Stepping into the scene belatedly, a night at the Barbie movie finally graced our schedules (Yes, I dragged Christian to the cinema to watch it with me). As someone who reveled in the art of fashioning Barbie dolls and assigning them unexpected professions (my Barbie was quite the accomplished accountant, believe it or not), watching the Barbie movie was an imperative endeavor.
The cinematic experience was enthralling, to say the least. Not only was the production value stellar, but every detail, from costumes and accessories to the mesmerizing visual effects, and heart-pounding choreographies, was on point. A visual treat for Barbie fans and novices alike.
I found the plot to be pretty deep, with thought-provoking layers. A general-audience film, delving deep into the philosophies of life, existence, and self-worth, was unexpected yet captivating. Barbie’s introspection about mortality and Ken’s realization of being a mere accessory in the grand scheme of things were intense. And Allan, caught in this self-aware yet powerless limbo? A compelling character to follow.
When Barbie gets “problems” like flat feet and cellulite, which are like disasters in Barbieland, she goes to see this so-called weird Barbie. It’s funny because weird Barbie isn’t actually weird or ugly. It shows that even in a perfect world like Barbieland, where all women are so supportive, they can still exclude someone just because they’re different.
Later, Barbie finds out she has to go to the real world and find the girl who plays with her, trying to help her be happy again. The real world isn’t what she thought. Men are in charge, and women are treated like objects. Some might see this as pushing a feminist message, but I think it’s more about how we all tend to see our way of life as better and exaggerate differences. It bugs me a bit that Barbie doesn’t get to see all the awesome things women do (Ken does see them to some extent, but he ignores it because of his own limitations).
When meets the girl she thinks is playing with her, Barbie finds out she’s a ‘fascist,’ setting unrealistic beauty standards just because she was made to look beautiful. Think about that for a sec. My favorite part is when Barbie reacts to the ‘fascist’ thing with “She thinks I’m a fascist?! I don’t control the railways or the flow of commerce!” It shows how we throw around big words without really knowing what they mean.
When Barbie goes to the mothership, Mattel, she’s asked to go into a giant box, but she’s not forced to do it. The all-white-men board knows she can’t stay in the real world, but they try to talk her into going willingly. Interesting, right?
Now, let’s talk about Ken. Honestly, I find his journey more interesting than Barbie’s. He’s on a quest to find his purpose in life. He realizes there’s so much out there, but his existence in Barbieland was so meaningless that he can’t really get the real world. He only sees the patriarchy and… horses, even though he meets smart and accomplished people. He doesn’t want to make Barbieland patriarchal because the real world is like that, but he’s limited in understanding more. It’s kinda sad, and he figures it out pretty quick (“I lost interest when I found out the patriarchy is not about horses”).
I don’t want to make this too long, so I’ll just talk about two things that bothered me. First, I don’t get how the Barbies were brainwashed so easily. They’re shown as smart and independent, but Ken changes them in no time? Second, Barbies and Kens never seem to realize that men and women can work together. They don’t see it in the real world they visit (the mom playing with her Barbie doesn’t care about her husband and he doesn’t seem to care that his wife and daughter are missisng for days). In the end, Barbie sees that Kens haven’t had it easy, but she doesn’t think they can be partners. I found this to be a missed opportunity.
Overall, I really liked the movie because it gets you thinking and talking. It’s not something you watch without feeling something. Yeah, it has some left-leaning ideas, but I think there are more layers to be discovered.
This is not a movie for kids though. Since I enjoy hearing all sorts of opinions I went down the rabbit hole and listened to Ben Shapiro’s rant on how this is an inappropriate film for its supposedly targeted audience which is, according to him, `mothers and their 7 year old daughers`. It is not. And it is not labeled as such.
Kudos to Greta Gerwig for putting together a talented cast with different funny sides and making a movie that’s entertaining, funny, and makes you think.
