It's been a MINUTE since I've been able to take in a movie in one sitting, let alone two in one week! "Barbie" and "Cocaine Bear" are two highly entertaining, laugh-out-loud, should-not-miss summer films.
Barbie
Starring: Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, America Ferrera, Kate McKinnon
Director: Greta Gerwig
Running Time: 1 hour, 54 minutes
Rating: PG-13
This movie will give you all the feelings - you'll laugh, get angry, feel nostalgic - your emotions really run the gamut. Margot Robbie is absolutely perfectly cast as "Stereotypical Barbie", and deserves an Oscar nomination for her beautiful work. Her ability to cry on a whim and bring true emotion to this life-like doll is remarkable. I admit, I was skeptical about Ryan Gosling portraying Ken, but he had me laughing out loud. I loved the throwbacks to characters like Skipper, Midge and Alan, played by Michael Cera - the supporting cast is spot-on.
Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach's brilliant script portrays Barbieland as a female-forward, happy, productive place, until Barbie has an existential crisis, and eventually learns that she's inhabiting the feelings of the little girl playing with her in the real world. Barbie decides to venture to the real world, Los Angeles, more specifically, with Ken by her side (reluctantly). It's here she discovers things are quite the opposite of Barbieland. When she and Ken learn about the "patriarchy", things get a little funny (if not frustrating).
If you're on the fence about seeing this film, give it a chance. I do think you'll appreciate it more if you grew up playing with Barbies, but the greater message about equality and optimism will stick with anyone.
Cocaine Bear
Starring: Keri Russell, O'Shea Jackson, Jr., Ray Liotta, Margo Martindale
Director: Elizabeth Banks
Running Time: 1 hour, 35 minutes
Rating: R
For every bit ridiculous this "based on true events" film is, it's equally every bit entertaining. It features an unbelievable cast including those listed above and also Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Isiah Whitlock, Jr., and will have you thinking twice before you go hiking again.
Apparently in the 1980's, a drug deal gone wrong led to several pounds of cocaine being dropped in the woods of Tennessee, and eventually in the paws of a black bear. Naturally, the bear went a little nuts. The film follows several different story lines and characters, and as long as you lean in to the absurd premise, you'll have a good ride.
This is one of the more grotesque movies I've seen in a while. It's definitely movie junk food - made purely for your entertainment - but wildly entertaining.
