My genuine review of Barbie
@poisonivy28821
Barbie has taken over the box office and billboards all around the world. I was a huge Barbie fan when I was a kid, so of course I had to wear my cutest pink shirt with my pink AF1’s and go watch Barbie. About 5 minutes into the movie, I knew it would be the perfect topic for my next article.
My minor in university is Sociology, so naturally whenever I watch movies I tend to analyze them and the societal message they are trying to convey. Barbie basically sent me into a spiral of analysis for a whole day after watching. So with that, let’s dig in.
First of all, Greta Gerwig was the best choice to direct this film. Her approach to societal issues never ever feels forced. I personally dislike when movies try too hard to be “woke” to the point where it feels extremely staged and forced. The societal jokes in Barbie were always masked with this witty sense of humor that makes you laugh, then sends you into deep thought. Gerwig is known for her feminist angle in her work. Movies like Lady Bird and Little Women are the first ones I think of that have the same amazing dialogue as Barbie does. Truly no one else could have directed this movie and executed it as well as Greta Gerwig did.
The nostalgia of it all really tugged the heartstrings. So many different generations have played with Barbies, with different styles and toys for each. The movie was able to incorporate all the sets and outfits each generation would have played with. It was everything from archival Barbie doll outfits to discontinued toys we all used to love (yep, I’m talking about the little dog). Throughout the movie, I could hear everyone whisper at different times, “hey I had that one!”. It was so amazing to feel how everyone slipped back into their inner child. I have quite literally never felt so at peace in a theater before. It was surreal in every way.
The message of Barbie is not an individual one. The movie was able to hit many different points seamlessly. I’m trying so hard not to spoil anything, but it was able to sum up girlhood through monologues, emotions and inside jokes. It would be hard to pin the movie down to just one message as Greta Gerwig did an amazing job balancing numerous points throughout the entire movie. I will say however, that even though Barbie may seem like a kids movie, I personally don’t think a child would be able to fully appreciate the messages behind it nor would they truly understand it. The jokes and one liners are those that apply to anyone over the age of 15. It is crucial to understand the film in order to properly enjoy it.
I absolutely adored this movie and left the theater with a new perspective and an empowered mind. It absolutely exceeded my expectations. It opened my eyes to the fact that women are all connected through our experience of growing up in the world. When we are young, we live in our own “Barbieland” full of dreams, hopes and innocence. But as we grow up and join the “real world”, we quickly learn of the inequalities society presents and the complex emotions of being a woman in a world that constantly wants you to fail, just like Barbie did.
After the film had ended, people began to hug their mothers, sisters, friends, grandmothers, etc. It felt as if the entire audience had just bonded. Eveyone laughed together and cried together. We as women have been taught to always be perfect, compete with each other and to never make mistakes. But this movie makes you realize that we are all just girls full of hopes, dreams, and ambition. We need to support and help eachother.
It’s safe to say that I loved this movie and I encourage everyone to go watch it. Once the movie leaves the theatres I will write a more in depth-analysis focusing solely on the message of the film, as I would hate to spoil it for anyone but I still have alot to say about it.
What are you waiting for? Get some pink on and head to the theatre! You won’t regret it!
See you on Friday!
The Alma Blog 