As a millennial mom who grew up with Barbies, I loved it! I resonated so much with America Ferrera character who also makes a reference to one of her previous movies, the sisterhood of the traveling pants in the Barbie film
I think it was a good film. But i didn’t like the end. It wasn’t right to keep the kens ( men ) out of government ect. Two wrongs don’t make a right. We want a society were people or treated fairly. If Barbie land reflects our dreams and imaginations then let us dream of a world were all people are treated fairly.
And I believe that older woman is actually Ann Roth, an Oscar winning costume designer but not the costume designer for this movie (that would be the fabulous Jacqueline Durran)
The other insight I liked was that after the Kens experience the Kendom and patriarchy - it doesn't make them happy. Ken talks about how bored he was with the whole thing and all the got from it was conflict - patriarchy and oppression on women isn't just bad for women, it's also bad for men.
One of the things I really like about this movie (that I originally thought was weird) was how Kens were treated the same way women in the real world are treated. Seeing the Kens all get treated as accessories and toys felt weird. It was unfair how they didn't really get as much respect as the Barbies did. Then I realized it was meant to show how weird real world sexism is. (I know it's pretty obvious, but seeing as I and many other men didn't get it at first, I will explain further). We are used to seeing women be discriminated, it's sad, but we are. It's hard to notice something is wrong when you grew up with it being normal. But what are we not used to, seeing men be treated in the same way. Treated like their dumber or more incompetent and that they aren't capable of the jobs that the opposite gender dominates. By portraying men in that role, we get to truly feel the weirdness and unfairness of it all. That's the reason why so many people are accusing Barbie of showing men as stupid. Those are the people that missed the point of the movie doing so, being to point out how bad and weird any sexism or discrimination is. It's not easy to tell someone something normal to them is wrong, but it becomes a lot easier when you flip the roles and make them see it for what it really is.
> how Kens were treated the same way women in the real world are treated. This is clearly laid out in one of the last scenes, when one of the Kens ask for a supreme court seat and president barbie say they need to take it slow and start at a lower court. Very direct reference to how, in discussions about minotories in position of power (especialy the supreme court), there is always a discussion that things are moving too fast.
I felt the writer implied that males and females could work together to make the world a better place. Ken said something about wanting it to be their house. But unfortunately the writer didn't run with that theme and made it a very shallow ending. Could have been so much deeper and less preachy.
Having been a little girl who had 13 - 15 Barbies and 2 Kens, I'll say we little girls just weren't that interested in Ken. That's why he's just an accessory. Little girls are not interested in men. I thought they portrayed that perfectly in the movie. Barbie land is from little girls' perspective. But it was so sobering, as an adult, to see how that might have translated as we grew up. How feminism might have taught girls to put themselves first, and see men as nothing more than accessories. I really like how Barbie sees the error of her ways in the film, and apologizes to Ken. Unfortunately the writers felt that wasn't enough that she had to leave Barbieland altogether, which I'm not comfortable with. I think barbies and Kens could have learned to live together peacefully in Barbieland. And I really liked the song where the Kens are telling the Barbies what they need from them, particularly for us to fight for them. Sometimes it feels in the real world like men have lost position in favour of women, that we HAVE taken over.
This movie was so amazing. Many of us are starved for something different-this was it. And it did it so well. Hilarious, tragic, thought provoking, and has generated so much conversation and reflection. This was an excellent breakdown! Thank you!!
There’s so much good stuff in books and on UA-cam and other places original content is made 🙌 this movie was not different 😅 imo a new property but similar take aways
This is BY FAR the most in depth and thoughtful reviews of this movie! I'm so tired of seeing the comments from men about how they are feeling attacked by it.
Yeah, I read some of that stuff ahead of time and it made me nervous going in, but I came out feeling like they really missed it. There was a point when I thought it was going to go down that road, but then it turned down a better, more mature direction and I came away not really offended at all. Barbie even apologized for how she treated Ken in the beginning and was beginning to see how she had sidelined him and took him for granted. I liked it.
@@davidbrandt848exactly! It was thoughtfully done. It also showed that neither the Patriarchy or a Matriarchy works but rather a blend of people harmoniously working together…yin & yang
My favorite line from the movie was something like “mothers stand still so that daughters can look back and see how far they’ve gone”. It’s so great at crystallizing the message that Barbie is an idea and a product of her society’s time, every time, with each new iteration. We can look at the Barbie representation from different decades and use it as a measuring stick for how things were generally at that particular time. 1960s Barbie is static in time, standing still, and open to all the criticisms that come with that, but the newest and next Barbie moves the conversation and representation further forward, every time. Like, it’s easy to call the original reductive and over sexualized and whatnot, but without the context of everything that came (or was missing) previously, exclusively baby dolls and a dearth of career and adult woman representation, you are yourself, having unrealistic expectations. We all wish we had burst forth from the head of Zeus in our final form, but that’s not how this works. We can’t be mad at our mothers for not moving the needle enough, only grateful that we can move it further.
It was so sad seeing how misogyny is so deeply embedded into the culture of our planet that even the daughter was so disgusted by her mom, this I think is common at least I've seen it in real life more times than I'd like to remember
I think how my mom’s career choices were: teacher, nurse, secretary, or librarian. And that is it. And I am grateful that while my profession has been a struggle with sexism (programmer) at least it was an option for me.
@@alina.r. -- I think about that too. My mom (who died almost a decade ago) was the daughter of immigrants, and the first woman in her family to get a college degree, and drive a car (which she needed for her job as a public health nurse). And our neighbour was the first teacher in our city to fight for -- and receive -- maternity leave.
Surprised you didn’t pick up on the Pinocchio references, where she asks the blue fairy (ghost of Ruth Handler, all dressed in blue) if she could be a real girl.
