Moviefone recently had the pleasure of sitting down in-person with Adam Sandler and Oscar winner Laura Dern to talk about their work on ‘Jay Kelly’, Dern’s first reaction to the screenplay, Sandler’s approach to his character, working with George Clooney, and reuniting with director Noah Baumbach.
(L to R) Laura Dern and Adam Sandler star in ‘Jay Kelly’.
You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with Sandler and Dern, as well as George Clooney and Emily Mortimer.
Moviefone: To begin with, Laura, can you talk about your first reaction to the screenplay and the way you approached playing this character?
Laura Dern: I mean, I fell in love with the script. Before we ever read the script, Noah saying that he had written something, and he wanted us to be part of it is just a yes immediately and a please. We didn’t know for sure our characters or exactly what it was and the evolution of his writing process and then he and Emily (Mortimer) got together. We’d get little bits and pieces. So, it was incredible reading it and knowing that he wanted to make a movie about not missing it. He talked about that, and he talks about reverse engineering from the last line of the movie, which is what he thought of first and that was so beautiful. Then all he had to say was, “I was going to get to be with Adam.” The greatest gift possible, and to be with George. It was true family.
MF: Adam, can you talk about your approach to your character, and did you draw influence from any real-life people you know or have worked with?
Adam Sandler: Sure. I have a team. Laura has a team. Clooney has a team. We all have people who grew up with us, worked with us and feel the highs and feel the times where you say, “I got to make a move and do something different,” or that kind of stuff, and they back you up and you always feel comfort with them. I love being a teammate like this for Clooney’s character. We were excited to make a movie together. We’ve been talking about this a long time.
MF: Adam, George told us that he was very excited to make this movie with you. What was your experience like working with him?
AS: All of us kind of got more in love with each other and became family. George does not like to talk about himself much. He just talks about you, how he can help you and who you should call. He goes, “You got to make sure you do this.” He looks out for your health; he looks out for the best place to eat and what’s the best gadget to use when you’re working out. He’s a stud. He’s just a nice person and he goes out of his way. When you talk about him, he’s just like, “No, no, no, no, no. Let’s not.” He doesn’t want to talk about himself much.
MF: Laura, what was it like for you working with George?
LD: I mean, just fierce loyalty beyond measure, there for us. If it’s the hardest moment or the most casual conversation about something we need to have or a meal we need to try, or an experience he wants us to have. “Oh, you got to see this thing. You guys, it’s a 20-minute drive. You got to go.”
Noah Baumbach attends the Headline Gala screening of Netflix’s ‘Jay Kelly’ during the 69th BFI London Film Festival at The Royal Festival Hall on October 10th, 2025 in London, England. Photo by StillMoving.Net for Netflix.
MF: Finally, you’ve both worked with director Noah Baumbach before, but what was it like reuniting with him on this movie?
AS: I mean, you give yourself to every thought he has. You have some moments where you bring thoughts up and try to connect more with what you’re doing or what you’re saying or where you’re at in the movie, but he just has a gentle way of guiding you and saying exactly what he’s going after, and you trust his vision. That’s a good feeling. You just say, “All right. Whatever Noah’s looking for, let me make sure I get it because it’s all part of his plan.” You have room, but it’s still word for word. You want to say it. He likes when you nail it. When I first read this thing, I enjoyed the way it was phrased, so let me make sure I phrase it just like that.
LD: I mean, that’s so perfectly put. I would just add that, as you said, in the rhythm, there’s a musicality to language for him, but there’s nothing strident, like you’re there and he wants you to try it the way that feels true to you. It’s wild to have it be so specific and meticulous and then have all the room in the world.
‘Jay Kelly’ opens in theaters on November 14th and premieres on Netflix December 5th.
What’s the story of ‘Jay Kelly’?
The film follows famous movie actor, Jay Kelly (George Clooney), as he embarks on a journey of self-discovery confronting both his past and present, accompanied by his devoted manager Ron (Adam Sandler).
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of sitting down in-person with Oscar winner George Clooney to talk about his work on ‘Jay Kelly’, why he signed on to the project before reading the script, if he could relate to the character, why he wanted to work with Adam Sandler, and what he learned from collaborating with director Noah Baumbach.
George Clooney stars in ‘Jay Kelly’.
You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with Clooney, Adam Sandler, Laura Dern, and Emily Mortimer.
Moviefone: To begin with, I heard that you signed on to this project before reading the script because you were so excited to work with Adam Sandler and director Noah Baumbach. Can you talk about that, and have you ever done that before?
George Clooney: Yeah. I got a call, I was doing ‘Out of Sight’, and I got a call from the Coenbrothers. They said, “We’re going to send you a script if you want to do it.” I said, “I’m going to do it,” before (I read it). It was ‘O Brother, Where Art Thou?’ So, I’ve had a couple of times. There are directors in our business that you want to work with, and you would work with under any circumstances. I’d do the same thing with Alexander Payne if he called me or (Steven) Soderbergh obviously, and Alfonso Cuarón, some directors I’ve been very lucky to work with. Jason Reitman is a friend. But then I read it, and I thought, “Well, this is a really exciting project to do.” I know it sounds unusual to say but there aren’t that many great scripts. There aren’t that many great projects that you get to be a part of. When you get older, the parts become less and less. So, to be 64 years old and have somebody bring a script and a role like this, I just feel very lucky.
