I'm Obsessed With Barbie's Ending, And The Way Greta Gerwig Came Up With The Final Scene Makes It Even Better
SPOILERS FOR THE BARBIE MOVIE ARE AHEAD!
We’re going to discuss the final line of the movie; if you have not seen the film, it’s currently playing in theaters.
From giving Barbie an existential crisis to throwing shade at Mattel, Greta Gerwig goes hard with the Barbie movie, and she really doesn’t hold back when it comes to telling an unexpected, hilarious and meaningful story. This statement is true throughout the film, and it’s emphasized by the final line that I’m actually obsessed with. It was not only shocking and funny but also so universally relatable for any woman, making it the perfect way to cap off a brilliant movie. However, what made it even better was the way the director/writer came up with it.
How Did Barbie End?
Barbie has received rave reviews, and critics have been praising the Mattel film from Greta Gerwig. From the standout performances to the deep and hilarious narrative, there’s so much to love about this comedy. And what makes it even better, in my opinion, is it’s shockingly hilarious final line, which is:
I’m here to see my gynecologist.
This happens after Barbie decides to become human, after learning all its challenges. We see her walking into a building, and it seems like she's going in for a job interview. However, we quickly learn that's not the case when she says she's here to see her doctor. The line is not only hilarious, it also has layers and brings the entire story full circle. Also, I love a movie that promotes women’s health – seeing the doctor is cool!
This scene confirms Barbie is now human, and is a brilliant callback to jokes she made earlier about being a doll and not having genitals. However, it’s also an extremely real and weirdly poetic commentary that really hammers home the film’s message about the strength of accepting one's womanhood.
Watching the film the line came out of left field, like most moments in Barbie, and it encapsulated the subversive attitude of the film and the message about the power of being human perfectly.
How Greta Gerwig Came Up With The Final Scene Of Barbie
Great Gerwig made it clear to USA Today that she wanted Barbie to end with a “mic drop kind of joke.” However, she also said “everything operated on at least two levels,” in this movie. So, when it came to that final line where Barbie goes to see the gynecologist, the director explained her motivations behind it by saying:
When I was a teenage girl, I remember growing up and being embarrassed about my body, and just feeling ashamed in a way that I couldn't even describe. It felt like everything had to be hidden. And then to see Margot as Barbie, with this big old smile on her face, saying what she says at the end with such happiness and joy. I was like, if I can give girls that feeling of, 'Barbie does it, too' – that’s both funny and emotional. There are so many things like that throughout the movie. It was always about looking for the levity and the heart.
Isn’t that genius? Going to see the gynecologist is a universal experience for women, and for many of us, it can be an uncomfortable or awkward situation. So, to see Barbie confidently go into that office is both silly and empowering.
When it came to thinking up this brilliant moment, Gerwig said it came to her in a dream, and she knew it was the best way to cap off the film, telling IndieWire:
I feel that line and that ending is something that I feel about most things that I’ve ever made — there’s something where I don’t rightly feel like I can take credit for it. It sort of came to me in a dream and then it was like, ‘It can be no other way.’
She went on to say she believes “you get a certain amount of gifts as a filmmaker,” and when this moment came to her, she knew it needed to be in the movie. Gerwig then said:
And I was like, ‘To the extent that I believe in cinema gods, if I tell them that I’m not going to use this gift they gave me, they’re going to turn their backs on me.’ You’ve got to use the gift that you’ve been given and I just know this is one of those gifts. And then everyone was like, ‘You’re talking about cinema gods. Please end this meeting right now.’
It truly was a gift, and I’m so happy Gret Gerwig acted on this dream to have the final line of Barbie be about her visiting the gynecologist. It captured the outrageous and unique humor in the movie, provided an empowering message to all people watching it, and reminded us all that this Academy Award-nominated director is a mastermind.
I’m assuming if you’re reading this article, you’ve seen Barbie at least once. With that said, if you’d like to see the film again, it’s playing in theaters nationwide, along with lots of other projects on the 2023 movie schedule.
