Summary
- Barbie’s surprising final line is a mic drop moment that follows up on earlier jokes, making it a well-earned and clever ending.
- The ending line exemplifies how the entire film operates on multiple levels, tackling both the history of Barbie as a toy and exploring feminist themes.
- Greta Gerwig’s intention was to give girls a feeling of empowerment and relatability with Barbie, and the positive reception shows that she has achieved her goal.
WARNING: This article contains an immediate spoiler about Barbie’s ending!Greta Gerwig explains why she ended Barbie with that surprising final line. In addition to directing the film, Gerwig co-wrote the script with husband and long-time creative partner Noah Baumbach. Barbie, which has been praised for its clever approach to feminism, ends with the titular doll (played by Margot Robbie) starting her new life in the real world. She enters an office building bursting with excitement, only to offer up one last twist by saying, “I’m here to see my gynecologist!”
Speaking with USA Today, Gerwig offers a thoughtful response about why she chose to end Barbie in this way. In crafting Barbie, Gerwig found it vital “that everything operated on at least two levels.” The final line exemplified that. Check out the full quote from Gerwig below:
“With this film, it was important for me that everything operated on at least two levels. I knew I wanted to end on a mic drop kind of joke, but I also find it very emotional. When I was a teenage girl, I remember growing up and being embarrassed about my body, and just feeling ashamed in a way that I couldn’t even describe. It felt like everything had to be hidden.
“And then to see Margot as Barbie, with this big old smile on her face, saying what she says at the end with such happiness and joy. I was like, if I can give girls that feeling of, ‘Barbie does it, too’ – that’s both funny and emotional. There are so many things like that throughout the movie. It was always about looking for the levity and the heart.”
How Barbie Makes Everything Operate “On At Least Two Levels”
Barbie’s final line is well-earned and established earlier on. Soon after Robbie’s Barbie and Ryan Gosling’s Ken enter the “real world” of Venice Beach, California, the movie makes comedic reference to their lack of genitals. Barbie’s final line is thus not just a “mic-drop” moment, but a great example of following up on jokes.
The ending line, as explained by Gerwig, matches how Barbie operates through the entire film. On one hand, Barbie is a movie about a toy, and it acknowledges the doll’s real history and place in the world. At the same time, it’s a deeply relatable feminist story that questions gender roles and treats its plastic characters as real people. For example, even as the Barbies lose control of Barbieland when Ken tries to turn it into a patriarchy, there are jokes about the toys’ real world lore and their place as merchandise in the real world.
With all this in mind, Gerwig’s statement surrounding Barbie’s ending seems all the more genuine. While in another film it could seem like another jab at the toy universe, this line reflects Barbie’s unique feminist lens. Gerwig has achieved her sought-after “levity” and “heart” with Barbie, and that appears to be paying off with its overwhelmingly positive reception.
Source: USA Today
