Greta Gerwig's Favorite Barbie Moment Is A Two-Word Margot Robbie Line
Greta Gerwig's "Barbie" has already proven itself to be one of the best films of 2023, and certainly one of the most quotable. Whether it's funny ("Do you guys ever think about dying?"), introspective ("Humans only have one ending, ideas live forever"), or memeable ("my job is just beach"), there are so many fantastic lines to choose as a favorite. During an interview with BBC Radio 1, Gerwig confessed that her favorite line reading is one of the film's most unexpected laughs.
Interviewer Ali Plumb said that one of his favorite line readings was when Stereotypical Barbie looked toward the sky on her drive and sees two Astronaut Barbies floating in the sky, and declares "Yay, space!" Gerwig immediately interjected with excitement, "Yay, space! That's my favorite, that's my favorite!" The line has gotten a huge laugh in every screening I've been a part of because the simplistic expression of joy is contagious. Space is something many of us are fascinated by, especially as children, but very few of us genuinely understand it. Something as earnest and uncomplicated as "Yay, space!" feels like an honest and authentic expression. As Gerwig explained:
"But it's funny, 'Yay, space,' to me that is the essence of Barbie. Like, when she did that, I remember when we shot that and she got the, like, 'Yayyyy space,' it was so funny, and it's so – you couldn't exactly explain to someone where the joke is, it just is delightful."
The line has certainly resonated with audiences everywhere, as Etsy has already been flooded with shirts and coffee mugs reading "Yay, space!" in the Barbie font. It's been going in and out of stock constantly, but OPI's "Barbie" nail polish line even included a shimmery baby blue shade named "Yay, Space!" to honor the moment.
We're going on a trip in our favorite rocket ship!
Space and Barbie go way back, with the first astronaut outfit designed for Barbie released in 1965. This means Barbie was exploring space before Neil Armstrong stepped foot on the Moon, and nearly three decades before Sally Ride became the first American woman in space. There are multiple references to Barbie in space in Gerwig's film, between the astronauts at the center of the "Yay, space!" moment, as well as the Barbie rocketship used to travel between Barbieland and the Real World. All of the vehicles shown throughout the film are based on actual toys that have been put out by Mattel over the years, with the exception of Ken's Jeep after he discovers the patriarchy. However, the Jeep is modeled after a Hot Wheels Jeep, another brand owned by Mattel, and invented by Elliot Handler ... the husband of Barbie inventor, Ruth Handler.
"Barbie" is special, not just for its messaging or history-making box office record performance, but because it evokes a time of endlessly quotable films that we don't get very often. The aughts were a heyday of quotable films like "Borat," "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy," "Superbad," "Step Brothers," and even "Bridesmaids," but it's been a while since we've had a movie transcend audiences back into a monoculture. For the record, my personal favorite line is a tie between Stereotypical Barbie crying "She called me a fascist?! But I don't control the railways or the flow of commerce!" and Issa Rae's President Barbie asking, "Are you watching 'The Godfather,'" with the emphasis on "father." Those line deliveries should be taught in comedy classes.