Greta Gerwig’s Barbie, the inescapable Margot Robbie movie inspired by the Mattel doll, which arrives in cinemas this week, ties itself in knots as it goes along – parodying itself, critiquing itself, and eagerly attempting to justify its very existence just in case anyone asks. It’s the cinematic equivalent of a child’s toybox – there’s colour, joy and imagination, yet it’s a total mess. Its soundtrack – which features everyone from Sam Smith and Nicki Minaj to Ryan Gosling doing an impression of Freddie Mercury by way of one of the lesser *Nsyncs – appropriately follows suit.
Barbie: The Album has been a bit of an event in itself, the names of its A-list participants drip-fed over the course of several months. Speculation went into overdrive (Britney! Kylie! Absolutely anyone blonde and famous from the past 30 years of pop!) Disappointment was palpable once the final tracklist was confirmed (“What is ‘The Kid Laroi?’ the internet collectively asked). But hasn’t all of this been sort of wistful, too?