I loved that part. It meant a lot to me, as I think it's a part of becoming a woman that not everyone reaches. When you say you're not going to hand over your life and mind over to someone else. Being the creator rather than the idea. Getting in the driver seat of your own life. Not handing over your future and responsibility to a male to "lead", but being the only one who thinks and makes decisions for yourself. Not for Ken
Another aspect of the film that is interesting is how entitled Ken is regarding Barbie. He is attracted to her in a way she does not reciprocate, and he resents her for not sharing his feelings and tries to punish her for it. He sings about whether he is destined to live and die a life of blonde fragility, which I think represents fragile masculinity, as he feels entitled to Barbie simply because he is attracted to her and chooses to dominate her world instead of seeking validation within himself when he is rejected. It's completely within his control to respect her choice and find meaning in his life elsewhere, but he tries to take everything from her and gets caught up competing with other men instead of stepping back to better understand himself, all while blaming her for it. I know that women can do this too, but it's an interesting representation of objectification of women and the entitlement men display when their feelings aren't reciprocated toward someone they are attracted to.
@@OvertMysteryChannel Yeah...the person who feels entitled to another and punishes them for not reciprocating feelings is always the villian, no matter their sex. Reversing the sexes doesn't reverse the villianous behavior. I don't think you made the point that you were trying to make.
@@cheriann6461 I stili thing people haven’t full understood the writer. When the mom complains about contradictions, she isn’t complaining about men but about society as a whole. One side is men about not wanting dominant and one side is feminism preaching about it and between this competition both side want more and more extreme of it. This puts women in a position where she is attacked from both sides. It’s about the idea of women just being normal. A big hint to people that this movie was not a feminist or the opposite should have been when the pregnant Barbie is, dismissed as we don’t do that anymore as depicting modern feminism pushing away the ordinary women from life. I mean the writer herself talks about this so don’t come to me and say you got it wrong. She talks that everything in this movie has a double meaning, thats why in the end she refuses ken as she sees him as a not an individual man but a man shaped by feminism to endlessly pursue women to satisfy their ego, but not actuall have anything with them as a family is seen as bad. She tells him to find himself. Then goes to a gynecologist to hint how Barbies lack of basic womanly organs but also her choice of being a mother that is not liked by modern movements
If I had a nickel for everytime Will Farrell played an evil business man in a licensed toy movie, I'd have two nickels. It's not a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice.
I don’t know if he was really an evil CEO. His motivations for returning Barbie to the fantasyland was to maintain their product line. I suppose you could interpret that as trying to maintain male dominance, but I think deep down, he appreciated Barbie’s value. The role was much more nuanced than him being an evil CEO.
If I had a nickel for everytime Ryan Gosling played a guy who dates a plastic doll I'd have two nickles. It's not a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice.
One of my favorite parts about this movie was this little moment towards the end, when one of the Kens asks President Barbie if he can have a seat on the Supreme Court, and she says he can maybe get a position on a lower circuit. My knee-jerk reaction was "That doesn't seem fair, shouldn't there be equal representation of Kens and Barbies in government?" But then I remembered the scene from earlier in the movie where Ken in the Real World wanted to be a doctor despite having no experience, and it clicked for me: you don't get a seat on the Supreme Court right out of law school. Rather than denying Ken a position and maintaining the status quo, he's given a more realistic place to start. (Love seeing the continued solidarity for the workers on strike on this channel, by the way! Pay your writers!!)
At the beginning the Ken's were just eye candy and at the end they were still treated like that. I might be speaking out of pocket because I haven't seen the movie yet but that's what I got from ur comment.
Great point! It also seemed analogous to the way people act like it’s normal and fine to have a Supreme Court made up entirely of white men, but if someone were to propose an all-female Supreme Court they’d treat it as extreme. When she said that maybe someday they’d let on one, it reminded me of the way they act like “equality” means having one or two women, 1 Latino and 1 African American on the Supreme Court even though all of those groups represent far more than 1/12th if the population. They were making Ken the token guy the way we’ve done to women and people of color.
@@thefacelessquestion3333Not really. The movie ends with the Kens finding value in themselves instead of pursuing Barbies and they start getting entry-level jobs just like women did after feminism in the 60s. The narrator says that with time Kens will get more important jobs like women did in real life.
Gloria’s husband is supposed to be another Ken but from the real world. He’s an unnamed accessory that is mostly taken for granted until the very end when he gets a moment of recognition and development similar to many of the Kens.
@@Yibambe. I actually had not thought about that take if you really think about it. They really don’t say much about Gloria’s husband so he too, has been marginalized. They don’t even name him. But he gets the best line at the end! I love it!
Barbie and Ken leaving Barbie land and entering the real world reminded me of the Nightmare Before Christmas (with Ken in the role of Jack… he is appropriating a very surface-level understanding of masculinity… like Jack Skellington and Christmas-land). There was a a lot of symbolism from Paradise Lost and then Barbie and Ken are an inverse Adam and Eve (Barbie was made first instead of Adam) Them leaving Eden… crossing the desert / “desert of the real”, (Simulation and Simulacra) and Simone de Beauvoir’s essay on “the Doll” (Barbie is the literal metaphorical doll).
I love that observation! In reality, women were the first inhabitants of the world. Males came after. That's why religion and patriarchy had to come and use violence to enforce the flipping of reality. The first war was a gender war, which then enabled the splitting into groups of nations that war against each other, racism, and all that corruption we see in a male led and male dominated world. Check out the great cosmic mother book from 87 for more details
People’s takes on the Barbie movie is now the easiest decider on personality types 😂. As many others here have said, it’s insanely refreshing to see a quality review of the movie and how to watch it
I get nothing about a persons personality type from what they think of the movie. It says all about their political stance though which whatever the movie says in the real world mostly is feminist.
