Review of Barbie (2023) by Extrashotlatte — 23 Jul 2023

I walked out of the theatre thinking, “Yeah, I had a good time in that movie”. But as the day went on I kind had that “Ok, that kebab probably wasn’t a good idea.” The film is stunning in its production design and creativity, and Margot Robbie is perfectly cast as the Stereotypical Barbie. For the most part, the songs are catchy and performances are solid for the type of characters being portraying.

When we strip away the outside world and all the messaging, Barbie and Ken have a few poignant moments – Barbie realising she’s not as perfect as she’s been made to believe, or when Ken receives his first modicum of acknowledgement of being a sentient being he’s ever had in his life. They also share a couple learning and growth moments which I thought would pay off at the end of the film.

I don’t know why, but I was hoping for something that would actually enlighten its audience, to acknowledge that things are a mess and make intentional and meaningful steps to get us closer to understanding and equality. The Barbie brand, history, controversies are so engrained in our culture that this movie had a potential to change our perspective of the world, and what the future could be. That’s a lot of pressure for one film, I know.

However… this film is absolutely not immune to the not-so-subtle messaging that has permeated all forms of media and entertainment recently. In fact, it embraces it. So much so that you have a scene where a man walks up behind Barbie and slaps her on the backside, in broad daylight, in a crowded space, in front of her boyfriend…. And this kind of portrayal of men (alongside bumbling incompetent CEOs and sleazy police officers) appears to be how the film views the world.

Maybe it was this kind of over the top comical depiction of men and the world generally that allowed me to get through the movie and kind of enjoy it, but upon reflection, I realise now it’s just kind of… yuck.

Barbie had the rare opportunity to be a film experience that not only highlighted issues in the real world, but offer and foster some ideas for change. Instead, we receive divisive and mean-spirited attack on half the human population as well as anyone who thinks having a family is an acceptable path in life. And also flat feet and cellulite.

If you kind of switch off your brain for an hour and a bit, and don’t take this film too seriously, then maybe you’ll have a lasting positive memory after seeing this movie.