Ken's 10 Funniest Quotes In The Barbie Movie, Ranked (2024)

Ryan Gosling's Ken has too many hilarious quotes in the Barbie movie to count, but some are just on another level of funny. Directed by Greta Gerwig and starring Margot Robbie in the titular role, Barbie brought the iconic doll to life onscreen and had her come to terms with her true identity in the Real World. The bright pink comedy dominated Summer 2023 and featured a stacked cast of Barbie and Ken characters. While Robbie gave a fantastic, multi-layered performance as the lead Barbie, Gosling's complete embodiment of Ken--or, his "Kenergy"--stood out so much that it created whispers of a potential Ken spinoff of the Barbie movie.

Because they're all just dolls who exist to worship the Barbies, all the Kens are pretty clueless, and it shows in their dialogue. As the lead Ken, Gosling's was especially hilarious. From misguided observations about men, patriarchy, the Real World, and, of course, horses, to ridiculous exclamations out of excitement or frustration, to references to "beach," Gosling's Ken has some of the funniest quotes in the Barbie movie.

10 “This Shall Henceforth Be Known As Ken’s Mojo Dojo Casa House.”

Ken gives Barbie's stolen Dreamhouse a redundant new name

The idea of making Ken the villain of a Barbie movie is a hilarious and clever twist. It also gives Ryan Gosling the opportunity to have even more fun by embracing the evil side of the character. After Barbie returns to Barbieland and discovers that the Kens have taken over, Ken smugly tells Barbie that he's claimed ownership of her Dreamhouse, which is now a "mojo dojo casa house." This term is repeated throughout the rest of the movie and gets funnier every time.

The redundancy of these terms is clearly a product of Ken's unfamiliarity with these new masculine concepts he's adopted under patriarchy (he also says "brewski beers"). This quote only ranks lower than the others because, like "Kenergy" and "Kenough," "mojo dojo casa house" has become part of the pop-cultural lexicon, so its novelty has worn off over time.

9 “You Can Stay If You Want, As My Bride-wife, Or My Long-term-low-commitment-distance Girlfriend.”

Ken makes Barbie an offer she can't refuse

One of the biggest frustrations for Ken in the movie is that he is obsessed with Barbie while she does not seem to care about him nearly as much. However, when he gets the power, he is all too eager to turn the tables and make himself the one who is blaise about their relationship. After taking over her Dreamhouse, Ken offers Barbie a choice for her new role in Barbie-turned-Ken Land (or "Kendom"). Like "mojo dojo casa house," the redundancy of "bride wife" shows that Ken is still navigating this new gendered language under patriarchy.

The mash-up of "long-term-low-commitment-distance girlfriend," though, is very telling of what Ken has been picking up through his Man Education. This quote only ranks higher because, unlike "mojo dojo casa house," though, "long-term-low-commitment-distance girlfriend" hasn't become overused on the internet, but maybe that's just because it's so hard to remember.

8 “I Have All The Genitals.”

Ken explains his private parts situation

Though Barbie is largely a family-friendly affair, the fact that the dolls do not have genitals is a common topic of discussion in the movie and Barbie's ending scene even leaves the audience with one such joke. However, it is not just a crude comment but often makes for some clever and hilarious moments. Once Barbie and Ken enter the Real World, they are hassled by a group of men at a construction site with sexual innuendos.

Barbie informs them that neither she nor Ken have any genitals, to which Ken meekly insists he has "all the genitals." Spending only minutes in a patriarchal society, Ken's masculinity is already feeling threatened. As everybody knows, Kens do not, in fact, have any of the genitals, but Gosling's timid delivery of this false clarification, as if it would help in this situation, is too amusing.

7 “I’m Just Gonna Pop Into The Library And See If I Can Find Any Books On Trucks.”

Ken makes a detour at Sasha's school

One of the funniest aspects of Ken as a character is how quickly he embraces the idea of masculinity while having such a surface-level understanding of what it is. It is a concept that changes his entire world. However, he largely thinks it is about horses and trucks. After making the unbelievable discovery that “men rule the world,” Ken accompanies Barbie to Sasha’s school. As Barbie looks around for her owner, Ken tells Barbie he's just going to "pop into the library and see if [he] can find any books on trucks."

Out of context, it's such an innocent and childlike thing to say, but knowing that Ken has most likely started associating trucks with patriarchy after his latest epiphany, his plan has ulterior motives. The fact that he mentions it so casually and that Barbie is too distracted to give it any thought just adds to the humor.

6 “Without It, I’m Just Another Blonde Guy Who Can’t Do Flips.”

Ken comes to terms with his identity

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Barbie (2023) | Film, Trailer, Kritik

With a filmmaker like Great Gerwig at the helm of the story, it is not a surprise that she is able to dig deep and have some very insightful things to say about the mythology of the Barbie brand while still making it funny. One of the best examples of this is in the existential crisis that Ken goes through, coming to terms that he is little more than an accessory to the popular Barbie dolls.