MF: I’ve also heard you say that when you did read the screenplay, you didn’t relate to your character. What did you mean by that and as an actor, is it better to not relate to the character because it gives you more objectivity in the performance?
GC: Well, I think you must find a way to relate. When I see the movie, I get why people go, “Oh, there’s a lot of similarity.” But when I read it, this character, he’s a guy who lives with just regret. He lives with all these things, these roads he didn’t travel, these things that he missed in life. I feel as if, for me, in general, although there’s always regret, it doesn’t fill my days and nights. When you get to the fork in the road, I’ve tended to take the more difficult fork. I’ve felt that, although I failed, which you can live with failure, it’s much easier to live with failure than it is to live with regret. So, when I read the script, it didn’t dawn on me that that it could be who I was. It just dawned on me that I was interested in playing a guy who didn’t take those turns.
MF: I know that you’ve been friends with Adam Sandler for a long time, what was it like to finally work with him on this film?
GC: Well, Adam’s a wonderful actor. That’s what sometimes people forget because he does broad comedies too and does stand-up and things. So, sometimes it gets lost in the idea that he really is a beautiful actor, and we’ve been friends for 30 years. I knew he’d be great in the part, and then the minute we got on the set, it was easy. The rehearsal process was fun. There’s a certain amount of confidence in actors, particularly of a certain age, when they’re not trying to own every scene. They’re kind of actively trying to give it to the other person. Adam and I felt that we were both going, “Oh, you get that. You take that.” There’s a kindness to that, that comes off, I think, on screen.
MF: Finally, what did you learn from watching the way Noah Baumbach makes movies that you might want to adopt yourself the next time you direct a film?
GC: Well, that’s an interesting question. For the most part, the directors that I’ve worked with don’t rehearse. They don’t believe in it. The Coen brothers don’t really rehearse, and Soderbergh doesn’t rehearse. They kind of feel like it’s all going to happen, and I’ve always worked that way as a director. I was resistant to rehearsing because I’m going to work whatever way the director wants. I think rehearsal is an interesting thing, particularly on a film that’s so deeply designed into performances. So, I think rehearsal was an interesting thing to watch and to pay attention to, and maybe something that can be more applied as time goes on.
‘Jay Kelly’ opens in theaters on November 14th and premieres on Netflix December 5th.
What’s the story of ‘Jay Kelly’?
The film follows famous movie actor, Jay Kelly (George Clooney), as he embarks on a journey of self-discovery confronting both his past and present, accompanied by his devoted manager Ron (Adam Sandler).
(L to R) George Clooney, Noah Baumbach and Adam Sandler attend the Headline Gala screening of Netflix’s ‘Jay Kelly’ during the 69th BFI London Film Festival at The Royal Festival Hall on October 10th, 2025 in London, England. Photo by StillMoving.Net for Netflix.
‘Jay Kelly‘ follows famous movie actor Jay Kelly (George Clooney) and his devoted manager Ron (Adam Sandler) as they embark on an unexpectedly profound journey through Europe, where both men are forced to confront the choices they’ve made and the legacies they’ll leave behind. Moviefone was in attendance at an in-person press conference, which featured director Noah Baumbach and stars George Clooney, Adam Sandler, and Laura Dern.
George Clooney admits that he was so excited to get to work with Adam Sandler that he was already planning to do ‘Jay Kelly’ before even reading the script.
George Clooney: I got a call that said that Noah’s gonna do a film with Adam Sandler and was I interested. And I said, “Yeah, I’ll do it.” And they said, “Do you wanna read the script?” I said, “Well, yes, I’ll read the script, but I’m gonna do it.” Because I knew, the track record of Noah and I really wanted to work with Adam. And then I read the script and I couldn’t believe my luck. I thought this was such a beautiful part. It’s funny, a lot of people have come up to me and said, it’s like you are playing yourself. It’s like, well, I don’t have the regrets that this guy has. My kids still like me. They’re eight. That might change. But at this point, they still like me. All the people that I’ve worked with, I still work with. I have a very different life than this guy. So, I didn’t really relate to him.
2) Adam Sandler Explains How He Was Able To Use Inspiration From His Management Team To Shape His Character
Adam Sandler plays Jay Kelly’s manager in the film, and while he was sure to craft his own character, he did take a bit of inspiration from his team.
Adam Sandler: We have teams. We are on the other side of it. You do see how much work goes into what they’re doing. And my favorite line, I said this on our side is, “You’re Jay Kelly, but I’m Jay Kelly, too.” I feel like our teams feel the same way. My character, it was very easy to love George ‘cause he’s just a great person, a great man to be around, very giving man. And I do, when he’s talking, I look at him and I say, wow, I could listen to him all day. I feel like it was just nice. My character loved the person like our teams they truly love us. And they believe in what we’re going after and the ups and they feel the downs. That’s what we were going after.
