Barbie has become a mass phenomenon. In addition to receiving great reviews from major aggregators, it has emerged as the best premiere of the year and is on its way to becoming the highest-grossing movie of 2023. Without a doubt, Greta Gerwig has achieved the expected success, thanks to Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling. But what is their secret?
Beyond functioning as a blockbuster, the big secret to its triumph seems to lie in its comedy. Barbie is a hilarious movie that plays with intelligent humor throughout the entire film, and some even believe it to be the funniest comedy of the 21st century.
To prove this theory, below are the top ten jokes from Barbie. Obviously, the post is filled with spoilers, so we don’t recommend reading it if you haven’t seen the movie. However, it was challenging to choose just ten jokes, as there’s a new one every minute in the film.
10. “I am Kenough”
One of the funniest jokes in Barbie comes at the end of the movie. After Ken realizes that the patriarchal system established in Barbieland was a mistake and that he doesn’t need Barbie‘s approval to be happy, he dons a sweatshirt that clearly reflects his new stance on life: “I’m Kenough” (a play on words between “I’m enough” and Ken).
09. “I would never wear heels if my feet were shaped like this”
Barbie is filled with critiques towards real society and the pressure women feel about their physical appearance. One of the funniest jokes regarding this issue comes from the protagonist’s feet. Barbie realizes that she has flat feet instead of the pointed ones she should have, which disgusts and surprises all her peers. In that moment, she says something that every woman has thought at least once: “I would never wear heels if my feet had this shape.”
08. “I am a freed man! I know that crying is not for the weak”
Ken’s redemption arc is one of the most hilarious aspects of the film, and one of the funniest moments is when he starts crying, and Barbie tells him that it’s okay to cry and he doesn’t have to act tough to hold back his tears. Surprisingly, Ken responds by saying that he is a “liberated man” and that he knows it’s okay to cry… which is quite odd considering his personality throughout the entire movie.
07. “Do giant hands come in and play with you?”
Being a satire, the rules of Barbieland are quite random, and it’s not very clear how this world actually functions. That’s why there’s no other option but to believe everything and go along with it. When Sasha arrives in this country, she asks if giant hands control them in the place, which Barbie thinks is “crazy,” but in reality, it makes perfect sense within the context of their world.
06. “When I found out that the patriarchy was not about horses, I lost interest”
Ken’s obsession with horses is as unfounded as it is entertaining. They serve as the perfect symbol of the patriarchy he defends for a significant part of the film and the excuse he uses to carry out his plan to dominate Barbieland. So, when he claims that everything he did was for the horses, it’s hard not to crack a smile.
05. “I’m here to see my gynecologist”
The last joke of the movie is also one of the best in the entire film. Just when we think Barbie has moved on with her life as a human and is facing a job interview, we hear her say that she actually has an appointment with the gynecologist. This way, the loop of the recurring joke about toys not having genitals is cleverly closed.
04. “It’s like I was in a dream where I was interested in Zack Snyder’s Justice League”
Zack Snyder’s Justice League has become an effective joke to criticize the patriarchy, as it was nothing more than a bunch of hurt men in a testosterone-filled movie with slow-motion shots. Greta Gerwig, with disdain and the approval of Warner, uses this film to showcase what it was like to be in the body of a Barbie possessed by the patriarchy.
03. The Mojo Dojo House Ken’s House
Indeed, Ken’s choice of name for his “conquered” new home in Barbieland, “Mojo Dojo Casa House,” is a clear example of toxic masculinity but also adds a touch of humor. It’s evident that such a name would quickly become a meme, reflecting Ken’s quirky and misguided sense of dominance.
02. “Thanks to Barbie, all the problems of feminism have been solved”
One of the best jokes in the film comes almost at the beginning and sets the tone for the rest of the movie. When introducing the Barbies and their history, the narrator explains that “Thanks to Barbie, all the problems of feminism have been solved,” which is clearly a joke… but not so much for the inhabitants of Barbieland.
01. “Director’s Note: We know that Margot Robbie is the worst possible casting choice for this scene”
And the gold goes to a line that doesn’t come directly from the characters but from the director herself, Greta Gerwig. In the midst of a tearful speech where Barbie claims to look ugly — spoiler: she still looks gorgeous even while crying — Gerwig leaves a note in the middle of the film, making it clear that she knows the scene isn’t believable with her perfectly flawless face.
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