The upcoming summer film sensation, Greta Gerwig’s Barbie, is less than a month away from gracing us with its comedic brilliance. Since we still have until July 21st to fill our time with great streaming content, we have narrowed the millions of options into five preparatory choices. Featuring the cast, crew, and themes found in the Barbie movie, here are the films readying us for the long-awaited release date.
The Notebook
Whether or not Ken and Barbie end up as a traditional movie couple in this new iteration, it’s admittedly hard to resist Ryan Gosling as a romantic lead in anything. A film adaptation of the Nicholas Sparks novel of the same name, The Notebook is typically either enthrallingly loved or staunchly hated by viewers; however, there’s no denying that the central performances (or, more accurately, Gosling’s hotness) are worth the emotional trip.
The Notebook can be rented for $3.99 wherever you rent your movies.
I, Tonya
Margot Robbie’s premiere leading role as the colorful figure skater Tonya Harding features her most dynamic performance in perhaps her most critically well-received film. I, Tonya, following the skater’s unexpected rise and sudden fall thanks to her connection to an assault on a rival professional, was a prestigious role choice for the beloved Australian actress, helping her break into “serious” roles that did not include Extended Universes in them.
I, Tonya is streaming now on Max.
Lady Bird
Greta Gerwig’s directorial debut, released by A24 in 2017, remains her most impactful and simply moving film thanks to an impressive tonal balance and a career-defining lead performance by Saoirse Ronan. The coming-of-age comedy-drama Lady Bird instantly cemented Gerwig as a new director of note, though you can find an earlier screenwriting highlight below.
Lady Bird is streaming now on Showtime.
Frances Ha
Noah Baumbach and Greta Gerwig, the co-writers of Barbie, first collaborated as screenwriters on Frances Ha, where Gerwig stars as a 20-something who moves to New York City with big dreams to be a dancer, encountering struggles along the way. The film was nominated for many awards but sadly won few despite its warm critical reception and impressive marks at Telluride Film Festival.
Frances Ha is streaming now on Netflix.
Toy Story
Simply put, there has never been a better “toys come to life” story than this one. Pixar’s debut feature certainly has less-than-perfect animation when compared to their later films, but its universally appealing plot and top-tier voice cast contribute to animated perfection. In case you missed it from the trailer, Barbie will have meta references to the characters’ toy statuses along with their pretend-world reality, so Toy Story might be closer in concept to Gerwig’s take on the infamous dolls than expected.
Toy Story is streaming now on Disney+.