I was a kid who grew up playing with all types of toys, from magic trolls to Hot Wheels, Pokémon, stuffed animals, Beanie babies, toy soldiers, action figures...the list goes on and on. If it was a toy, it was worth playing with, and I was not a picky kid. Like most kids who grew up in the 90s, I had my fair share of Barbie dolls also. But, as a full-grown adult, I didn't initially jump at the idea of going to see the new “Barbie” movie when I heard it came out in theaters. After all, my years of caring about dolls and toys are pretty far behind me, and I don't have any children of my own so I figured this movie was out of my interest range.
That is, until people started getting mad about it. People were saying it was inappropriate, and full of “woke” ideologies. The internet was suddenly a-buzz with people who believed it was part of an agenda. And I admit, it peaked my interest, because I couldn't help but think, “How on Earth could something as silly as a Barbie movie be so controversial?” Naturally, I had to go and see for myself.
My initial reaction is one of amused disappointment. The movie was nowhere near “controversial.” I tried very hard to see the parts that were upsetting some people, and couldn't. Then I realized: the people who were upset by the movie were mostly people who hadn't seen it, had no intention of seeing it or who went to see it looking to get mad about something. Most of the negative warnings I had seen were from people who were regurgitating the same few thoughts and fears that they saw in memes on the internet. Much like the game of telephone, the reality was far more mild than the stories I'd been hearing.
I guess it worked out for the “Barbie” movie, though, because it has been a huge success in the box office, and the supposed scandal got myself, someone who was previously uninterested in seeing the movie, to go to the theaters for the first time in years to pay for a ticket out of morbid curiosity.
All that being said, the movie was surprisingly delightful! It was charming and nostalgic, but also included some philosophical ideas and deeper emotional themes. The story follows the journey of Stereotypical Barbie, who lives her stereotypical life and has dozens of best friends and hundreds of accessories, and is living large in her stereotypical Barbie Dream-House. Everything is as it should be until, one day, Barbie begins having thoughts of being sad, and has to journey to the “real world” to find the little girl playing with her and find out a way to cheer her up and return everything to the stereotypical status quo.
I'll say no more about the plot, so as not to spoil it for any of my readers. But I will give a few highlights about some of my favorite parts of the movie. For those who don't want any spoilers at all, stop reading. I'll leave big plot points out, but sometimes people want to go into a movie without any pretext.
Weird Barbie- We all had one. The doll that was played with for too many years, until she turned “weird.” She was the doll that got hair cuts, her makeup redone with markers, and always seemed to end up in the box all twisted and wearing clothing that wasn't hers. “Weird Barbie” as she is named in the movie, is a valuable mentor to Stereotypical Barbie as she goes on her journey. I thought the inclusion of this over-loved doll was a fantastic touch to the movie, and provided countless moments of comedic relief.
Ken and Barbie's relationship- I think this is what made some people mad, although I think the reasoning is silly. In the movie, Ken is in love with Barbie, but Barbie doesn't really feel the same about him, and often ditches him to have sleepovers in her Dream-House or hang out with her friends. While many people may feel like this was a cheap, “woke” ploy to empower women (We don't need no man!), it actually has roots in the deeper part of Barbie history, and is addressed as such.
Throughout history, Barbie was the doll. Barbie was the star of the show, and had thousands of accessories that people could buy for her. But that's just it: You bought the accessories to go with Barbie. Barbie was the main focal point of the toy sales pitch. The horse, the dog, the Dream-House, the car, the boat, the wardrobe...they were all accessories. And then there was Ken. Ken was designed for Barbie. But Barbie wasn't designed for Ken, she was just there. He was just another accessory. All of her accessories, Ken included, were designed to fit into Barbie's world. And Barbie was designed to use and discard all of her accessories at the whims of the kids playing with her. So when kids were playing with Barbie, and “she didn't want to play with Ken,” he might as well have not even existed, likely left in a toy-box somewhere. In the movie, Ken struggles to learn who he is without the constant approval, love and presence of the one person he was designed to be an accessory to. It is an exceptionally deep concept that feeds into our society. In the movie, Ken insists to Barbie, “But it's 'Barbie and Ken!'” to describe how lost he feels when Barbie isn't there. She replies, “Maybe, 'it's Barbie,' and 'it's Ken.'” I thought it was a brilliant look into the roles we place people in, even outside of the realms of childish make-believe.
Allan- Back in the day, Mattel (the makers of Barbie) tried to push Ken as his own person, separate from Barbie, in the hopes of bringing in a more male audience who would buy their toys. Among the different attempts to make Ken more relevant was the appearance of another toy, Allen, who was supposed to be Ken's friend. Kids just weren't as fond of Ken or Allen as they were of Barbie and all of her friends, (although admittedly, many of Barbie's friends didn't make the cut either with the kids) and Allen was discontinued. In the movie, Allen, like many of the discontinued Barbie friends, lives in Barbie world, and offers many moments of empathetic comedic relief. He's very easy to forget.
Barbie herself- Barbie the toy was literally designed to encourage little girls, and teach them that they could be anything they wanted. President Barbie, Flight Attendant Barbie, Lawyer Barbie, etc. are great examples of this. Each of these “career-woman” dolls had a specific purpose they were designed for. In the movie, the original doll, Stereotypical Barbie, doesn't have a specific purpose, and struggles to define who she is and what she wants to be known for.
All of this is wrapped up in a fun and ridiculous story, with entertaining dialogue, witty humor throughout and silly special effects that are truly indicative of the subject matter. It is rated PG-13, for a couple of mildly suggestive jokes in the form of double entendres, as well as a candid look at patriarchal society standards, but I've seen many Disney, Pixar, Nickelodeon and KidsWB shows and movies with far more suggestive content.
Mattel even poked some fun at themselves, and made solid efforts in the movie to address their own reputation around Barbie and how they want to repair misconceptions about what Barbie symbolizes. I enjoyed that they gave mention to the woman who started it all, Ruth Handler. Basically the whole movie was a fun, entertaining commercial for Mattel, and I wasn't even mad about it. It was a fun trip down memory lane. Anyone who once enjoyed playing with Barbies would probably get a kick out of the movie. If you want to get mad, well, at least watch it before you make up your mind.