“It is the best day ever! So was yesterday, and so is tomorrow, and every day from now until forever,” says Stereotypical Barbie, the protagonist of Greta Gerwig’s patriarchy-smashing juggernaut of a film, which screened Friday night at San Francisco’s Oracle Park.
If you like dressing up as Disco Barbie—or as anything, really—it was the best night ever at the city’s baseball stadium. Thousands of costumed fans flocked to see the movie, which stars Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, Kate McKinnon, Issa Rae, Emma Mackey, Will Ferrell, Simu Liu and a slew of others.
Many of them likely downloaded the MLB app for the first time to access tickets to the girliest blockbuster of all time, on a screen that claims to be 45% larger than any standard movie theater.
A refreshing antidote to the tedious doom-loop narrative, people flocked to field level to spread blankets on the outfield, taking selfies with Giants mascot Lou Seal under an inflatable “Barbieland” portal and in the infield on the pink-painted second base.
The Standard spoke to dozens of Barbie fans, some of whom had seen the movie more than half a dozen times already—although never before outside, with pyrotechnics.
Ono Bacani and Jack Lim had already seen Barbie together but came back in part to see America Ferrera's inspirational monologue about the impossibility of being a woman. They brought their friend Gabriella Jew, who works at Muttville Senior Dog Rescue and found the Weird Barbie character inspirational.
Wearing what she called her "Shania Twain coat," Natalia Arias—aka Square Dancing Barbie—had to work hard to avoid divulging any spoilers to her sister, Lucia.
Her favorite scene?
"A collage that left me moved, crying and thinking about my inner child," Arias said.
Originally from Michigan, Rachael Tanner, who was waiting to meet a Lumberjack Barbie friend, mused about whether the movie might go over some attendees' heads.
"I’m curious if men who didn't play with Barbies would get some of the jokes, because they’re about how I played with Barbie," she told us.
The writing was her favorite part about the film, Tanner said, adding—no pun presumably intended—that "Margot Robbie hit it out of the park."
Most people The Standard spoke to had seen Barbie once or twice, but not Derek Wu. Friday marked his seventh time. And while it looked like Wu and pal Jennifer Lovenguth got ready together, their harmonious pastel 'fits were just a coincidence.
"I bought the 'Kenough' hoodie off the Mattel website after I saw it the first time," Wu said, declining to reveal how much he paid.
"I don't have a costume," Lovenguth said. "But I have a ton of pink!"
Mother and daughter Alysia and Silvia Santos came all the way from the East Bay city of Dublin with their sweet-natured dog Scarlett. This was their third time seeing the movie.
"I love the end with the song and all the producers," Alysia Santos said, describing her look matter-of-factly as "Mom Barbie."