Near the end of the movie, Ken tries to explain to Barbie that he is "just Ken," and that he was only created to "exist within the warmth of [Barbie’s] gaze." In the above line, the “it” in question refers to said gaze. The line is mildly funny on its own, but it's Gosling's devastated delivery of these words that makes it hysterical. He looks paralyzed by this realization, wide-eyed and shaking like he’s just discovered the most horrifying thing to be true.

5 “Because Actually My Job… It’s Just Beach.”

Ken clarifies his real profession

In this first of his many references to "beach," Ken specifies that "beach" is his assigned profession, as opposed to an existing job at "the beach." Ken makes this clarification after crashing into the plastic waves and getting injured while trying to impress Barbie with his surfing skills. In an attempt to save face, he points out that his job is not surfer, nor is it “lifeguard, which is a common misconception,” but just the general concept of “beach."

The Barbies respond with patronizing reassurance that he does such a "good job at the beach," and the whole scene is a highlight of the movie. It also speaks to the fragile ego that Ken has in a world in which Barbie doesn't need him as much as he needs her. He attempts to make himself seem more important with this "job" that he cannot even explain.

4 “Barbie, What If There’s Beach? You’re Gonna Need Someone Who’s A Professional In That.”

Ken makes sure Barbie is prepared for anything

The fact that there are two memorable Barbie quotes from Ken that refer to his beach abilities speaks to just how often he brings up this apparent talent. As Ken tries to convince Barbie to let him accompany her on her journey to the Real World, he points out a possible scenario she could encounter. As a professional in "beach," Ken would have to be present at the scene should Barbie come face to face with it.

After Barbie agrees to let him come along, the two discover that there is, in fact, "beach" in the Real World, or at least in Venice Beach. The moment becomes even funnier when Ken visits the beach to apply for a job only for the lifeguard to be confused about what exactly he thinks the job would entail. It is another hit to his wounded ego.

3 “Come On In. I’ll Play The Guitar At You.”

Ken invites Barbie inside for a serenading session

The movie has a lot of fun exaggerating the ways the Kens energy and personalities change when they are exposed to the "patriarchy". While it is certainly hilariously over-the-top, it is also not far off from how some men can act. After agreeing to let Barbie be his long-term-low-commitment-distance casual girlfriend, Ken makes a very generous offer to serenade "at" her.

The absurd yet accurate notion that some men play guitar "at" women, elevated by Gosling's delivery of this line as though he's just said something irresistible, is too perfect. It is a funny way of showing that, even when trying to woo a woman, some men can still be all caught up in themselves. What follows is, of course, the infamous scene of all the Kens playing Matchbox Twenty's “Push” on the guitar at the Barbies on the beach, bringing this quote to life.

2 “To Be Honest, When I Found Out The Patriarchy Wasn’t About Horses, I Lost Interest Anyway.”

Ken makes a brave confession

Before grappling with his hair color and his inability to do flips, Ken makes this honest confession during his one-on-one conversation with Barbie. One of the funniest running jokes throughout the movie is that, ever since discovering patriarchy, Ken has inexplicably associated it with horses. He litters Ken Land and their mojo dojo casa houses with horse imagery and rides imaginary horses around like a deluded cowboy.

The fact that Ken openly admits that patriarchy's only appeal to him was horses is such a brilliant way to conclude this running joke. The fact that he went all in on this idea, changed his entire personality, and made his whole life about this despite the fact that he didn't even understand it is hilarious. This is added to by the concept that the only thing that got him interested in the first place was horses, showing how unnecessary this villainous journey was for Ken.

1 “SUBLIME!”

Ken is overjoyed

It may only be one word, but "SUBLIME!" is Ken's funniest line in the whole Barbie movie. Ken is so ecstatic that Barbie has agreed to be his long-term-low-commitment-distance casual girlfriend, but he must maintain the upper hand that he thinks he has. He excuses himself and heads through the saloon doors inside the mojo dojo casa house before making this one-word exclamation offscreen. Then, he returns to Barbie waiting at the saloon doors with a faux-nonchalant demeanor.

Robbie claimed that this line was actually improvised by Gosling and still makes her laugh to this day (via Deadline). Gerwig has clarified that she actually came up with the word "sublime" but that it was Gosling's idea to give Ken a "private moment" in which he yells something out of excitement offscreen, which Barbie can hear (via Variety). He tried out a bunch of different words and phrases as exclamations, but "sublime!" ended up making the cut, and the Barbie movie was all the better for it.

Barbie

Barbie is a film adaptation of the generational iconic toy directed by Greta Gerwig, who co-wrote the script with Noah Baumbach. The film centers on Margot Robbie's Barbie who is expelled from Barbieland and travels with Ken (Ryan Gosling) to the real world in search of happiness. The film also stars Simu Liu, Will Ferrell, and several other famous celebrities in cameo roles.

Cast

Margot Robbie , Ryan Gosling , Simu Liu , Ariana Greenblatt , Helen Mirren , Nicola Coughlan , John Cena , Will Ferrell , Ritu Arya , Michael Cera , America Ferrera , Alexandra Shipp , Kate McKinnon

Sources: Deadline, Variety