@DRDMovieMusings said:

I saw Barbie yesterday.

Brilliant.

Not perfect. But then, few movies are. And its blemishes (few in number) in no way compete with/detract from its highlights, which brought tears to a lot of eyes in the theatre because the writers let the audience know they understood the burden, the pain, the trauma, of just being, in this world, for both men and women. As a man who has raised a son and a daughter, I felt for both the Barbies and the Kens.

Anyone taking away that it is somehow misandrist is trapped in the brainwashing of patriarchy. What the movie criticizes is not men, but mores and standards that are bad for men and women, and it did so with a deft combination of art, craft, and some ham-fisted soliloquy/dialog to spell it out for those for whom art and craft are difficult.

And it was not simplistic - there was, at one point, a longing to return to the status quo in which Barbie was comfortable, in power, and she became, kinda, the bad guy, as Ken asked her "how does it feel?" Challenging those in power, regardless of gender, is a painful experience for those in power...until they stop to put themselves in the shoes of those over whom they enjoyed power, those themselves did not have a piece of that action and (hopefully) realize there has to be a better way to do things than simply to enfranchise one group and disenfranchise others.

It also shows that anyone in power tends to want to hold on to that power. That's not a criticism of men, it's a criticism of power. Barbie fell into that same tendency.

And, when Ken found himself in a world in which he was not a second-class citizen, of course he relished it. So, why should women not relish it when they have an opportunity to experience similar? Yet, both of them still had more character development beyond simply retreating to the comfort of sectarianism.

That said, there were also plenty of laughs to be had. It was funny, and fun, beautifully shot, and carried the audience with the right pace to several moments when you could hear a pin drop in the theatre.

I can't imagine a mature viewer not having a good time seeing Barbie — it's garnered the reviews and pulled in all that money for some good reasons (and, those who know me know very well that I do NOT regard box office success as the best indicator of a "good movie", as one of the reasons I built my movie ROI database was to explore the relationship between movie quality and financial performance and could see clearly that the two are frequently divergent).

So, if you haven't seen it, I highly recommend Barbie, and look forward to level-headed discussions on it here.

Good review. 👍

If you went with someone or a group to see the movie, what did the other person or persons think?

You mentioned 'brainwashing of patriarchy', which is interesting as one argument that negative reviewers - males and females - always bring up is that patriarchy is a zombie lie.

Sidenote: I'm still trying to determine if next to the baby dolls and Barbies, there are also Bratz dolls in the movie.

@wonder2wonder said:

@DRDMovieMusings said:

I saw Barbie yesterday.

Brilliant.

Not perfect. But then, few movies are. And its blemishes (few in number) in no way compete with/detract from its highlights, which brought tears to a lot of eyes in the theatre because the writers let the audience know they understood the burden, the pain, the trauma, of just being, in this world, for both men and women. As a man who has raised a son and a daughter, I felt for both the Barbies and the Kens.

Anyone taking away that it is somehow misandrist is trapped in the brainwashing of patriarchy. What the movie criticizes is not men, but mores and standards that are bad for men and women, and it did so with a deft combination of art, craft, and some ham-fisted soliloquy/dialog to spell it out for those for whom art and craft are difficult.

And it was not simplistic - there was, at one point, a longing to return to the status quo in which Barbie was comfortable, in power, and she became, kinda, the bad guy, as Ken asked her "how does it feel?" Challenging those in power, regardless of gender, is a painful experience for those in power...until they stop to put themselves in the shoes of those over whom they enjoyed power, those themselves did not have a piece of that action and (hopefully) realize there has to be a better way to do things than simply to enfranchise one group and disenfranchise others.

It also shows that anyone in power tends to want to hold on to that power. That's not a criticism of men, it's a criticism of power. Barbie fell into that same tendency.

And, when Ken found himself in a world in which he was not a second-class citizen, of course he relished it. So, why should women not relish it when they have an opportunity to experience similar? Yet, both of them still had more character development beyond simply retreating to the comfort of sectarianism.