3) Noah Baumbach Says ‘Jay Kelly’ Is About The Price Of Fame & Regrets
Noah Baumbach attends the Headline Gala screening of Netflix’s ‘Jay Kelly’ during the 69th BFI London Film Festival at The Royal Festival Hall on October 10th, 2025 in London, England. Photo by StillMoving.Net for Netflix.
When asked about what ‘Jay Kelly’ means to him, director Noah Baumbach says it is about the realization that we only have one life, and we should do our very best with it.
Noah Baumbach: This movie is about, I think, at a certain point in life, discovering that, I mean, it’s glaringly obvious and shocking at the same time, realization that this is the only time we’re gonna do this. I think that’s what Jay comes to in some crooked, wild way in this movie, which is, I don’t have another one of these and these are the choices I’ve made. This is my life. So, what am I gonna do? I think that’s something that everybody has their own version of. When Emily Mortimer and I wrote the script, it was something we talked a lot about. The trappings of the movie star, the world around him, all of that was a world we know and was very interesting and compelling. But I really was more interested in these other emotional, psychological, essentially confronting mortality.
4) Laura Dern & Adam Sandler Admit That They Remember A Lot Of Moments In Their Lives By Relating Them To The Projects They Were Working On At The Time
In ‘Jay Kelly’, the title character goes through his memories, relating each one to the project he was filming at the time. Adam Sandler and Laura Dern admit they do the same.
Adam Sandler: I remember a sad one, ’50 First Dates’. I remember, literally, we were going to Hawaii to shoot it. I got the phone call the day before we started shooting that my dad was sick. And then I remember that entire movie was just about going home every weekend from Hawaii to Florida to see my dad. So every time someone brings that movie up to me, I love that movie and I love Drew and I love the whole process, but I do always click with that memory of, oh man, that’s when my dad got sick, and that was a roughie.
Laura Dern attends Netflix film ‘Jay Kelly’, NYFF Main Slate Premiere and Q&A on September 29, 2025 in New York City. Photo by Jason Mendez/Getty Images for Netflix.
Laura Dern: Like the film, there is the one reality of how cinema is our memories. How we are all attached to our story through those markers of film. But for me, the thing I think of, and this is a perfect moment to reflect on it, is the found family that comes with any, if we’re blessed to have, a vocation, a passion in our life. How we find our people. And my three favorite people are all sitting next to me.
5) George Clooney Answers The Question, Would He Choose Fame Again If Given The Chance
George Clooney attends the Headline Gala screening of Netflix’s ‘Jay Kelly’ during the 69th BFI London Film Festival at The Royal Festival Hall on October 10th, 2025 in London, England. Photo by StillMoving.Net for Netflix.
The main theme of ‘Jay Kelly’ is learning to enjoy the one life you have and treat others how you wish to be treated. It also explores the price of fame, as discussed earlier. George Clooney was asked if he would choose to be famous again, if given the chance to do it all over again.
George Clooney: When I was a young guy I used to watch Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous? I was cutting tobacco for $3 an hour and I’d hear some famous actor complain about their life, and I’d be like, F you, I’m cutting tobacco. So, I don’t find any reason to complain about things. I caught that brass ring. I got very lucky in my career and in my life and the chance to work with these people. Would I choose it again? Yeah. Fame is a funny thing because fame offers you the opportunity to be able to do the kind of projects you want to do. But you run towards it like a bug light and then when you get there, you really get zapped. There’s a lot of other pieces that come into play. But the truth is, what fame has afforded me is the ability to work on projects like this. I’m 64 years old. These parts don’t come around very often. I feel very lucky just to be able to get that opportunity. So, if fame has afforded me some of that, then that’s been an extraordinary experience for me. And the rest of it, yeah, there are things that you can’t do and there’s things that are limiting. But it’s a lot worse cutting tobacco.
The film follows famous movie actor, Jay Kelly (George Clooney), as he embarks on a journey of self-discovery confronting both his past and present, accompanied by his devoted manager Ron (Adam Sandler).
In Theaters on limited release on November 14 (before landing on Netflix December 5), ‘Jay Kelly’ is the new movie from Noah Baumbach, who tends to specialize in putting his characters into emotional crisis. Here, he’s turned his attention to Hollywood.
Noam Baumbach’s movies usually find characters at some sort of dramatic crossroads –– the marital fireworks of ‘Marriage Story’ or the family dynamics of ‘The Meyerowitz Stories.’
‘Jay Kelly’ is no different, even if the crises seem less urgent when focused on a wealthy movie star whose biggest issue is that his youngest daughter is about to fly the nest and he’s also reconsidering his life and career in the light of his mentor’s death.
Baumbach in some ways feels like he’s on autopilot here, the story (he co-wrote the script with Emily Mortimer, who has a small role in the movie) fueled by some very familiar beats and feelings. This is a plotline we’ve seen done before and, honestly, better.
