Does This Barbie Joke Create a Plot Hole?

Barbie has been dominating theaters, earning $1 billion in only 17 days and beating multiple box office records. The movie is being praised by critics and moviegoers alike and currently has an 88% critics score and 83% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. Barbie has already earned its place as one of the best movies of the year, nay, decade. Many will agree the film is flawless, but there is one tiny detail that could be considered a plot hole. When Allan (Michael Cera) attempts to escape Barbie Land after it’s been taken over by Kens, he reveals Allans have successfully moved the to Real World in the past. Allan says that every member of the boy band *NSYNC is actually an Allan (“even him,” referring to Justin Timberlake). While this is a hilarious joke, it does leave us with one big question…

At the beginning of the film, Helen Mirren’s Narrator introduces Allan and reveals “there are no multiples” of the doll. Allan responds, saying he never understood why. So, if every member of *NSYNC is an Allan, wouldn’t they all have Michael Cera’s face? The joke is undeniably funny because it implies the entire band is made up of generic and basic men like Allan, who only exists to be Ken’s friend and fit in his clothes. The joke could be implying that all of the members of *NSYNC look the same, but we know they don’t, so it feels like a borderline plot hole. 

It is worth noting that ’90s girlies know *NSYNC is more than just a bunch of Allans, but we also can’t resist a good joke. In fact, Barbie director Greta Gerwig is a Justin Timberlake fan and even wrote him a personal letter asking him to use one of his songs in Lady Bird (via Entertainment Weekly). 

Michael Cera Reveals What He Loved About Playing Allan:

When Ryan Gosling’s Ken learns about the patriarchy in the Real World, he takes the idea back to Barbie Land and the Kens begin taking over. However, Allan isn’t a fan of the new regime and tries to help the Barbies take back their world. Before the SAG strike, ComicBook.com had the chance to chat with Cera, and he revealed one thing he loved about playing Allan. 

“I love that I get to be a part of the uprising,” Cera shared. “I’m honored that Allan is included in that and he’s just really happy to be there and get rid of all these horses and leather couches.”

What Is Barbie About?

In Barbie, to live in Barbie Land is to be a perfect being in a perfect place. Unless you have a full-on existential crisis. Or you’re a Ken. From Oscar-nominated writer/director Greta Gerwig comes Barbie, which hit theaters on July 21st. Barbie stars Oscar-nominees Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling as Barbie and Ken, alongside America Ferrera, Kate McKinnon, Michael Cera, Ariana Greenblatt, Issa Rae, Rhea Perlman, and Will Ferrell. The film also stars Ana Cruz Kayne, Emma Mackey, Hari Nef, Alexandra Shipp, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Simu Liu, Ncuti Gatwa, Scott Evans, Jamie Demetriou, Connor Swindells, Sharon Rooney, Nicola Coughlan, Ritu Arya, Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter Dua Lipa and Oscar-winner Helen Mirren. Gerwig directed Barbie from a screenplay by Gerwig & Oscar nominee Noah Baumbach, based on Barbie by Mattel. 

Do you think the *NSYNC joke in Barbie is a plot hole or no? Tell us in the comments!