@@jimsteinmanfan80 There is what you say... and then there is also how you say it. Are some types of people more likely to notice, feel inspired by, or be interested (or willing) to discuss certain kinds of ideas?
As you usual, great breakdown guys. Surprisingly, I like the movie. Funny moment at the theatre, when I saw the scene where Ken says to Barbie: '' Every night is a boys night'' the man in front of me yelled " Yes!" out loud and the woman next to him told him to shut up. I laugh so much, it was priceless.
I'm just a bit sad that midge didn't have any dialogue or active rol in the movie. She could be one of the rebel barbies, since she is pregnant/ mother, she could not be fooled by the brainwashing of the kens.
Yeah, they missed an opportunity there. Ferrell's character even dismisses her. There was nothing wrong with the Midge doll (if you don't think kids had "pregnant" Barbies, you are sadly mistaken). There could have been a redeeming moment in there somewhere.
One of the test screening versions of Barbie had more Midge and Midge even gives birth in that version. Apparently test audiences didn't like it so they cut it.
@@mslindadoll the plot of the movie answer this. Barbie leaves barbieland because a human concept idea was affecting her in real time. So, Midge is pregnant because a human had that idea.
Skipper wasn't the only doll that went to live in the real world. According to Allan, there used to be more of him, but the rest went to the real world to form N'SYNC (a reference to the band but just as much to the dolls that were made of their likenesses.)
Really enjoyed it and the quirky touches Gerwig included, like during the Ken fight. When they fell, they fell with arms down like the dolls. There were subtle touches that I really appreciated. I was teary at the end. Pleasantly it was the adult movie I needed.
John Cena as one of the mermaid Barbies was great. Along with the movie itself. I can’t really explain it, but it was a hard PG-13. I can’t believe that this wasn’t even remotely a kids movie. Like they were so many scenes that were legitimately hilarious as hell for adults. I feel like the adults enjoyed it more in my theater rather than kids would. Everybody clapped at the end of my theater. And yet this works perfectly at the end with the gynecologist joke because yeah they don’t have genitals like they said, but still hilarious. It didn’t feel pandering when it came to toxic masculinity and being a woman.
She developed genitalia when she became human. That scene is telling us she’s a human now and no longer a doll. That means accepting and embracing the complexities and discomfort of humanity which is a big part of any gyno appointment. How was that not clear?
How can one not understand the confusion? She said she loved the film 😏 Which I'm sure most chip-shouldered girls did at the expense of the dignity and comfort of whatever unfortunate males who were also subject to the hatecrime of a film.
Did anyone besides me feel just the tiniest bit sorry for Ryan Gosling’s Ken , having to deal simultaneously with his own identity crisis and the unrequited love from Margot Robbie’s Barbie?
@@ashleyarias7444 I have a different theory. I think she always had genitalia but she only discovered it as she "grew up" towards the end of the movie. Same way little kids are unaware of their parts until they get older. Ken was very quick to say he had genitals when Barbie told a bunch of guys he didn't have them.
Will Ferrell's pink shirt mixed with his insanely thorough knowledge of Barbie land andhow to get there made me wonder if he was a Ken who stayed in the human world 😂
Great review! Taking extremely detailed subjects like sexism, the patriarchy, and capitalism among other topics, and making this information seem credible, useful, and still light-hearted is a difficult task! Shoutout to your writers and everyone who works at ScreenCrush!
Excellent insights. The elderly woman was mistakenly identified as Barbie’s creator Ruth Handler. Fun fact: the woman on the bench is Oscar winning costume designer Ann Roth.
'I'm a man with no power, does that make me a woman?' Was a genuine question asked by a man in 'the real world' to his boss/ Barbie and I think that it is one of the best and most interesting, annoying and truthful but realistic- (I could go on) lines I have ever heard.
Was so fun to see "Gravik" and "Shang-Chi" in this movie as Ken, especially Kingsley since he is completley opposite to how he is in Secret Invasion! Also the girl who played Sasha, played kid Gamora in Infinity War.
Without seeing it again, I can’t 100% confirm BUT one of the books Ken checked out of the library was blue with a very bold font. The colour and font type are very similar to that of British chocolate bar “Yorkie” which had a marketing campaign in the 00’s where the chocolate was marketed towards men by having the tagline “It’s not for girls”. As a Brit in North America, I may be of a small few who connected these dots, but I feel like it’s the level of detail that this movie would’ve gone into. Fantastic cinema!!
One interesting part of Barbie was the final scene with America's husband saying "sí se puede" which America replies "That's a political statement" the ironic part is if you remember America's first movie was "gotta kick it up" A movie about a Latina cheerleaders team with their main catch phrase being "sí se puede" Also, just the irony of Ugly Betty being in Barbie is funny.
When he said that I immediately remembered Gotta Kick It Up. I used to love when that came on the Disney channel, that was the first thing I saw America in. For me it was another of many moments recounting my own childhood.
And of course "sí se puede" is the motto of the United Farm Workers, and Barack Obama used the loose English translation "Yes We Can" as his 2008 campaign motto, which also explains why it's "a political statement"!
Thank you Screen Crush! The internet is filled with videos of male reviewers pointing out flaws in the movie (when they are not just vomiting hate on it) as a way of disguising their hatred against it for the sole reason of male bruised egos. And here you are giving us this amazing analysis. Love ya! Great job.
I think the male reviews are just giving their biased opinions and this guy gives his and you agree with it 👍 that’s good, I like this review, Christ stuck man didn’t vomit hate and I didn’t like his review, and there’s female reviewers vomiting hate 😅
Yep, so many bruised egos. Many men are so used to their ego being coddled (like Ken in the real world), that the slightest hint of critique or examination, they completely fall apart. But what is heartening as there are men who didn’t miss the point, and clearly aren’t insecure.