Oddly, the real story, and the one that is much more compelling is between Sandler’s Ron and Dern’s Liz, Jay’s longtime manager and publicist, who have their own history and find themselves seeing their relationship complicate despite Ron’s seemingly happy marriage to Greta Gerwig’s Lois.
Baumbach keeps the direction mostly light on its feet, though some repetitive touches (such as Kelly’s rider containing cheesecake he doesn’t even like) weigh things down.
And the use of clunky flashbacks to explore our hero’s conflicted feelings doesn’t help.
Clooney brings his considerable star wattage to the title role, and is always watchable. It’s just an issue that the role never breaks free of a basic movie structure.
Sandler and Dern are superb in their supporting roles that have more nuance and flavor to them, while Greta Gerwig is also great as Sandler’s character’s wife.
‘Jay Kelly’ is far from Baumbach’s best, even with the cast giving their all. It’s emotionally formulaic, but wanders along amiably enough that you won’t be insulted you gave it a shot.
‘Jay Kelly’ receives 65 out of 100.
‘Jay Kelly’ opens in theaters on November 14th and premieres on Netflix December 5th.
What’s the story of ‘Jay Kelly’?
The film follows famous movie actor, Jay Kelly (George Clooney), as he embarks on a journey of self-discovery confronting both his past and present, accompanied by his devoted manager Ron (Adam Sandler).
(L to R) Dustin Hoffman and director Noah Baumbach on the set of ‘The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected).’ Credit: Atsushi Nishijima/Netflix.
Little is known properly about the plot of this untitled project yet –– all Deadline was able to discover was that it’s described as “a funny and emotional coming-of-age film about adults.” Which certainly has echoes of one of Baumbach’s earlier Netflix productions, ‘The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected)’, which also starred Sandler.
And unlike some other recent films which Baumbach wrote with his longtime life and creative partner Greta Gerwig (including this year’s biggest success, ‘Barbie’), he worked on this one with actor Emily Mortimer.
Amy Pascal (more normally found shepherding Sony’s Spider-output) and David Heyman (best known for the ‘Harry Potter’ and ‘Paddington’ movies will produce this new film, which has yet to announce when it might start and certainly doesn’t have a release date on the schedule yet.
George Clooney’s own latest directorial effort, historical sports drama ‘The Boys in the Boat’ comes to theaters on December 25th. He’s not on screen in that one, but will appear in ‘Wolfs’, the new film from ‘Spider-Man’ trilogy director Jon Watts, in which plays opposite ‘Ocean’s franchise friend Brad Pitt as one of two fixers who are assigned to the same job. That one doesn’t have a release date, but will hit theaters via Apple and Sony, presumably next year.
And talking of ‘Oceans’, Clooney recently told Uproxx that a script exists for a new instalment of the heist films.
Here’s what he said:
“We have a really good script for another ‘Ocean’s now, so we may end up doing another one. It’s actually a great script. I don’t want to call it ‘Ocean’s 14’, the idea is kind of like ‘Going In Style’.”
Adam Sandler has a Netflix deal much like Baumbach, and most recently released animated comedy adventure ‘Leo’. He has another film set to arrive on the streaming service, this time the sci-fi adventure ‘Spaceman’, which also stars Carey Mulligan, Paul Dano and Isabella Rossellini.
And he’s also reunited with Benny and Josh Safdie, who he previously collaborated with on ‘Uncut Gems’. Little is known about that one for now.
Greta Gerwig’s ‘Barbie’ took the box office by storm, and as the audience showed up at the movie theaters all dolled up in pink, ‘Barbie’ quickly became this summer’s movie phenomenon.
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Based on the iconic doll, ‘Barbie’ takes us into Barbie Land, where we meet Margot Robbie’s Sterotypical Barbie as she begins to experience things out of her normal routine – cold showers, sour milk, thoughts of mortality, and the worst of all, flat feet. With Ken (Ryan Gosling) tagging along, Barbie sets off to seek out the answers by traveling to the real world. She soon realizes things in the real world are quite the opposite of everything she knows.
Directed by Greta Gerwig and co-written by Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach, the clever story and incredible visuals made ‘Barbie’ the talk of the town. The movie is certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, with an 88% critics score and 83% audience score. Due to it sharing an opening date with Christopher Nolan’s ‘Oppenheimer’, movie fans took the opportunity and turned the dual release into a double-feature event, therefore kicking off the endless waves of “Barbenheimer” memes.
The official synopsis for ‘’Barbie” is below:
“To live in Barbie Land is to be a perfect being in a perfect place. Or you have a full-on existential crisis. Unless you’re a Ken.”
(L to R) Kinsley Ben-Adir, Ryan Gosling as Ken, and Ncuti Gatwa in Warner Bros. Pictures’ ‘Barbie,’ a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures.
‘Barbie’ is officially the highest grossing film of 2023, having just crossed $1.3 billion globally. Opening to $162 million, the Margot Robbie-led film has earned $612 million domestically. Already an icon for many, ‘Barbie’ quickly became a social media sensation, with fans posting everything from their movie-going outfits to their Barbie collections. The film is filled with references to many Barbies and Ken dolls from various decades, sending audiences down nostalgia lane.
