack of trying of showcasing the world and characters found in the “real world”, but most of the aspects and nuances of this portion of the film feels really undercooked and lacks focus, including several side character plot threads that conclude on their own without any real gumption to feel earned. Also, the movie does decided to go big and silly, especially with a “Battle of the Kens” taking center stage during the third act. It’s bonkers and goofy fun for all, but it sort of takes away from the impact of Barbie’s journey, who gets lost at this particular portion of the story and gets pushed to the backburner.
As a more personal point of criticism, I felt that Barbie was a little bit overhyped. I can definitely see the mass appeal and why people would really like it. That being said, I really don’t think it’s that incredible. Yes, it has some good moments and some wholesome lessons to be learned (didn’t expect that), but I felt like it was just a bit hyped up too much and wasn’t completely worth that inherit anticipation. The story is good, but not great. The cast is fun, but nothing stellar or Oscar-worthy, the visual presentation is dazzling and colorful, but nothing extravagant or intricately detailed, and so on and so forth. Don’t get me wrong….I did like the movie, but I don’t think enough to be the “best picture” material or one of my “top ten” movies of the year.
Lastly, as a very, very minor point of criticism, I felt it was almost a missed opportunity that Barbie didn’t feature the original “Barbie” song from the musician group Aqua. I know that there was something legal issues and other such matters between Warner Bros and Aqua themselves, which is why it isn’t featured in the movie, but the iconic and bubblegum pop song was almost “tailored made” for this project and would’ve easily been interjected, especially in the first act, with glorious fanfare. I know that there was a new remix version of it in the movie, but it doesn’t compare to the original.
The cast in Barbie definitely helps look behind those points of criticisms, with the selected acting talent pool delivers some theatrically bold performances, which are befitting for a movie that is solely based on the Mattel doll line. Plus, it’s quite clear that everyone on this project is having fun in their performances and is having a ball participating in this film. Sadly, while most of the cast does well-enough to make the most of their respective roles, the narrative / script for the film does get bogged down with several character (most of the humans from the “real world”) that don’t exactly know what to do with them. However, starting with the denizen dolls of Barbie, the movie is the strongest and most impressionable when it comes to the feature’s true main star role of Barbie, who is played by actress Margot Robbie. Known for her roles in Babylon, Suicide Squad, and I, Tonya, Robbie has certainly made a name for herself throughout her career, with the actress being placed in the leading role more often in prominent projects. Such is the case of this movie, with Robbie playing the titular character of Barbie. At first glance, one can easily see why she was immediately chosen for this role, with the actress automatically looking like the classic / stereotypical barbie doll (white, blonde, pretty, etc.). From that standpoint alone, Robbie immediately sets the stage and physically embodies the classic ideals of what Barbie was originally wanted to project. However, it is Robbie’s personality which definitely helps sell the character, who offers up the bubbly yet sometimes naïve performance within her portrayal of stereotypical Barbie. Her journey in the movie, while may be a little bit straightforward and predictable, is still a wholesome one and Robbie helps sell those self-discovery arc throughout the movie. She’s funny, sympathetic, and definitely easy to root for from onset to conclusion.
As customary to all the real-life different Barbie dolls that have been produced throughout the years, the movie does a different variety of Barbies (beyond Margot Robbie’s one), including actress Kate McKinnon (Office Christmas Party and Ghostbusters) as Weird Barbie, actress Emma Mackey (Emily and Death on the Nile) as Physicist Barbie, actress Hari Nef (Transparent and The Idol) as Dr. Barbie, actress Nicola Coughlan (Derry Girls and Bridgeton) as Diplomat Barbie, singer / songwriter Dua Lipa as Mermaid Barbie, actress Alexandra Shipp (X-Men: Apocalypse and Love, Simon) as Writer Barbie, actress Ritu Arya (The Umbrella Academy and Last Christmas) as Journalist Barbie, actress Issa Rae (Insecure and The Lovebirds) as President Barbie, actress Sharon Rooney (Finding Alice and My Mad Fat Diary) as Lawyer Barbie, and actress Ana Cruz Kayne (Another Earth and Painkiller) as Judge Barbie. While all have their moment in the spotlight, I would have to say that McKinnon’s Weird Barbie easily steals every scene she’s in and makes for a memorable side character in the feature.