Thank you for understanding female characters as well as you do. I am an avid fan who watches all your marvel episodes as well and I am always impressed by your insight and empathy.
Such a good movie!! I didn't expect to be emotionally moved by this movie props to greta. All the barbies ,and Ken's were on point ryan gosling was so frigging good his facial expression throughout the movie is great. Kingsley, and simu were also great the practical effects, and set design was amazing give them Oscar already no Point in waiting.
I took my tween nieces to this yesterday. I asked them their favorite characters. My oldest niece went Gloria and the youngest went President. They are also mini mcu fans. So they were happy to see familiar faces on screen when things got a bit over their head. But they were asking me if I was around when most of the discontinued Barbie's showed up on screen, big oof.
I think this is one of the best SC breakdowns you have ever created. The film was completely brilliant in it's simplicity. I absolutely loved it, and I loved this breakdown! Can I also say, Doug gets better every episode.
I liked the mother daughter relationship. Watching the girl watch her mom act like a kid again was very cute. And the idea that the mom was married to a male bimbo type character was funny too. As much as Barbie blew off Ken, the mom blew off dad.
I really appreciate Ryan's insightsfully indebted breakdowns of the movie. "Barbie"!! The doll Barbie has always been an inspirational icon that made me aspire to be the best at whatever career I choose 💗 ❤🎉😊
We all know GI Joe was Barbie’s side piece. Ken also got with GI Joe from time to time. Head cannon was Barbie was always straight polyamorous, Ken was bi, and Joe was pan sexual and they had a casual thruple relationship. I didn’t have the language for it back then but it still played out like that somehow
Some Easter eggs I would’ve mentioned all the Sex Ed (Netflix series) cameos as well as Allan’s fight scene being reminiscent of the fight scenes from the Scott Pilgrim movie.
Here as a doll collector who happens to love movies, just to clarify one mistake on the video: The Ken doll you show when Sugar's Daddy aka Sugar daddy Ken is mention is not actually that doll. 6:35 The one from the picture is called "Poolside Paramour Sergio Silva" from the Integrity Toys doll line Poppy Parker. The reason there's any Sugar daddy actual doll picture anywhere is because that doll wasn't discontinued, it was cancelled before getting into production, because of the name controversy (which was supposed to be a joke, most people didn't liked it even when it was supposed to be part of the adult collector's line Barbie BFMC Silkstone, not a playline doll for kids) All you can find is 2 prototype pic from a catalogue. Anyway, great breakdown ♥
I feel like there was so much you missed but you did an AMAZING job explaining the film. There was so much in it to be expected to cover in such a short time.
Excellent breakdown and summarizing the thoughts and concepts I had as well as filling the gaps. I thought it was a nice touch where wide shots of the Barbieland landscape everything moved and looked like toy dolls.
Honestly as far removed from the target audience as I am I was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed it. I kind of went into it just expecting a 2 hour commercial but it really surprised me
Awesome video. I had a hard time to understsnd all of the messages the movie was trying to make and you've covered the most conflicting ones. Thanks. I truly expected more from the movie but maybe their mistake was to cover too many topics at the same time.
I've seen it twice already and cried both times, not exactly what I was expecting but it was a wonderful surprise! Definitely one of the best films I've seen in a very long while (and most anticipated!) Also hands down the best theater experience I've ever had, it was a full house both times and everyone was dressed in pink... people in my row even brought their own barbie themed snacks it was precious
2 small easter eggs I found - in Mattel headquarter in the Back you can See WB headquarter and another company headquarter behind the Windows And in the "house" where the whole Mattel staff hid in Barbie world the tapestry Shows the Infamous UNO Game by Mattel :)
I just got out of the movie. I really enjoyed it. My only issue is that I felt like I was watching two movies happening simultaneously. One was a movie about Barbie having an existential crisis and the other was about all of the Kens trying to take over Barbie Land. I think the movie did a good job weaving them together, but it still felt a bit jarring at times. I think it might have been better if the CEO was actually the antagonist. He never really felt like one. The only other issue I have is that, in the end, Barbie apologized to Ken, but Ken didn't really seem to take responsibility for his actions. I didn't like that after all this stuff about how it's not the woman's job to be all things to all people, she still had to comfort Ken because his coup didn't work out. Seems contradictory to the core message.
@@rebecca62442 I'm aware of the double standard. That's why I was surprised they didn't make any mention of it or say something about it after the fact in the movie. Or even before she apologized. I just felt like because it was so upfront about the messaging, it felt strange they were up front in that instance as well.
I don’t think the kens are on the levels of the Barbie’s they are accessories imo and since Barbie is the hero she apologizes ?! I don’t think there is supposed to be equality in Barbie land, kens are just there. If it was another Barbie I’m sure she would have apologized 😅🙌
Loved your commentary. I work for Mattel and we struggle to include diversity and intelligence in the Barbie line. Then make sure a seller like WMT puts it out there to be bought.
Solid breakdown, Ryan. However, one thing I believe you missed was that Barbie Land was aesthetically split equally with Ken/Barbie decoration to note their co-existence.
I think it was a great movie. A good balance of funny parts and serious parts and a nice story. Most of the people hating on it are children that try to be cool, or ‘patriarchal’ men that feel personally attacked.
@@TRKJSR I did say ‘most’. But in that case you probably knew that when you watched the trailer, and did not go to the movie. And no need to hate on it then lol
Personally I didn’t enjoy it, since you were curious why people didn’t like it. It just felt very choppy and not cohesive. From a matriarchal society to a patriarchal society then back to a matriarchal society. One more villainous than the other. To the journey of a fictional character gaining consciousness. It was an attempt at many messages non of which were properly delivered. I think a lot of the issue was Margot Robbie being the producer of the movie. Actors usually don’t have a researched grasp of reality or the ability to convey them. This is just my opinion, I’m glad others enjoyed them but wasn’t my cup of tea.