On the surface, ‘Barbie’ may seem like a fun adventure, much like ‘The Lego Movie’. However, the film has a deeper message and touches on the pressure of expectations, insecurities, and most importantly, what it means to be human.
‘Barbie’ premiere on July 9, 2023 at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. It was released domestically on July 21, 2023. Currently, it is still playing in some theaters, but as the movie has been in theaters for around 45 days, its theatrical window will soon come to an end. If you want to experience ‘Barbie’ on the big screen, be sure to do it soon.
The movie arrived on digital September 5 for purchase on platforms such as Prime Video, Google Play, Apple TV, Vudu, YouTube, and more for $29.99.
‘Barbie’ has a total runtime of 1 hour and 56 minutes.
Although ‘Barbie’ is leaving the theaters, Warner Bros Pictures has teamed up with IMAX to give fans a limited one-week run of ‘Barbie’ starting September 22nd. As a special treat for the IMAX audience, a special greeting from director Greta Gerwig will play ahead of the film. There will also be exclusive post-credit footage playing after the film, specially selected by Gerwig herself.
Greta Gerwig attends the ‘Barbie’ Press Tour, Sydney Australia 2023. Photography by Caroline McCredie for Warner Bros/NBC Universal. Contact: jade.perry@nbcuni.com.
In regards to the special IMAX release, Jeff Goldstein, President of Domestic Distribution, and Andrew Cripps, President of International Distribution, said:
“We really wanted to super-serve all the fans out there who made this the Summer of ‘Barbie’ in every way imaginable, and we couldn’t think of a better way than to serve up the biggest film of 2023 and the biggest Warner Bros. film of all time on the biggest, most experiential screens around. Thanks to our terrific partners at IMAX and our incredible director, Greta Gerwig, we went a step further and are offering audiences an added incentive with this special post-credits footage. We encourage moviegoers everywhere, whether they’ve seen ‘Barbie’ or not, to see it in IMAX for a can’t-miss moment in film history.”
No word yet when ‘Barbie’ will make its way to streaming, but when it does, it is likely to end up on Max as the film is distributed by Warner Bros/Discovery.
After being expelled from the utopian Barbie Land for being less-than-perfect dolls, Barbie (Margot Robbie) and Ken (Ryan Gosling) go on a journey of self-discovery to the real world.
‘Barbie’ is a surprisingly subversive, entertaining, and hilarious movie that was beautifully shot by director Greta Gerwig. The filmmaker sets a strong tone and Barbie Land is a fully formed universe, however the movie loses a little magic when the characters briefly travel to the “Real World.” Margot Robbie delivers a funny and very emotional performance as Barbie, but it is Ryan Gosling that steals the movie as Ken, delivering a hilarious and also musical over-the-top performance.
Story and Direction
Director/Writer Greta Gerwig attends the ‘Barbie’ Press Junket Photo Call at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills, CA. Photo by Eric Charbonneau.
The story is fairly simple and begins by introducing us to the colorful and delightful Barbie Land and all of the Barbies and Kens that live within it. We soon meet “Stereotypical Barbie,” (that’s actually what she is referred to in the movie), played by Margot Robbie. Barbie lives a perfect life among the other Barbies, which include President Barbie (Issa Rae), Physicist Barbie (Emma Mackey), Journalist Barbie (Ritu Arya), and even Mermaid Barbie (Dua Lipa), until one day she realizes her life is not as perfect as she thinks. This begins an existential crisis for the character that leads her to Weird Barbie (Kate McKinnon), who explains that she must travel to the “Real World,” to find the human who is “playing with her.”
As Barbie journeys to the real world, she discovers that Ken (Ryan Gosling) has tagged along as his world revolves around Barbie and he would not know what to do without her. But once they arrive, Ken discovers the antiquated idea that men are superior to women. No longer wanting to live in Barbie’s shadow, Ken quickly returns to Barbie Land, suppresses the other Barbies and leads the other Kens to a misogynistic revolution.
Meanwhile, Barbie discovers her owner, a teenager named Sasha (Ariana Greenblatt) who has lost interest in dolls and no longer believes in Barbie’s ideals. Her mother, Gloria (America Ferrera), just happens to work for the CEO of Mattel (Will Ferrell), who is fully aware that something is wrong in Barbie Land as it is causing sales of the toys to go down. Now, it is up to Barbie, Gloria and Sasha to return to Barbie Land, liberate the other Barbies, and put an end to Ken’s evil reign.
The screenplay by Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach is quite clever and sets the right tone for a fun summer movie that also tackles a lot of important subjects like female empowerment and toxic masculinity with grace and humor. The film is also not afraid of making fun of itself and the absurdity of a ‘Barbie’ movie, while also taking on the criticisms that Mattel and the doll line have faced over the years and making the case of why Barbie is a good role model for girls. Kudos to Mattel for having the smarts to hire Gerwig and Baumbach (two excellent filmmakers) in the first place and then having the guts to let them make the movie they wanted to make.