Looking beyond the Barbie’s character (and its variations), the film is co-lead by the character of Ken, the male counterpart to the popular female doll, and who is played by actor Ryan Gosling. Known for his roles in The Notebook, Drive, and La La Land, Gosling has been around the Hollywood circuit for quite some time and has definitely made a name for himself as an actor. Much like Robbie, he certainly does have the screen presence and was probably a good decision in cast Gosling in the role of Ken. As mentioned above, I was quite surprised to see how much the film delves into the character of Ken and how he matched up with the character of Barbie, especially in comparing their roles, involvement in Barbieland, and in their own self-discovery. For this reason, Gosling (like Robbie) is up to the task for playing this iconic male doll character and actually (and surprisingly) does a great job in the role. Like the themes explored by the character of Barbie, Ken goes on a self-discovery journey of finding himself and what’s his purpose, with Gosling’s performance (albeit a bit silly and over-the-top) showcasing the journey arc his character goes through in the feature. Naturally, the themes of identity are displayed as well as toxic masculinity, pandering to broad range patriarchy that can still be face in today’s society. There’s a earnest feeling that Gosling captures his portrayal of Ken, with the character almost at a lost of who he and gives an impressionable taste of what male hierarchy in the real world. It’s not deep as Barbie’s journey, but it is poignant and meaningful, with Gosling encapsulating and humorous / well-meaning portrayal of Ken, a character who is given insight and almost layered character construct that what was original intended.
Plus, I must also mention that Robbie and Gosling share great chemistry with each other and quite easy to see on-screen whenever they are paired together. All in all, I felt that both Robbie and Gosling perfectly embody both Barbie and Ken and are definitely the true highlight of this feature….without question.
Like Barbie, the character of Ken has variety of variation of the iconic doll and is played by different actors, including actor Kingsley Ben-Adir (Peaky Blinders and High Fidelity) as Ken #1, actor Simu Liu (Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and One True Loves) as Ken #2, actor Scott Evans (One Life to Live and Grace and Frankie) as Ken #3, actor Ncuti Gatwa (Sex Education and Doctor Who) as Ken #4, actor Rob Brydon (Marion & Geoff and The Trip) as Sugar Daddy Ken, and wrestler / actor John Cena (Blockers and Ferdinand) as Kenmaid. Naturally, of this category, Liu’s Ken, who (again) acts as a somewhat rival Ken to Gosling, is the standout of these players and does make the most of his screentime. Also, I have to mention that actor Michael Cera (Superbad and Juno) plays the character of Alan, a one-note male doll was discounted shortly after being released and is the “only one of his kind” in Barbieland. Cera, who is always good at playing the nervous / wimpy character quite well throughout the many roles he’s played, and certainly matches that when he plays Alan, a character who doesn’t quite fit in with the rest of the Kens or even the Barbies. Although, I felt that there could’ve been more to his character and was kind of waiting for some sort of “big reveal” moment for the character in the third act.