Great analysis! I thought one interesting aspect was that, even after the entire movie explaining how bad the patriarchy is, Barbie still chooses to abandon her dream world for it, because it’s the one place where she can feel authenti. and living in a real but “bad” world is better than living in a fake but “good” world. I also found it interesting how the Barbies had an “awakening” after Gloria snapped them out of their brainwashing, but then went straight back to the matriarchy system that got them in the mess in the first place. In my opinion it’s because they were still naive dolls doing what they only know how to do. None of them had been to the real world, and therefore only stereotypical Barbie saw that it wasn’t the system that was wrong, it was the entire world. Once you taste a more authentic reality, you cannot go back to the old one.
I like your response but cypher in the matrix went back stating ignorance is bliss…then he died😅 of course now Barbie doesn’t have anyone controlling her actions 🤔 so she is free ! Shockingly Ken doesn’t decide to leave,or he’s the villain so he can’t? he’s his own man now but what’s left for him in Barbieland ?
@@fourtwentythree Notably, cypher wasn't the main character, instead showed a different darker path one might take. But of course Neo fought so hard for the real world. Re: Ken, I think they kinda just gave up on giving him a meaningful arc in the end. He reached self-awareness but is that really the arc they meant to show?
@@max_mittler I think Ken is an accessory and like you say do they need to make it about him ? I think he’s a tool for Barbie to have her moment 🤔 But cypher does get a taste of reality and goes back I’m sure a lot of people prefer the matrix after seeing Zion, but you say since he’s not the main char and his going back led to his downfall then there is no going back ? I can understand that thought 👍
I loved the movie and the story it told. Women are “enough” no matter what we do. As for the Ken, seeing the Kens as how women are/were treated is an eye opener for men. This was a very powerful eye opening movie for teenage girls. It’s filled with empowerment.
I had a theory that Will Ferrell’s character was also the dad from the Lego movie! I thought there might have been some kind of tie-in to the Lego movie because of it, with it being another massive toy line, like some kind of throwaway one line Easter egg reference. Not disappointed that this didn’t happen though, because this will probably be my favourite movie of the year. Greta Gerwig is an absolute mastermind, can’t wait to go and see it again!
I’m starting to think all Will Ferrell movies are connected. Like Barbieland, the North Pole is a magical pocket dimension that takes a montage to get to. Buddy likes toys so he could be both the LEGO movie dad and the CEO of Mattel. There’s also this movie, I think it was called “Spirited away” or something. I haven’t watched it, but if buddy died he could have definitely become some sort of Christmas spirt since he used to be an Elf.
Super thoughtful and spot on analysis as always. What I loved about this movie is how deep the references went. And how many there were. You could do three more breakdowns like this and still not catch them all.
I honestly feel like the whole movie was perfection I too am glad to see positive things about it I’d go see it tomorrow if I wasn’t broke from going Friday between food, and tickets i have to wait for a bit,but I honestly could watch this every day, and will be buying a dvd, which I usually don’t because of streaming! This will be worth it,I hope they put the directors cut out,I also want to see the deleted scenes! I crack up tho every time I think about the “beach off” part! 😂
As a unemployed, depressed 25 years old woman this movie made me deeply sad !!! A womans life is soooo well portrayed here that its actually scaring, when America Ferrera ( sorry if its wrong ) started to say how it is to be a woman, i felted everything deeply and took it straight to my heart !!!
I also liked that in America’s speech, she talked about rejecting men in a way that doesn’t hurt their ego, and then you see it in action when Barbie tries to console Ken, he misreads it as romantic interest (OF COURSE), tries to kiss her, and she has to let him down easily and help him cope with it even though, as America also points out, “he stole your house! Girl!” Ken does not deserve her friendship but he gets it anyway.
@@cykesrevenge I feel like they all just sleep in a pile, kinda like what a kid would do with them. They kinda give me Gertrude from Hamlet vibes, where she has to marry Claudius because otherwise she’s nothing and she will have nothing.
@@cykesrevenge it seems like you’re making a joke because this is what the movie did, but just in case, I want to be clear that I think this issue made Ken a sympathetic character but is not a good reason for going full douche and stealing her stuff. To me it had strong colonial vibes, like France has a colony and I’m jealous, so I’m invading Ethiopa. Is it fair that France stole someone’s land for their benefit? No. Does that justify you going and sealing someone else’s land? Also no.
@@cykesrevengeWell, when they pand out, there are more houses in the suburbia part of Barbie Land the Ken's probably do have houses but the Barbie's are too absorbed in their perfect days, jobs and such to bother to realize or visit the houses.
Hey, Screen Crush! I love you work and appreciate how much research you do for top quality content. Is heartbreaking that I found some mistake I cannot be silent about. You stated that "-dom" in word "kingdom" comes from dominance which isn't quite true. Originally it was an independent word, but already active as a suffix in Old English (as in freodom, wisdom). Knowing that this word's meaning lay closer to dominion or domain than, as you suggested, domination. Thus, Kendom should not be understood as Kens' domination, but only as Kens' domain. Can't wait to see more surprising releases from you guys. I never thought I'd say it, but now I want to watch that movie and it you that made it. Chapeau bas.
I think one thing people miss is that Barbieland is not a true feminist utopia because all of the C-suite of Matell are men, and they created this fantasy world for girls. Even though ruth handler invented Barbie, men were the ones to market her. so it is essentially what men who are oppressed by patriarchy believe a matriarchy would look like.this kind of equates to 2nd wave feminism where women were focused on becoming equal to men who are also oppressed under patriarchy. And that is an important point because women have not ever been able to define ourselves outside of the confines of the patriarchy. We can't ever find out who we truly are until we are all free from the oppression of patriarchy.