Gerwig began her career as an actress in films like ‘Greenberg,’ ‘The House of the Devil’ and ‘Arthur’ but wrote 2012’s ‘Frances Ha,’ which she also starred in. She made her directorial with ‘Lady Bird,’ which earned her an Oscar nomination for Best Director, and followed it with ‘Little Women,’ which earned her an Oscar nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay. ‘Barbie’ is a big leap for her from Academy Award nominated movies to summer blockbusters, but the director does it with ease, crafting a completely enjoyable popcorn film, that also makes you think. Gerwig’s independent film background also serves her well as she fills the movies with odd inspirations, from a reference to ‘The Red Shoes’ to the choice of using a particular Indigo Girls song ad nauseum.
It has long been rumored that comedian Amy Schumer was originally tapped to play the title role in ‘Barbie,’ and while I understand what they would have been going for with a “Not Perfect Barbie,” I actually think that message gets across better by casting Margot Robbie in the lead role. Aesthetically she looks perfect, which is why she is called “Stereotypical Barbie,” but Robbie is also an incredible actress, which allows her to chip away at the character’s perfectness and show you who she really is, which is strong and vulnerable at the same time, her greatest strength. Robbie’s performance gets to the heart of the character, and the theme of the movie, which is that every women can be whatever she wants and is in charge of her own destiny. ‘Barbie’ gives Robbie her first chance at leading a blockbuster movie without playing Harley Quinn, and the actress proves that she has a lot of range and is now a big time movie star in her own right too.
While Robbie’s Barbie is definitely the focal point of the film and carries the movie well, she also allows her co-star Ryan Gosling to steal every scene he’s in. Best known for his cool-as-ice public persona and appearing in action dramas like ‘Drive’ or ‘The Gray Man,’ Gosling really gets to use his comedic chops in this film and takes advantage of every opportunity he has to poke fun at the character, while never becoming a cliché. Though his actions are misguided, Gosling reveals his characters’ vulnerability and low self-esteem, which allows the audience to sympathize with the character. Make no mistakes, Ken is the villain of the movie, which is delightful in itself, but Gosling is still likable as the character despite his despicable actions.
It should also be noted that ‘Barbie’ is partially a musical, and with his dancing background in films like ‘La La Land,’ and of course his history with the ‘Mickey Mouse Club,’ the actor knocks it out of the park in his dance scenes and especially his MTV video like sequence where he sings the opus “Just Ken.” Once Ken “goes bad,” Gosling’s transformation from an innocent lovesick puppy dog to a misogynistic 90’s boyband reject was absolutely brilliant and brings some of the movie’s best laughs. Gosling and Robbie are great together on screen, and clearly understood the tone Gerwig was going for.
There are so many well-known actors and actress playing different versions of Barbie and Ken that I can’t mention them all, but Issa Rae certainly stood out as President Barbie, as did Kate McKinnon playing Weird Barbie, the doll your older brother got a hold of and put through a woodchipper. Emma Mackey, who is often confused with Robbie in real life, was cleverly cast as Physicist Barbie, and musician Dula Lipa also stands out in a cameo as Mermaid Barbie opposite John Cena’s Mermaid Ken. Two MCU alumni, ‘Secret Invasion’s Kingsley Ben-Adir and ‘Shang-Chi’s Simu Liu also play Kens, but neither are given anything significant to do. While many may not remember, the Mattel line of dolls did introduce two other less popular characters, Allan and Midge, who are played well comedically by Michael Cera and Emerald Fennell, respectively.
Outside of the Barbie Land characters, America Ferrera and Ariana Greenblatt are both great as Gloria and Sasha, respectively, and their mother/daughter relationship really helps to bring home the message of the movie. Helen Mirren plays the narrator and I can’t think of an actress with more gravitas to voice the role. The script also allows her to add her own funny commentary, including mentioning that Barbie’s eloquent monologue about the pressures of being beautiful would have more weight if not delivered by an actress as aesthetically pleasing as Robbie.
However, there were a few “real world” characters that didn’t quite work. Look, it’s always nice to see legendary ‘Cheers’ actress Rhea Pearlman on screen, but she plays the ghost of Barbie creator Ruth Handler, who unexplainably lives on the 7th floor of Mattel’s corporate headquarters. While the actress gives a nice monologue that ties the themes of the movie together at the conclusion, it didn’t seem entirely necessary. The film already asks us to except the idea that Barbie Land and the dolls are real, so trying to also except that ghosts and the afterlife exist seemed a step too far for me.
I also have to question the casting of Will Ferrell as the CEO of Mattel, as it is basically the same character he played in ‘The Lego Movie,’ which uses a similar storytelling device with the idea that the toys are real and what they do in their world affects ours. Maybe Gerwig was going for a meta-joke with his casting, or perhaps she just wanted to work with Ferrell, who is perfectly fine in the role, but I couldn’t help thinking of the comparisons to ‘The Lego Movie’ and Ferrell’s inclusion took me out of the movie in some moments.
