Review: 'Barbie'

 by Tabitha Richardson

A few days ago, I had a conversation with someone talking about what life was like living in a 'Post- Barbie society'. Yes, a conversation about how life is after the highest grossing movie of 2023, and to be honest, I really struggled to answer this. You see, I was lucky enough to see this movie twice- once on opening weekend with a friend, and again with my family a few weeks later on National Cinema Day. Although not consciously part of a sociological experiment, this situation gave me the opportunity to witness two groups' reactions towards the movie- and they couldn't have been more different.

On opening weekend, my friend and I, arrived at the Vue cinema Portsmouth all 'pinked-up', very excited for this highly anticipated movie. After happily paying a fortune for limited edition Tango Ice Blasts, we walked into our screen to an entire auditorium filled predominantly with excited giggling girls our age, all of us complimenting each other’s outfits- truly the epitome of girlhood.

Then the movie started. To say we weren't initially shocked would be an understatement. The marketing of this movie led us to believe we were walking into something light hearted and glittery- it somehow was that and more. Greta Gerwig managed to not compromise serious and prominent societal issues for Mattel pink and Bleached Blonde hair. It was able to balance satire that had undertones of feminism without insulting it, meanwhile acknowledging Mattel's somewhat controversial past. Just like Gerwig’s previous adaptation of Little Women, I really felt that the writers had nailed the definition of being a female, of being sacred to grow up and leave our inner child behind, encapsulating it perfectly with their monologues and montages, and the recurring self-deprecating humour. Then, once the credits started rolling, my friend turned to me with rather glassy eyes and hugged me. Whether it was Billie Eillish's emotional score that caused it, or the line 'We mothers stand still so our daughters can look back and see how far they've come', I certainly felt the same way.

In between watching this for the first time and the second, I was able to witness the response it gained from the media and I quickly realised not everyone felt the same as me and my friend. So by the time my second opportunity to go arose, I was ready with a more open mind and critical eye as I no longer had to focus on the plot. Therefore, this time, I was able to tune into the dialogue, appreciate the immaculate candy-coloured set depicting Barbie World, and marvel at the long list of star-studded cast members.

However, unlike my last viewing partner, my parents took the movie at face value, laughing at Ryan Gosling not taking himself too seriously, whilst not reading into the purpose of what his character represents. And no, he wasn’t there as a stereotype to ‘hate all men’, he was there as a representation of how the patriarchy is flawed; he was not there to push a matriarchal agenda. Whilst my dad chuckled throughout the film, he later admitted he thought the film was rather ‘preachy’ and in hindsight I can see his point. The narrative the movie gave wasn’t anything new or revolutionary, it repeated the idea of exposing deep-rooted misogyny in society that many movies have done before, but this time Barbie had chosen to mention it so overtly and unrelentingly, to the point where it became mildly irritating. Perhaps the movie reinforced its message against extremism too harshly at the Ken’s (the men’s) expense, which is bound to make anyone defensive. Meanwhile, my mum left the cinema feeling mildly underwhelmed as she thought that the movie’s ending, after initially evoking strong emotions of nostalgia and empowerment, was somewhat of an anticlimax. That said, we all agreed it was a harmless bit of fun.

Needless to say, the $1.4 billion grossing film is the Marmite of this year's movie world. On one hand there is a large group of people who believe Barbie has helped to push on the feminist movement, smashing one glass ceiling at a time and finally making it acceptable to wear hot pink in public, and the on the other hand is a large group of unimpressed people who think that the movie simply pushed a ‘liberal feminist fantasy’, stuffed with gratuitous product placement. I suppose it would be impossible for a movie to be written to satisfy everyone, but I believe the Barbie movie was embraced very well by the audience it intended to reach- females who grew up idolising the doll, girls who used to spend the entirety of their pocket money on a doll that gave them the opportunity to imagine a promising future. And if you weren’t a part of that demographic while you watched this movie, you should have been able to find entertainment in at least some elements of it- as there was an abundance. So what if it was stuffed with cliches?I’d argue a mildly predictable plot makes the viewing more relaxing and allows you room to appreciate the other features of the film.

So when I answered my friend about life in a 'Post-Barbie society', I simply replied that it has shown me quite a clear divide in how people can interpret a movie that attempts to challenge and highlight heavy and prevalent concerns of today with humour and neon roller skates.