This review is so spot on. And may I say, far more insightful than some of the supposed feminist/capitalist critiques from various UA-camrs which have been mostly joyless and nitpicky
This movie was so good! It could have taken itself too silly, or too serious, and it struck the right balance! Can't wait to see this again! ... I waited to see the movie before I watched this video! 😂
5:40 I went in having no specific desires but secretly wanting Barbie dogs to have some screen time and I’m so glad they did 🐕 I had the pregnant dog that came with veterinarian Barbie I loved them so ❤
What did you think of the movie?
Excellent breakdown, Ryan! Really enjoyed it, and I truly look forward to your videos! 👍❤️
As a millennial mom who grew up with Barbies, I loved it! I resonated so much with America Ferrera character who also makes a reference to one of her previous movies, the sisterhood of the traveling pants in the Barbie film
Love the movie it was so fun.
I think it was a good film. But i didn’t like the end. It wasn’t right to keep the kens ( men ) out of government ect. Two wrongs don’t make a right. We want a society were people or treated fairly. If Barbie land reflects our dreams and imaginations then let us dream of a world were all people are treated fairly.
Total exceeded my expectations of a Barbie movie. Not a lot of rewatch value but an awesome experience movie
An interesting part is when she saw the older woman... that was probably the first time she saw an older woman in her life and it blew her away.
I've been sobbing over that part since I saw it
I hadn’t thought of that angle. So insightful ❤
And I believe that older woman is actually Ann Roth, an Oscar winning costume designer but not the costume designer for this movie (that would be the fabulous Jacqueline Durran)
I like that they movie reminded young girls that there is always wisdom free and available in well aged women.
I was trying to get the significance of that and you bring up such a great point. It’s one of the best scenes in the movie I think.
The other insight I liked was that after the Kens experience the Kendom and patriarchy - it doesn't make them happy. Ken talks about how bored he was with the whole thing and all the got from it was conflict - patriarchy and oppression on women isn't just bad for women, it's also bad for men.
Where did you see oppression?
@@donte9730 Really? the whole "change the constitution so only Kens can vote" wasn't oppression to you?
Also patriarchy wasn't all about horses. Lol
@@allegate387did the Ken's vote before, did they even have homes?
@@bigtooter606yet it remains a patriarchy where Ken’s still probably have no home
One of the things I really like about this movie (that I originally thought was weird) was how Kens were treated the same way women in the real world are treated. Seeing the Kens all get treated as accessories and toys felt weird. It was unfair how they didn't really get as much respect as the Barbies did. Then I realized it was meant to show how weird real world sexism is. (I know it's pretty obvious, but seeing as I and many other men didn't get it at first, I will explain further). We are used to seeing women be discriminated, it's sad, but we are. It's hard to notice something is wrong when you grew up with it being normal. But what are we not used to, seeing men be treated in the same way. Treated like their dumber or more incompetent and that they aren't capable of the jobs that the opposite gender dominates. By portraying men in that role, we get to truly feel the weirdness and unfairness of it all. That's the reason why so many people are accusing Barbie of showing men as stupid. Those are the people that missed the point of the movie doing so, being to point out how bad and weird any sexism or discrimination is. It's not easy to tell someone something normal to them is wrong, but it becomes a lot easier when you flip the roles and make them see it for what it really is.
> how Kens were treated the same way women in the real world are treated.
This is clearly laid out in one of the last scenes, when one of the Kens ask for a supreme court seat and president barbie say they need to take it slow and start at a lower court. Very direct reference to how, in discussions about minotories in position of power (especialy the supreme court), there is always a discussion that things are moving too fast.
“We still have patriarchy but we hide it better”.
I felt the writer implied that males and females could work together to make the world a better place. Ken said something about wanting it to be their house. But unfortunately the writer didn't run with that theme and made it a very shallow ending. Could have been so much deeper and less preachy.
Having been a little girl who had 13 - 15 Barbies and 2 Kens, I'll say we little girls just weren't that interested in Ken. That's why he's just an accessory. Little girls are not interested in men. I thought they portrayed that perfectly in the movie. Barbie land is from little girls' perspective. But it was so sobering, as an adult, to see how that might have translated as we grew up. How feminism might have taught girls to put themselves first, and see men as nothing more than accessories. I really like how Barbie sees the error of her ways in the film, and apologizes to Ken. Unfortunately the writers felt that wasn't enough that she had to leave Barbieland altogether, which I'm not comfortable with. I think barbies and Kens could have learned to live together peacefully in Barbieland. And I really liked the song where the Kens are telling the Barbies what they need from them, particularly for us to fight for them. Sometimes it feels in the real world like men have lost position in favour of women, that we HAVE taken over.
I disagree
This movie was so amazing. Many of us are starved for something different-this was it. And it did it so well. Hilarious, tragic, thought provoking, and has generated so much conversation and reflection. This was an excellent breakdown! Thank you!!
There’s so much good stuff in books and on UA-cam and other places original content is made 🙌 this movie was not different 😅 imo a new property but similar take aways
@@fourtwentythree yes but movies have a different reach as well.
Well said my dude
This is BY FAR the most in depth and thoughtful reviews of this movie! I'm so tired of seeing the comments from men about how they are feeling attacked by it.
Yeah, I read some of that stuff ahead of time and it made me nervous going in, but I came out feeling like they really missed it. There was a point when I thought it was going to go down that road, but then it turned down a better, more mature direction and I came away not really offended at all. Barbie even apologized for how she treated Ken in the beginning and was beginning to see how she had sidelined him and took him for granted. I liked it.