Sadly, most of the human characters from “real world” are woefully underdeveloped and perhaps the weakest part of Barbie. The most notable one of this group would be actor Will Ferrell (Night at the Roxbury and Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy), who plays the character of Mattel’s CEO. Personally, with maybe the exception of his involvement in The LEGO Movie in 2014, Ferrell, for more than the past decade, has become increasingly unfunny and lackluster in his performance in both comedic and dramatic participation. His involvement in Barbie feels like he’s….just there. He does his usual schtick of yelling and screaming dialogue and acting goofy throughout, but he’s, more or less, doing the same thing he’s done many times over….and bringing nothing new. Thus, it becomes tiresome to watch Ferrell in the movie. What’s even worse is that there isn’t much for him to do, especially in the latter half of the movie, which is made painfully clear by the time feature reaches its ending. The same can also be partly said for the two important human characters in Gloria, a Mattel employee who helps Barbie in the real world, and Sasha, Gloria’s daughter, who are played by actresses America Ferrera (Ugly Betty and How to Train Your Dragon) and Ariana Greenblatt (65 and Bad Mom’s Christmas). For Gloria, Ferrera is fine as the struggling mother, who is conflicted about her life and her relationship with her teenage daughter, but there isn’t much for her to do after her introduction. Yes, she does give one of the most poignant and meaningful monologue scenes in the entire film, but she (or rather Gloria) feels underwhelmingly undercooked in the movie. The same goes for Sasha, a grumpy teen who doesn’t get along with her mom as much as she used to and is more jaded against the idea of Barbie (as a whole). She makes for a strong introduction in the film and I see where they were going with her, but, much like Ferrera’s Gloria, she doesn’t amount to much in the rest of the story. Even their personal relationships plights as mother / daughter sort of fizzles out and kind gets swept underneath the rug by the time the movie reaches its conclusion.
Perhaps the only human character that worked in the film was Ruth, who was played by actress Rhea Pearlman (Cheers and Matilda). While the character is nothing more than a glorified cameo (as well as helping moving some narrative progressions near the end, Pearlman at least makes her mark on the film in this small role.
Lastly, I do have to give credit to actress Helen Mirren (Gosford Park and The Queen) for the playing the role as the film’s narrator. Some of the best lines (and sometimes the funniest) are delivered from her in her calm yet “matter of fact” voiceover that is interjected throughout the feature. Definitely hilarious and top marks for Mirren in this limited, yet quite effective part in Barbie.
FINAL THOUGHTS
A movie for the ages, a feature for everyone to love or hate, and the first live-action adaptation of Mattel’s popular female doll gets a cinematic spotlight treatment in the movie Barbie. Director Greta Gerwig’s latest film take the popular doll brand from Mattel and vamps it up for a filmmaking treatment worth of a big-screen adventure, with an overexcited, yet surprisingly endearing tale of what it means to alive and finding the joy in life. While the feature does suffer from lack of world building, several fragmented narrative threads, and some undercooked characters, the movie still makes for some good positives, including Gerwig’s direction nuances, a visually colorful presentation, a great social commentary messages, and some great performance, most notable in Robbie and Gosling. Personally, I thought that this movie was just good. It was definitely of a satire variety, with its self-aware humor, pokes fun at male and female portrayals in society (and expectations), and delivers silly fun throughout the proceedings. That being said, I feels like the movie has great ideas, but lacks a cohesiveness to all, which creates a rather uneven structure and undercooked subplots. It’s fun and colorful to watch and definitely better than most of the popular toy IP brands that have come out of Hollywood (i.e. Max Steel, Ouija, Battleship, The Playmobil Movie, and even some of the Transformer movies.), but I don’t think it matched the hype and / or anticipation that was being promoted these past several month prior to its release. However, I’m pretty sure that the masses will like the movie and make some type of connection with it. That being said, I’m sure some will agree on my opinion (more on that film critic opinion rather than a casual moviegoer). Thus, my recommendation for this feature is a “iffy choice” as die-hard Barbie fans will love, while others might dismiss the project as ridiculous satire. Given the amount open-endedness that the movie presents, there is room for a possible sequel or spin-off endeavor, but it’s unclear if one would materialize. In the end, Barbie, while disjointed and clunky in examining the iconic doll in her first live-action film adaptation is a movie for everyone ….. to love it, to hate it, to marvel over it, and to loathe it utterly, with a candy-colored visual presentation that’s a silly and over-the-top pasquinade project. And on that note….Come on Barbie, let’s go party!