Which leads to my next point, the “real world” scenes are definitely the low point of the film. Once Barbie and Ken journey to the real world, which is about 30 minutes into the movie, I was worried that the rest of the film would take place there and it would become a “fish out of water” story with Barbie not understanding human concepts like money, or being sexually objectified by men. Unfortunately, those stale jokes are used, but luckily the characters do not stay in the real world for long and the third act takes place back in Barbie Land. I do understand why the characters needed to go to the “real world,” plot wise Ken needed to discover misogyny in order to bring it back to Barbie Land, and while some scenes work, like Ken’s altercation with a female doctor, it’s not the high point of the film and you are grateful when they do return to Barbie Land.
Barbie Land
Margot Robbie as Barbie in Warner Bros. Pictures’ ‘Barbie,’ a Warner Bros. Pictures release.
The major set piece of the movie is Barbie Land and it comes to life beautifully with eye-popping color and a magical tone. Set designer Sarah Greenwood and decorator Katie Spencer did marvelous work creating a realistic yet magical world and I wouldn’t be surprised if they are rewarded for their work come awards season. Their design for Ken’s Barbie Land is also unique and fabulous, with stallions and heavy metal featured throughout. Costume designer Jacqueline Durran will also likely be on a shortlist come Oscar time with stunning costumes that represent many of Barbie’s iconic looks. But again, the fun is when Ken transforms and his costumes look like a cross between Sylvester Stallone in the 80s and ‘N Sync.
Is ‘Barbie’ a Kid’s Movie?
Margot Robbie as Barbie in Warner Bros. Pictures’ ‘Barbie,’ a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures.
No, is the short answer. With a PG-13 rating, some material may be inappropriate for pre-teenagers, and while they might enjoy the humor, musical numbers, and colorful characters and sets, some of the film’s political and pop culture messages will get lost on a young audience, but its message of love and equality will shine through, even if it is subliminally.
Final Thoughts
Director Greta Gerwig has done the impossible … delivered a ‘Barbie’ movie that is an entertaining summer blockbuster, while also being socially important and containing thoughtful, emotional and funny performances. Margot Robbie earns her movie star status producing and starring in this well-made summer tentpole, while Ryan Gosling proves he’s just as funny as he is cool with his hilarious over-the-top performance.
After being expelled from the utopian Barbie Land for being less-than-perfect dolls, Barbie (Margot Robbie) and Ken (Ryan Gosling) go on a journey of self-discovery to the real world.
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of sitting down in-person with co-writer and director Greta Gerwig to talk about her work on ‘Barbie,’ why she wanted to direct the movie, working with actress and producer Margot Robbie, and Ryan Gosling’s hilarious performance as Ken.
‘Barbie’ co-writer and director Greta Gerwig.
You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch it.
Moviefone: To begin with, what was your first reaction to idea of a Barbie movie, and once you agreed to be a part of the project, what tone and direction did you want to take the film in?
Greta Gerwig: I had been wanting to work with Margot Robbie and she had the rights and was setting it up with her company at Warner Bros. She came to me and said, “Would you like to write this movie?” I jumped at the chance because it was her, and I was like, “Yes, I would love to.” I was also terrified of it because I was not even sure where to start with a Barbie movie. I think there was something about it that seemed like such a tricky problem to solve that it felt a bit of a puzzle. What’s the vantage point? How do we get into this? Then once Noah and I had written the script together and we had the script, that’s when I thought, “Oh, I love this and I don’t want anyone to direct it but me.” So then I said, “I have to direct it,” and they thank goodness, let me.
MF: What was it like working with Margot Robbie and why was she the right actress to play this specific version of Barbie?
GG: I mean, Margot’s a dream as a producer, and as an actor, she’s everything. I mean, she can do anything you want 10 times over, backwards in heels. She’s just an extraordinary actress. I always knew it was going to be hers so when we were writing it, I knew it was going to be hers. So that was always in my mind, but I think that as we worked on it, as we started doing rehearsals and started reading, it just changed and got deeper and more dimensional because I started to know her really well as a person, as an actor, and it was something that evolved alongside her.
MF: Finally, can you talk about Ryan Gosling’s performance as Ken and the direction you wanted to take that character?
GG: I mean, Ryan is jaw-dropping. He’s incredible in this movie. It’s the same thing I like about Margot is that Ryan is incredibly funny, but he never does it in a way that’s making fun of the character, it’s always inside the character. He takes it very seriously, which is why it’s so funny. I actually also wrote it for him, which I can’t believe still that he said yes because I didn’t know him. He wasn’t sure at first, and then I waited him out and he finally was like, “Oh, they’re not going to leave, they’re still here,” which was me and Margot. We just wouldn’t let him not do it. Yeah, and what he brought to it was just he committed beyond any way I would ever imagine in my wildest dreams he would commit. We texted about it and talked about it for a year before we started shooting. We came up with the idea of his Flo Jo dojo mink. But we were texting back and forth pictures of like, we both love Sylvester Stallone and we were like, “What about this look? What about that look?” Then there’s like a pair of glasses he wears in the movie when he puts on the second pair of glasses that were based on the glasses that the ballet director from ‘The Red Shoes’ wears. So they are these cat eye glasses and they’re just such wonderful glasses. I mean, we went so detailed with it and it was like references we gathered for so long. I was sort of slightly terrified when he showed up. I was like, “What if he doesn’t want to do any of this?” But he showed up and just committed, bleached his hair, did the whole thing, shaved his legs, and then there we were.