@@davidbrandt848exactly! It was thoughtfully done. It also showed that neither the Patriarchy or a Matriarchy works but rather a blend of people harmoniously working together…yin & yang
And women had to bare long years of romcoms depicting the infamous "cool girl".
This! 👏
🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️
My favorite line from the movie was something like “mothers stand still so that daughters can look back and see how far they’ve gone”. It’s so great at crystallizing the message that Barbie is an idea and a product of her society’s time, every time, with each new iteration. We can look at the Barbie representation from different decades and use it as a measuring stick for how things were generally at that particular time. 1960s Barbie is static in time, standing still, and open to all the criticisms that come with that, but the newest and next Barbie moves the conversation and representation further forward, every time. Like, it’s easy to call the original reductive and over sexualized and whatnot, but without the context of everything that came (or was missing) previously, exclusively baby dolls and a dearth of career and adult woman representation, you are yourself, having unrealistic expectations. We all wish we had burst forth from the head of Zeus in our final form, but that’s not how this works. We can’t be mad at our mothers for not moving the needle enough, only grateful that we can move it further.
As a daughter of immigrants and the first one pursuing higher education in my family I cry every time I hear or listen that quote.
It was so sad seeing how misogyny is so deeply embedded into the culture of our planet that even the daughter was so disgusted by her mom, this I think is common at least I've seen it in real life more times than I'd like to remember
I think how my mom’s career choices were: teacher, nurse, secretary, or librarian. And that is it. And I am grateful that while my profession has been a struggle with sexism (programmer) at least it was an option for me.
@@alina.r. -- I think about that too. My mom (who died almost a decade ago) was the daughter of immigrants, and the first woman in her family to get a college degree, and drive a car (which she needed for her job as a public health nurse). And our neighbour was the first teacher in our city to fight for -- and receive -- maternity leave.
@@alina.r.same here! Born in Haiti and came to the US as a toddler. That line got me choked up both times I saw it. 🥺
Surprised you didn’t pick up on the Pinocchio references, where she asks the blue fairy (ghost of Ruth Handler, all dressed in blue) if she could be a real girl.
Oooh, you're right! It was totally evocative of that.
🥲
It was my first thought when i sawthat scene: pinocchio
I loved that part. It meant a lot to me, as I think it's a part of becoming a woman that not everyone reaches. When you say you're not going to hand over your life and mind over to someone else. Being the creator rather than the idea. Getting in the driver seat of your own life. Not handing over your future and responsibility to a male to "lead", but being the only one who thinks and makes decisions for yourself. Not for Ken
Oh I missed that.
Also would like to mention Duolingo'S cameo 😂😂😂😂
Another aspect of the film that is interesting is how entitled Ken is regarding Barbie. He is attracted to her in a way she does not reciprocate, and he resents her for not sharing his feelings and tries to punish her for it. He sings about whether he is destined to live and die a life of blonde fragility, which I think represents fragile masculinity, as he feels entitled to Barbie simply because he is attracted to her and chooses to dominate her world instead of seeking validation within himself when he is rejected. It's completely within his control to respect her choice and find meaning in his life elsewhere, but he tries to take everything from her and gets caught up competing with other men instead of stepping back to better understand himself, all while blaming her for it. I know that women can do this too, but it's an interesting representation of objectification of women and the entitlement men display when their feelings aren't reciprocated toward someone they are attracted to.
You pointed out something that really resonated with me. It is true about being punished when you don’t respond as expected with certain men 😢🎉❤
Excellent observation and comment, thanks
Now reverse the sexes, and Barbie becomes the villain.
@@OvertMysteryChannel Yeah...the person who feels entitled to another and punishes them for not reciprocating feelings is always the villian, no matter their sex.
Reversing the sexes doesn't reverse the villianous behavior. I don't think you made the point that you were trying to make.
@@cheriann6461 I stili thing people haven’t full understood the writer. When the mom complains about contradictions, she isn’t complaining about men but about society as a whole. One side is men about not wanting dominant and one side is feminism preaching about it and between this competition both side want more and more extreme of it. This puts women in a position where she is attacked from both sides. It’s about the idea of women just being normal. A big hint to people that this movie was not a feminist or the opposite should have been when the pregnant Barbie is, dismissed as we don’t do that anymore as depicting modern feminism pushing away the ordinary women from life. I mean the writer herself talks about this so don’t come to me and say you got it wrong. She talks that everything in this movie has a double meaning, thats why in the end she refuses ken as she sees him as a not an individual man but a man shaped by feminism to endlessly pursue women to satisfy their ego, but not actuall have anything with them as a family is seen as bad. She tells him to find himself. Then goes to a gynecologist to hint how Barbies lack of basic womanly organs but also her choice of being a mother that is not liked by modern movements
If I had a nickel for everytime Will Farrell played an evil business man in a licensed toy movie, I'd have two nickels. It's not a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice.
I'm not mad about it though
I don’t think it’s weird that it happened twice
I don’t know if he was really an evil CEO. His motivations for returning Barbie to the fantasyland was to maintain their product line. I suppose you could interpret that as trying to maintain male dominance, but I think deep down, he appreciated Barbie’s value. The role was much more nuanced than him being an evil CEO.
If I had a nickel for everytime Ryan Gosling played a guy who dates a plastic doll I'd have two nickles. It's not a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice.
@@Brenooomaniezo omg 😂😂😂
One of my favorite parts about this movie was this little moment towards the end, when one of the Kens asks President Barbie if he can have a seat on the Supreme Court, and she says he can maybe get a position on a lower circuit. My knee-jerk reaction was "That doesn't seem fair, shouldn't there be equal representation of Kens and Barbies in government?" But then I remembered the scene from earlier in the movie where Ken in the Real World wanted to be a doctor despite having no experience, and it clicked for me: you don't get a seat on the Supreme Court right out of law school. Rather than denying Ken a position and maintaining the status quo, he's given a more realistic place to start.
