Barbie is a cultural phenomenon, to say the least. I've spoken to many who've seen the movie based on word of mouth. A large poster ad of Barbie hangs down from a skyscraper. I notice this every time I walk over to my sister's place.
The movie is very thought provocative. At first glance, it seems like a family/kids movie about Barbie making things right: a film with a clear good against a clear bad. However, as the movie unfolds, there's a lot more hidden beneath the layers of pink and perfection.
*** SPOILERS AHEAD ***
Barbie was introduced as an alternative to baby dolls. And if you take a microscope and examine the lifestyle and lure of Barbie, there's quite a bit to admire, especially from the perspective of not just a little girl, but any millennial/pre-millennial woman who has grown up playing with a barbie.
Barbie owns her own home, has her own car, and lives in a world with other Barbies. Where barbies (women with model-like figures) run society with smiles, hugs, empathy and feminine intelligence.
It's a world where women run the show - a utopia for most of us.
However, just as how the real world sexualizes women, Barbieland sexualizes men. There's no equality in Barbieland just as there is no equality in the real world.
Everything is put into perspective when Ken (Barbie's supposed boyfriend) flips things upside down in Barbieland: with Barbieland turning into Kendom, and Kens running the show, while Barbies get brainwashed into being bimbos. The only thing that ironically saves the barbies from giving up their independence and intelligence to the kens is hearing from other women how difficult it is to be a woman. In other words, empathy.
Empathy, death and the meaning of perfection are all themes that come up in Barbie. And as you hear them, you realize that Barbie isn't just about Barbie. It's about all of us, who crave to be perceived, admired and deemed perfect by society.
And at the end, what Barbie chooses is indeed surprising and satisfying.
I'd highly recommend watching this film. The acting is pretty good, and the story doesn't fall into a standard action movie with a predictable plot. Instead, it retains its human element, asking honest questions about life, society, and well barbie.
