The highly-anticipated Barbie film is edgier than initially anticipated, as the big-screen take on Mattel’s iconic fashion doll features the blasting of an F-bomb along the way.
Per The Town podcast, Hollywood insider Matthew Belloni revealed he watched the film’s premiere, claiming the Greta Gerwig-helmed movie includes a censored F-bomb, along with a few boob jokes. Belloni admitted he was surprised at how far Barbie went when he saw it. “I mean, there is an F-bomb in the movie. Someone says, ‘Motherf*cker.’ It’s bleeped… But, there are boob jokes. There’s a joke about the creator of Mattel having tax evasion problems. The whole villain is the patriarchy,” he said. “It spends a lot of time, sort of almost apologizing for the fact that this is a ‘Barbie’ movie. Watching it, I was like, ’Oh my god, I cannot believe Mattel allowed them to do this, allowed them Greta Gerwig and Warner Bros. to do this.”
Both tidbits further put into perspective why Barbie received a higher-than-expected rating in North America and Britain for its content, with the film featuring “implied strong language” and “moderate innuendo. Previews of Barbie have also hinted at the summer blockbuster’s willingness to be inappropriate, with previews garnering significant interest in the film, particularly the much-talked-about heel scene with Margot Robbie, who plays the eponymous doll.
Early feedback for Barbie has been very encouraging for Mattel and Warner Bros., with the touted tentpole attracting an average critical rating of 89% from over 130 reviews via Rotten Tomatoes at the time of writing. The movie has been praised for its visual spectacle, comedic timing, and bits of feminism, with Robbie’s performance as Barbie and Ryan Gosling’s showing as Ken receiving high marks. Additionally, Barbie is set for a strong opening weekend at the box office despite direct competition from Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, with some projections seeing the film pass the $100 million mark domestically.
Barbie’s Reviews Have Been Positive Overall
Barbie sees Robbie’s central character contend with real-world problems after being expelled from Barbieland for being a less-than-perfect doll. The movie also features several variations of Barbie and Ken, with Kate McKinnon, Issa Rae, and Dua Lipa playing different Barbies. In contrast, John Cena, Ncuti Gatwa, and Simu Liu play alternate Kens. Meanwhile, comedic actor Will Ferrell stars as Mattel’s CEO.
Amid the buzz for Barbie, Robbie recently revealed there have already been discussions about a potential sequel. Barbie is 14 years in the making after it was initially announced in 2009, with the title delayed countless times due to film rights changes, as well as several casting and directing switches before Warner Bros. acquired the movie in 2018.
Fans can watch the Barbie movie when it premieres across North America on Jul. 21.
Source: The Town podcast