Greta Gerwig’s Barbie is much more than just pink being splashed on the screen. In fact, Gerwig has created history with this film as her latest release has raked in a whopping $155 million in US and Canada, making her the first female solo director to have achieved this height.

Gerwig’s fantasy comedy is directed by her and she wrote the screenplay for this movie with her longtime partner, Noah Baumbach. The cinematography is by Rodrigo Prieto with the runtime being 144 minutes.

Margot Robbie stars in the titular role of this film along with Ryan Gosling as Ken. The film has an ensemble cast featuring America Ferrera as Gloria, Rhea Perlman as Ruth Handler, Will Ferrell as the CEO of Mattel, John Cena as Kenmaid, Helen Mirren as the narrator, Michael Cera as Allan, Ariana Greenblatt as Sasha, Jamie Demetriou as a Mattel employee and Connor Swindells as Aaron Dinkins. We will see various versions of Barbie played by Kate McKinnon, Issa Rae, Hari Nef, Alexandra Shipp, Emma Mackey, Sharon Rooney, Dua Lipa, Nicola Coughlan, Ana Cruz Kayne and Ritu Arya. Kingsley Ben-Adir, Simu Liu, Scott Evans and Ncuti Gatwa will play different variations of Ken.

Decoding Barbie: Which Films Were Referenced in this Movie?

2001: A Space Odyssey

We knew it when the teaser dropped and, we know now more than ever that Greta pulled a Kubrick on us in the first scene. The film’s opening scene replaces the apes from Kubrick’s classic with little girls breaking their baby dolls as they discover the first adult-like doll ever. This was a homage to The Dawn of Man.

Also Read: 3 Reasons Why We Hate Greta Gerwig’s Barbie and 3 Why It’s Still Likeable

The Truman Show

The entire concept of Barbieland and Real World got us thinking about Peter Weir’s brilliant movie and you cannot deny that it did tickle those bones in you too. Greta Gerwig even talked to Weir about the reality TV set concept that very vividly shows up in her directorial.

Clueless

Cher Horowitz did it first! In one of her interviews, Margot Robbie did talk about how the iconic closet from the 90s film was a huge inspo for Barbie’s Dreamhouse closet and, we can clearly see that.

The Seven Year Itch

Right after her closet tour and putting on her dress, Barbie is all set to get out of the house. She does it in the most doll-like manner by flying off her open balcony but, her skirt recalls the exact Marilyn Monroe moment that no one can ever forget. The subway vent is announced not guilty now.

The Matrix

It was in the trailer, so it surely made the cut in the film but, we are spelling it out for you. The scene with Weird Barbie where she asks Stereotypical Barbie to choose between a high-heel stiletto and Birkenstock slippers was exactly what Morpheus did to Neo with the red pill-blue pill.

The Wizard of Oz

Another obvious reference in the film was that of The Wizard of Oz, I mean, it is very visibly displayed on the marquee of the Barbieland cinema even! Barbie is Dorothy, my child and, no one can say otherwise.

Playtime

When Mattel high rankers and Aaron chase Barbie through the grey office cubicles, all we could think of was Jacques Tati’s The Offices in Playtime. Did you notice the uncanny similarity too?

The Shining

We all heard Sasha but really, was Gloria ‘shining’ with Barbie? We think Greta Gerwig’s film is a tribute to Kubrick now. So much Danny Torrance and Dick Halloran vibes, right?

Top Gun

Remember all those Kens playing volleyball on the beach? Yeah, it referenced something we see in both the Top Gun movies. Sadly, there is no Tom Cruise in this one.

Grease & Rocky

I’m Just Ken is not simply a song echoing Ken’s real emotions, it is a tribute to the 70s classic Grease. From the hair to the all-black getup, everything shouted John Travolta. Additionally, the montage features an excerpt from the Greased Lightnin scene from the film. This is not the only 70s classic reference playing on Gosling’s character in this film because that mink coat which Ken so dearly wears looks very Sylvester Stallone to us.

Monty Python and the Holy Grail

Did you wonder why the Kens mimicked riding horses when they came to confront the Barbies? Well, it has more depth to it than the ‘patriarchy and horses’ ref. It recalls a famous joke from the 1975 Jones and Gilliam movie about knights riding fake horses.

Notting Hill

When Ken sheds his first tear, he manifests his inner Julia Roberts for us. The iconic Notting Hill dialogue, “I’m just a girl, standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her” was not lost on us.

Barbie Trailer

The film is now screening in theatres near you. So go and check it out! To read our review of the latest film, click here.

In case you have watched the film, let us know what you feel about this latest release. Are there some references we have missed? Drop them all in the comments.

Also Read: Barbie Ending Explained: Why Does Barbie Visit the Gynecologist at the End?