That said, there were also plenty of laughs to be had. It was funny, and fun, beautifully shot, and carried the audience with the right pace to several moments when you could hear a pin drop in the theatre.

I can't imagine a mature viewer not having a good time seeing Barbie — it's garnered the reviews and pulled in all that money for some good reasons (and, those who know me know very well that I do NOT regard box office success as the best indicator of a "good movie", as one of the reasons I built my movie ROI database was to explore the relationship between movie quality and financial performance and could see clearly that the two are frequently divergent).

So, if you haven't seen it, I highly recommend Barbie, and look forward to level-headed discussions on it here.

Good review. 👍

If you went with someone or a group to see the movie, what did the other person or persons think?

You mentioned 'brainwashing of patriarchy', which is interesting as one argument that negative reviewers - males and females - always bring up is that patriarchy is a zombie lie.

Sidenote: I'm still trying to determine if next to the baby dolls and Barbies, there are also Bratz dolls in the movie.

https://www.cnn.com/2023/08/03/world/what-is-patriarchy-explainer-as-equals-intl-cmd/index.html

Great review, DRD! You got me pretty pumped to go see it, although I usually wait for movies to come out on home media. This sounds like some good summer fun with enough substance to sit with you for a while afterwards.

Sounds like the crybabies are jerking their knees at nothing. Reminds me of all the ultra conservatives in the 70s who tried to cancel the band Styx; they concluded any band name that refers to the mythological river of death must mean they're devil worshipers trying to recruit our children lmao

@wonder2wonder said:

@DRDMovieMusings said:

I saw Barbie yesterday.

Brilliant.

Not perfect. But then, few movies are. And its blemishes (few in number) in no way compete with/detract from its highlights, which brought tears to a lot of eyes in the theatre because the writers let the audience know they understood the burden, the pain, the trauma, of just being, in this world, for both men and women. As a man who has raised a son and a daughter, I felt for both the Barbies and the Kens.

Anyone taking away that it is somehow misandrist is trapped in the brainwashing of patriarchy. What the movie criticizes is not men, but mores and standards that are bad for men and women, and it did so with a deft combination of art, craft, and some ham-fisted soliloquy/dialog to spell it out for those for whom art and craft are difficult.

And it was not simplistic - there was, at one point, a longing to return to the status quo in which Barbie was comfortable, in power, and she became, kinda, the bad guy, as Ken asked her "how does it feel?" Challenging those in power, regardless of gender, is a painful experience for those in power...until they stop to put themselves in the shoes of those over whom they enjoyed power, those themselves did not have a piece of that action and (hopefully) realize there has to be a better way to do things than simply to enfranchise one group and disenfranchise others.

It also shows that anyone in power tends to want to hold on to that power. That's not a criticism of men, it's a criticism of power. Barbie fell into that same tendency.

And, when Ken found himself in a world in which he was not a second-class citizen, of course he relished it. So, why should women not relish it when they have an opportunity to experience similar? Yet, both of them still had more character development beyond simply retreating to the comfort of sectarianism.

That said, there were also plenty of laughs to be had. It was funny, and fun, beautifully shot, and carried the audience with the right pace to several moments when you could hear a pin drop in the theatre.

I can't imagine a mature viewer not having a good time seeing Barbie — it's garnered the reviews and pulled in all that money for some good reasons (and, those who know me know very well that I do NOT regard box office success as the best indicator of a "good movie", as one of the reasons I built my movie ROI database was to explore the relationship between movie quality and financial performance and could see clearly that the two are frequently divergent).

So, if you haven't seen it, I highly recommend Barbie, and look forward to level-headed discussions on it here.

Good review. 👍

If you went with someone or a group to see the movie, what did the other person or persons think?

My partner had this keen insight to share: "The power dichotomy applies beyond gender. Ours is a society that presumes and prefers ableism, whiteness, richness. The Barbies represent any/all of them; the Kens represent all the marginalized, disenfranchised, "others" who are only afterthoughts in a society geared to celebrate wealth, whiteness, etc.

