this post was submitted on 21 Jul 2023
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Politics
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I saw it this afternoon, I had a great time! It wasn't exactly what I was expecting, although I can't say I know exactly what I was expecting going into it... It was a lot more political than I expected, and a lot more thoughtful.
It certainly lacks subtlety, and beats you around the head with its themes (feminism, toxic masculinity, the patriarchy, empowerment, finding and accepting yourself). To be clear, I don't think it lacking subtlety is a bad thing at all; it makes it very clear what points it's addressing, and doesn't leave anything down to personal experiences, or interpretations of nuanced lines. And it has a lot of fun with it!
Apparently right-wing people are upset with it, though. Because of course they are. It's about Barbie being a strong, independent woman. It's got a lot of diversity, and it's not shy about the fact that its diversity is because Barbie dolls themselves have a lot of diversity, so yes, it's very deliberately forced diversity. It has a trans actress in - I didn't even realise she was trans until a few minutes ago when I was looking up why right-wing people are upset, but apparently it's a terrible thing. It doesn't peddle any propaganda about traditional family values either, if you can believe such a thing (which is particularly upsetting to Matt Gaetz' wife for some reason).
It's fun. It's funny. It's thoughtful. And Ryan Gosling is fantastic in it. (Margot Robbie is very good, too, but her character is a little less colourful). It won't be something that will change your entire outlook on life, or that you'll be thinking about every day for the next six months, but it's a solid ~8/10, and unless you froth at the mouth at the idea of women having shudder aGeNcY, you'll probably have a good time with it!
It's preachy, but only because Barbie is preachy. It fits the source material perfectly. All the characters are literally Barbies you have been able to buy for 50 years, so I don't know how people could be upset. Mattel is run by all dudes, and Ken is a himbo. All of these things are quintessential Barbie for decades.
It's like a comedy version of the matrix, if that makes sense. In one scene Barbie has to choose whether to stay in Barbieland or go to the real world. Instead of a red or blue pill, she has to choose between a high heel or a Birkenstock sandal.
It's actually a pretty inoffensive mirror to society without many plot holes. Not like Lord of the Rings. Why don't the eagles just drop the ring in the volcano?!?
honestly lmao at Ben being dragged in, beaten and preached at for nearly two hours with all of this. just perfect, I approve already.
Purely as a thought experiment, I wonder what would happen if we did a Clockwork Orange treatment on him with this movie?
well, Matrix: Russurections was clearly satire, and I laughed through the entire thing, so, yeah, that makes sense to me.
What interesting is it's actually everyone else who is being strong and independent! You'll notice Barbie is not actually doing anything. All of her problems are either purely internal (existential crisis that she is navigating by observing others) OR completely external but she can't solve them herself. The mom/daughter and Ken are the ones experiencing autonomy and self-actualization, they are the ones taking direct action and driving the plot forward. Barbie is a catalyst.
Barbie is - wait for it - an accessory to help them with their personal growths! And by participating in this, Barbie is not only helping everyone else, but becoming a "real" multi-dimensional character in her own right.
I really enjoyed this movie, sorry to dig this weeks old post up lol
Don't apologise for digging it up, it's a really good comment! Barbie being an accessory to other people's growth is a brilliant way of framing it that I hadn't considered - I love that!
I also like framing it that, at the beginning of the film, everyone's identity is somewhat defined by Barbie (as a concept - not the character):
By the end of the film, I think everyone ends up empowering and being empowered by the ideals of Barbie (the concept) while also rejecting the relationship they had with the concept at the start of the film:
Terrific write-up, you expressed my thoughts on it much better and more succinctly than I could have.