‘Barbie‘ caught me completely off guard. Expecting a fluffy light weight commercial for Mattel, I was delighted to watch a clever satire that celebrates our tricky and beautiful world. Greta Gerwig is a genius. The movie had me laughing one moment and swallowing a lump in my throat the next. Here are five reasons why I think ‘Barbie’ is must watch:
Nostalgic fun
I just loved the opening scene that shows a group of silent little girls playing with anonymous dolls. Barbie enters the scene as an alien creature in an almost prehistoric world. The scene celebrates the gift Barbie bought to the world. Before Barbie dolls little girls were playing with dolls only as an imitation game, a way to have a feeling of how their mothers live. After Barbie, girls had the chance to interact with more advanced models of women in society. And that is why we have all these different Barbies – like the astronaut, the CEO, the surgeon, the dancer, the superstar, they all represent “other” horizons the girl can have in life, instead of being only moms.
The first part of the movie is wonderfully playful and fun. Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling and the rest of the Barbies and Kens do a great job of bringing the fantastic, plastic world of Barbie to life. It transported me back to the many happy hours I spent playing Barbie as a little girl. The movie is definitely not for young kids but, rather, for their parents who grew up with Barbie and Ken dolls.
Food for thoughtful conversations
Although the Barbie movie is very entertaining it also puts important topics like gender conditioning, patriarchy, feminism, individuality and identity, toxic masculinity, the objectification of women, the complexity of human emotions, the beauty of aging, the unpredictability of change, the power of choice and so much more on the table.
The movie is also full of clever and powerful lines. Although some feel America Ferrera’s beautiful monologue on the cognitive dissonance required to be a women was a little too much, it resonated with me on so many levels. But it was the conversation between Barbie and Ruth Handler, the creator of Barbie, at the very end of the movie that had me all emotional. As Barbie struggles with the decision whether to stay in Barbieland or make the Real World her home as a human, Ruth gently reminds her that it is her decision. Even as her creator, Ruth says she cannot control her any more that she could control her own daughter, who Barbie is named after –
‘I always hoped for you like I hope for her. We mothers stand still so that our daughters can look back and see how far they’ve come.’
And just like that this movie, that I expected to be plasticky and kitsch, had me thinking about motherhood. Because from the beginning Barbie dolls were meant to embody little girls’ hopes and dreams so that little girls could see themselves as whatever they wanted to be. And then little girls, like me, grow up and have little girls of their own, and realize that it is not just about your dreams anymore. It’s not just about you. Ruth’s word reminded me that as a mom that I may have to put my own dreams aside for a little while – in the hope that my daughter will be able to realize her own dreams.
Barbie invites, almost forces, you to think about what it is to being human. It also offers some fodder for thoughtful conversations, especially with tweens and teens.
Cast inclusivity
I love the fact that Barbie features various types of Barbie dolls as opposed to the stereotypical white and blond-haired Barbie of the 1950s. The movie has characters from different ethnicities, coming from different backgrounds, and who work different types of jobs. For example, Ritu Arya plays journalist Barbie, while Emma Mackey is the Physics Barbie.
Attention to detail
The movie is crammed with attention to detail. You can devote one entire viewing just to the accessories. The costume designs, led by two-time Oscar winner Jacqueline Durran, are stunning. Gerwig and her team have recreated a bunch of Barbies from throughout her decades-long history, outfitted them in a variety of clothing and hairstyles, and placed them in the perfect Barbieland.
A soundtrack you will remember
Just like the cast the movie’s music is madly beautiful. Listen out for songs from artists like Dua Lipa, Lizzo, Billie Eilish, Nicki Minaj, Ice Spice, Sam Smith, Khalid, Karol G, Charli XCX, Dominic Fike, The Kid Laroi and more. This is one soundtrack you will want to download.
If you decide to watch it – please let me know what you think.
xxx