And she (my partner) is absolutely right. Again, this is not a movie out to get men. It is a critique of power and status quo and those for whom everything works giving nary a thought to those who are accessories to it all - the Ken doll was but an accessory for Barbie, along with her clothes and all the other objects whose purpose was nothing beyond making Barbie look good.

Those in society who exist — in the minds of those in power — as nothing more than fodder to keep feeding the machine that maintains those in power in power are indeed objectified. "Human Resources"? "Head count"? Layoffs while recording record profits? Hello?

You mentioned 'brainwashing of patriarchy', which is interesting as one argument that negative reviewers - males and females - always bring up is that patriarchy is a zombie lie.

BS. Clearly, education has failed since math is so difficult for some.

Women have made up more than 50% of the population for a long time. In the history of the United States, does it make mathematical sense that the candidates for president all came from less than half the population? Never in this country's history was the best candidate a woman? Really? People actually think that a man has always been the best possible candidate in every election ever?

"wElL, oNlY mEn rAn fOr oFfIcE." GMAFB. Is that a function of capability? Or, is it more about men making laws that prevented competition because they were afraid they could not compete on a level playing field, so had to tilt the field in their favor by disenfranchising others who might win if they could run? Look today at all the voter suppression activity, that's an age-old American play to limit access to support a system.

They settle for less than the best because of patriarchy. Canada, too. We've had just one woman as Prime Minister (but still, she did not win an election to be PM. The Right Honourable Kim Campbell won the leadership after the retirement of the then PM, the Right Honourable Brian Mulroney, credit to her for that. But, in the federal election that followed, she did run, asking Canadians to keep her in office, and the Liberal Party swept the Conservatives out in an historic landslide).

In fact, as large as race and racism looms in America, they actually elected a Black man for president because, even though he was Black, well, at least he was man, and better a man — a Black man — than a woman. But not Canada - always, only, ever, white males. bEcAuSe tHeY aRe tHe bEst wE hAvE? GTFOH.

Sidenote: I'm still trying to determine if next to the baby dolls and Barbies, there are also Bratz dolls in the movie.

I recall no Bratz dolls.

@DRDMovieMusings said:

@wonder2wonder said:

If you went with someone or a group to see the movie, what did the other person or persons think?

My partner had this keen insight to share: "The power dichotomy applies beyond gender. Ours is a society that presumes and prefers ableism, whiteness, richness. The Barbies represent any/all of them; the Kens represent all the marginalized, disenfranchised, "others" who are only afterthoughts in a society geared to celebrate wealth, whiteness, etc.

And she (my partner) is absolutely right. Again, this is not a movie out to get men. It is a critique of power and status quo and those for whom everything works giving nary a thought to those who are accessories to it all - the Ken doll was but an accessory for Barbie, along with her clothes and all the other objects whose purpose was nothing beyond making Barbie look good.

Those in society who exist — in the minds of those in power — as nothing more than fodder to keep feeding the machine that maintains those in power in power are indeed objectified. "Human Resources"? "Head count"? Layoffs while recording record profits? Hello?

Your partner is very insightful.

Interesting fact: after complaints of Barbie being single - no woman can be without a man? - Ken was created and appeared in stores in 1961. The doll was named after Ruth Handler's son, so technically Barbie and Ken are sister and brother.

@DRDMovieMusings said:

@wonder2wonder said:

Sidenote: I'm still trying to determine if next to the baby dolls and Barbies, there are also Bratz dolls in the movie.

I recall no Bratz dolls.

It wasn't too obvious in the movie, probably because Mattel doesn't want a new lawsuit. They already lost their legal battle over copyright of their IP against Carter Bryant, ex-employee of Mattel and creator of the Bratz dolls, who won a $310 million settlement.

