Over one month and a billion dollars later, Barbie is still a force in box offices worldwide. After this past Sunday’s “National Cinema Day” (where patrons nationwide could nab $4 movie tickets), I too experienced why and how ‘Barbie-mania’ has swept the country. (Spoilers ahead)
After missing the critics’ screening due to illness, my fiancée suggested we watch Barbie for National Cinema Day, which I happily obliged. But as most of you know, one cannot just go see Barbie unprepared. No. Going to see this particular film is a whole event in itself. That’s right, we both arrived at the theater draped in pink from head to toe. Her: Pink T-shirt and slip-ons. Me: Pink polo and basketball shoes. Then, and only then, were we ready for the Barbie experience.
Barbie Land exists in oversized stature with pink everything as an ode to the glory days when the dolls themselves were disproportionately larger than their activity sets making them awkward to utilize. Margot Robbie plays the main Barbie, Stereotypical Barbie, but there are numerous Barbies in Barbie Land. Issa Rae for example was “President Barbie” while Dua Lipa was “Mermaid Barbie”. While there were endless titles for the ladies (Writer Barbie, Judge Barbie, Lawyer Barbie) the Kens were just Ken. The main Ken in question, Ryan Gosling, fought daily for Stereotypical Barbie’s attention. Even though he was Ken, the man was basically stuck in the friend zone.
The film does a good job of balancing goofiness and satire while also educating. A sold-out theatre watched on as the Barbies banded together in support of each other to destroy a real-world system (patriarchy) that plagued their magical land. Barbie is a fun movie with fun dance numbers, copious outfits, and hilarious jabs at Mattel.
Barbie gets a 9 out of 10. Seeing all of the backlash against this film (with the vast majority of it coming from men who didn’t watch it) is laughable. The film isn’t serious at all and I would definitely watch it again. Even though it’s been in theatres for almost two months, if you haven’t seen it, go see it.
-Jon Jones
Photos: Courtesy of Warner Bros.