Director/Writer Greta Gerwig attends the ‘Barbie’ Press Junket Photo Call at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills, CA. Photo by Eric Charbonneau.
If nothing else, Greta Gerwig’s ‘Barbie’ certainly appears to promise some major eye candy. With a first look at Margot Robbie as the live-action version of the titular toy out in the world since Warner Bros.’ CinemaCon presentation in April, today brings a treat for anyone who is a fan of her iconic partner, Ken.
Or, indeed, anyone who likes Ryan Gosling. Or washboard abs. Or… personalized underwear? Yes, while it shares the pink, Barbie-standard background of the Robbie image, this is a Ken we’re not sure we expected. He looks like he’s a member of a boyband.
With bleached blond locks and a denim ensemble, this would appear to be a very different take on the character.
Which, if we’re honest, appears par for the course for the movie, which is still in production at Warner Bros.’ Leavesden facility in England. Nothing about the film seems to be the expected choice, between Gerwig (who co-wrote the script with creative/life partner Noah Baumbach), to Robbie leaping aboard to star and produce and Gosling joining her.
Gerwig and co. have so far been very secretive about the movie, releasing no real story details, though we’ve started to glean the idea that part of the concept will see multiple versions of Barbie and Ken, played by some of the ensemble above.
‘Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings’ Liu in particular has spoken about the “wild” and “incredibly unique” Barbie-based movie, adding that he’s had to wax his entire body for his role and that he’s also taken dance lessons (though the film itself is not reportedly a musical).
He also told Variety of how much fun he was having. “When you’re doing a scene and it’s working, you hear, ‘HAHAHAHA!’ It’s the best feeling in the world,” Liu says. “If you’re an asshole on a Greta Gerwig set, there’s no hope for you.”
“Playing with Barbie promotes confidence, curiosity, and communication throughout a child’s journey to self-discovery. Over the brand’s almost 60 years, Barbie has empowered kids to imagine themselves in aspirational roles from a princess to president,” Robbie said in a statement when her casting was announced. “I’m so honored to take on this role and produce a film that I believe will have a tremendously positive impact on children and audiences worldwide. I can’t imagine better partners than Warner Bros and Mattel to bring this film to the big screen.”
Before Robbie, Amy Schumer and Anne Hathaway had been attached to versions of the movie, but we’re mostly fascinated to see what she, Gerwig, Gosling and the rest are making here.
We’ll have to be patient, though, as ‘Barbie’ won’t be in theaters until July 21 next year.
‘Barbie’ is one of those movies that it’s hard to get a handle on. When you know that Mattel is working with Warner Bros. to adapt the iconic toy, your first thought might be of a cheap animated cash-in designed to sell more of the plastic princess.
Instead, the idea – even before it arrived at Warners – appears to be looking to make a more interesting live-action version that explores the character in different ways.
The ensemble, though, is anchored by Margot Robbie, who jumped aboard as star and producer, ready to play the Malibu favorite who, according to the actor “comes with a lot of baggage, and a lot of nostalgic connections. But with that comes a lot of exciting ways to attack it.”
And attack it she has, teaming up with Gerwig and Baumbach to figure out something that, for now at least, is shrouded in mystery.
Kingsley Ben-Adir stars in ‘One Night in Miami.’ Photo: Patti Perret/Amazon Studios.
Even most of the roles are being kept quiet for now, though we do know that Ryan Gosling (yet another actor not traditionally associated with blockbuster money grabs) is playing Ken.
Since the core duo was attached, ‘Barbie’ has slowly been building its cast, and has certainly kept us all guessing with the people jumping aboard. America Ferrera, Kate McKinnon and ‘Shang-Chi’s Simu Liu were among the first group.
They were soon joined by trailblazing trans performer Hari Nef and Alexandra Shipp, most recently seen in the Oscar-nominated ‘Tick, Tick… Boom!’. Also on the list? Ariana Greenblatt and Will Ferrell, who unlike many of the others, actually has a potential role – he’s rumored to play a toy company CEO (wonder if he’ll be anything like ‘The Lego Movie’s President Business?)
And Gatwa isn’t the only person from Netflix hit series ‘Sex Education’; his co-stars Emma Mackey and Connor Swindells are also on board.
Before it was at Warners, ‘Barbie’ was in development at Sony, where Amy Schumer and Anne Hathaway were attached at different times to play the lead, while ‘Juno’s Diablo Cody wrote at least one draft of the script.
Gerwig has been shooting the movie since early this year at Warner Bros.’ Leavesden Studios just outside of London. ‘Barbie’ doesn’t have a set release date yet but should be in theaters next year.