One of the Bratz dolls is named Sasha and her nickname is 'Bunny Boo'. Gloria's daughter's name is Sasha and Gloria calls her Bunny Boo. The three friends of Sasha look like the other three Bratz dolls.The problem is that the Bratz doll Sasha is African-American. If the movie wanted to refer to the Bratz, shouldn't Gloria's daughter's name be Yasmin, after the Latin American Bratz doll? The names could have been switched for whatever reason.

So, it could be intentional or coincidental. I haven't decided yet.

The 'bratz' who made Barbie cry

Sidenote:

The opening scene of the movie starts with a reference to "2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)". Barbie appeared as an alternative to - replacement of - the baby dolls. Bratz dolls came out in 2001 - yes 2001 - and challenged the Barbies.

It is a movie about dolls, and humans are just accessories.

@wonder2wonder said:

@DRDMovieMusings said:

@wonder2wonder said:

If you went with someone or a group to see the movie, what did the other person or persons think?

My partner had this keen insight to share: "The power dichotomy applies beyond gender. Ours is a society that presumes and prefers ableism, whiteness, richness. The Barbies represent any/all of them; the Kens represent all the marginalized, disenfranchised, "others" who are only afterthoughts in a society geared to celebrate wealth, whiteness, etc.

And she (my partner) is absolutely right. Again, this is not a movie out to get men. It is a critique of power and status quo and those for whom everything works giving nary a thought to those who are accessories to it all - the Ken doll was but an accessory for Barbie, along with her clothes and all the other objects whose purpose was nothing beyond making Barbie look good.

Those in society who exist — in the minds of those in power — as nothing more than fodder to keep feeding the machine that maintains those in power in power are indeed objectified. "Human Resources"? "Head count"? Layoffs while recording record profits? Hello?

Your partner is very insightful.

;-)

Interesting fact: after complaints of Barbie being single - no woman can be without a man? - Ken was created and appeared in stores in 1961. The doll was named after Ruth Handler's son, so technically Barbie and Ken are sister and brother.

Well, Ken was marketed specifically as her boyfriend so, at best, we can observe that the inventors' kids (Barbara, and Ken) were merely the inspiration for the names of the two dolls.

@DRDMovieMusings said:

@wonder2wonder said:

Sidenote: I'm still trying to determine if next to the baby dolls and Barbies, there are also Bratz dolls in the movie.

I recall no Bratz dolls.

It wasn't too obvious in the movie, probably because Mattel doesn't want a new lawsuit. They already lost their legal battle over copyright of their IP against Carter Bryant, ex-employee of Mattel and creator of the Bratz dolls, who won a $310 million settlement.

One of the Bratz dolls is named Sasha and her nickname is 'Bunny Boo'. Gloria's daughter's name is Sasha and Gloria calls her Bunny Boo. The three friends of Sasha look like the other three Bratz dolls.The problem is that the Bratz doll Sasha is African-American. If the movie wanted to refer to the Bratz, shouldn't Gloria's daughter's name be Yasmin, after the Latin American Bratz doll? The names could have been switched for whatever reason.

So, it could be intentional or coincidental. I haven't decided yet.

Not sure why Bratz dolls need a mention at all. This stage was to present their vision of Barbie, see how the market responds, and go from there.

A Ken movie is already in development for 2025, so there is a universe brewing. The success of Barbie will likely drive the Ken movie into the can towards release.

Maybe, at some point, the Bratz tangent could be worth exploring —if it appears there's money to be made, chances are higher than 0.

The 'bratz' who made Barbie cry

Sidenote:

The opening scene of the movie starts with a reference to "2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)". Barbie appeared as an alternative to - replacement of - the baby dolls. Bratz dolls came out in 2001 - yes 2001 - and challenged the Barbies.

It is a movie about dolls, and humans are just accessories.

Interesting indeed! We shall see what shall be.

I had never seen this music video prior to today (though have been enjoying the song on the radio for weeks), so had no idea it's a song in the Barbie soundtrack, and perhaps that it's used in a dance scene during the movie?

