Barbie’s muddled feminist fantasy still bows to the patriarchy

Gosling's charm and Gerwig's mixed messages mean the real winner is Mattel's male CEO, and dude-dominated capitalism in general

It's a shame about the weather but, in the eyes of many, the summer of 2023 is at least furnishing a triumph of feminism, and it's been cinema's privilege to host it. Supposedly, Greta Gerwig's fantasy comedy Barbie is ushering womankind on to the true path to sisterly empowerment. Really?

It sounds plausible, at least at first. She's everything. He's just Ken," reads the film's tagline. Gerwig proclaims Barbie to be most certainly a feminist film", and it has frightened some male pundits out of their wits. Toby Young has accused it of unapologetic misandry", while the Critical Drinker considered it 114 minutes of spiteful, bitter, mean-spirited, borderline unhinged hatred of men". And, briefly summarised, the film does indeed sound like an almost ridiculously over-the-top feminist homily.