I gather Barbie is set during the '70s?

@genplant29 said:

I had never seen this music video prior to today (though have been enjoying the song on the radio for weeks), so had no idea it's a song in the Barbie soundtrack, and perhaps that it's used in a dance scene during the movie?

I gather Barbie is set during the '70s?

It is on the soundtrack, but, no, it was not set in the 70s. They've got cellphones.

A nifty trick for getting closer to a movie's setting era is to check out the cars used via the Internet Movie Car Database! The Chevy Suburbans are 2021 models, and the Chevy Blazer EV appears to be a 2024 model.

Movies set in the past love to set the era with detail to model years for the vehicles in them.

;-)

Thanks for the info, DRD. Great opening post, btw!

I've solely seen brief clips from Barbie during tv promos for the movie, and did kinda think shown vehicles seemed like present times.

Yet the Dua Lipa song sounds straight out of the '70s disco era. And in the music vid Barbie and some (tho not most) of the other dancing performers look like they have '70s hair and clothing styles.

@genplant29 said:

I had never seen this music video prior to today (though have been enjoying the song on the radio for weeks), so had no idea it's a song in the Barbie soundtrack, and perhaps that it's used in a dance scene during the movie?

It is sung by Dua Lipa and it is in the first dance scene of the movie.

You can see more music videos here.

Thanks, @wonder!

I've been a fan of the song for weeks (turns up on my car's radio all the time and is great for driving to), but somehow never knew/heard it's from this movie.

@DRDMovieMusings said:

@genplant29 said:

I had never seen this music video prior to today (though have been enjoying the song on the radio for weeks), so had no idea it's a song in the Barbie soundtrack, and perhaps that it's used in a dance scene during the movie?

I gather Barbie is set during the '70s?

It is on the soundtrack, but, no, it was not set in the 70s. They've got cellphones.

A nifty trick for getting closer to a movie's setting era is to check out the cars used via the Internet Movie Car Database! The Chevy Suburbans are 2021 models, and the Chevy Blazer EV appears to be a 2024 model.

Movies set in the past love to set the era with detail to model years for the vehicles in them.

;-)

I would like to add that Barbie and Ken - not forgetting him - travel from Barbieland to Los Angeles , where there is a mix of fiction and facts with exaggerated, sometimes funny, happenings. It is a movie, so the real world of humans is fictional with real life concepts.

The mode of travel is fantastic and all done practically using silent movie techniques - there is almost no CGI.

@wonder2wonder said:

@DRDMovieMusings said:

@genplant29 said:

I had never seen this music video prior to today (though have been enjoying the song on the radio for weeks), so had no idea it's a song in the Barbie soundtrack, and perhaps that it's used in a dance scene during the movie?

I gather Barbie is set during the '70s?

It is on the soundtrack, but, no, it was not set in the 70s. They've got cellphones.

A nifty trick for getting closer to a movie's setting era is to check out the cars used via the Internet Movie Car Database! The Chevy Suburbans are 2021 models, and the Chevy Blazer EV appears to be a 2024 model.

Movies set in the past love to set the era with detail to model years for the vehicles in them.

;-)

I would like to add that Barbie and Ken - not forgetting him - travel from Barbieland to Los Angeles , where there is a mix of fiction and facts with exaggerated, sometimes funny, happenings. It is a movie, so the real world of humans is fictional with real life concepts.

The mode of travel is fantastic and all done practically using silent movie techniques - there is almost no CGI.

Well said!

Nah, I expected it to be complete crap, I've got maybe a little bit above average feminist movie, it didn't really work for me, should have used less singing and more comedy, there were so many opportunities in real world for comedy, but they returned to barbie world too quickly and took it quite seriously. 6/10

This is right there together with Zoolander and Tropic thunder movies, but those were at least a bit funny, at this I chuckled only few times.

Kudos to creators for not pushing LGBT/woke agenda (too much), that was quite a shocker.