(Love seeing the continued solidarity for the workers on strike on this channel, by the way! Pay your writers!!)
At the beginning the Ken's were just eye candy and at the end they were still treated like that. I might be speaking out of pocket because I haven't seen the movie yet but that's what I got from ur comment.
Great point! It also seemed analogous to the way people act like it’s normal and fine to have a Supreme Court made up entirely of white men, but if someone were to propose an all-female Supreme Court they’d treat it as extreme. When she said that maybe someday they’d let on one, it reminded me of the way they act like “equality” means having one or two women, 1 Latino and 1 African American on the Supreme Court even though all of those groups represent far more than 1/12th if the population. They were making Ken the token guy the way we’ve done to women and people of color.
@@AwesTex does the Supreme Court consist of only white men? 🤔
@@thefacelessquestion3333if you haven’t seen the movie yet, why comment?
@@thefacelessquestion3333Not really. The movie ends with the Kens finding value in themselves instead of pursuing Barbies and they start getting entry-level jobs just like women did after feminism in the 60s. The narrator says that with time Kens will get more important jobs like women did in real life.
Gloria’s husband is supposed to be another Ken but from the real world. He’s an unnamed accessory that is mostly taken for granted until the very end when he gets a moment of recognition and development similar to many of the Kens.
No, it just wasn't about him; it was about Gloria. That's America Ferrara's real-life husband, btw.
@@Yibambe.
I actually had not thought about that take if you really think about it. They really don’t say much about Gloria’s husband so he too, has been marginalized. They don’t even name him. But he gets the best line at the end! I love it!
They still trash him at the end, but good point he’s a Ken 😅
Wow. I didn’t think you guys would break this down but I’m really happy y’all did thank you !
Barbie and Ken leaving Barbie land and entering the real world reminded me of the Nightmare Before Christmas (with Ken in the role of Jack… he is appropriating a very surface-level understanding of masculinity… like Jack Skellington and Christmas-land).
There was a a lot of symbolism from Paradise Lost and then Barbie and Ken are an inverse Adam and Eve (Barbie was made first instead of Adam)
Them leaving Eden… crossing the desert / “desert of the real”, (Simulation and Simulacra) and Simone de Beauvoir’s essay on “the Doll” (Barbie is the literal metaphorical doll).
Pygmalion also ! Great take , thanks for bringing up s&s
I love that observation! In reality, women were the first inhabitants of the world. Males came after. That's why religion and patriarchy had to come and use violence to enforce the flipping of reality. The first war was a gender war, which then enabled the splitting into groups of nations that war against each other, racism, and all that corruption we see in a male led and male dominated world. Check out the great cosmic mother book from 87 for more details
People’s takes on the Barbie movie is now the easiest decider on personality types 😂. As many others here have said, it’s insanely refreshing to see a quality review of the movie and how to watch it
I get nothing about a persons personality type from what they think of the movie. It says all about their political stance though which whatever the movie says in the real world mostly is feminist.
I think you can watch it how ever u want 😅 but I agree what a deep review, well done here, I think he makes some reaches but what do I know
@@jimsteinmanfan80 There is what you say... and then there is also how you say it. Are some types of people more likely to notice, feel inspired by, or be interested (or willing) to discuss certain kinds of ideas?
Well try it on me
This movie was great until the ending.
Another way to destroy a beloved franchise and make everyone depressed
As you usual, great breakdown guys. Surprisingly, I like the movie. Funny moment at the theatre, when I saw the scene where Ken says to Barbie: '' Every night is a boys night'' the man in front of me yelled " Yes!" out loud and the woman next to him told him to shut up. I laugh so much, it was priceless.
Bruh 😅 any man at the Barbie movie needs to make sure women are laughing first to know if he can laugh
Bet you shouted at every night is women's night
@JPBarosy I don't get the joke. Plz explain
I'm just a bit sad that midge didn't have any dialogue or active rol in the movie. She could be one of the rebel barbies, since she is pregnant/ mother, she could not be fooled by the brainwashing of the kens.
Yeah, they missed an opportunity there. Ferrell's character even dismisses her. There was nothing wrong with the Midge doll (if you don't think kids had "pregnant" Barbies, you are sadly mistaken). There could have been a redeeming moment in there somewhere.
One of the test screening versions of Barbie had more Midge and Midge even gives birth in that version. Apparently test audiences didn't like it so they cut it.
if nobody in BarbieLand had genitals, how did Midge get "knocked up"?
@@mslindadoll the plot of the movie answer this. Barbie leaves barbieland because a human concept idea was affecting her in real time. So, Midge is pregnant because a human had that idea.
It was really hard not to cry during America Ferrera's speech. She said it all.
Thought I was the only one
It was everything. As she was finishing the bomb went off in Oppenheimer next door, and I really hope the cinema did that on purpose
I got teary eyed and I’m a guy lol.
It was!!! 🥺
I definitely cried. My husband even teared up bc we have two teen daughters.
Skipper wasn't the only doll that went to live in the real world. According to Allan, there used to be more of him, but the rest went to the real world to form N'SYNC (a reference to the band but just as much to the dolls that were made of their likenesses.)
Sasha and her friends are meant to represent the original line Bratz dolls by MGA, Mattel’s biggest doll rival…
I can see that. Wow.
That is SO hilarious, omg!
Wow good find 😅👍
Really enjoyed it and the quirky touches Gerwig included, like during the Ken fight. When they fell, they fell with arms down like the dolls. There were subtle touches that I really appreciated. I was teary at the end. Pleasantly it was the adult movie I needed.
John Cena as one of the mermaid Barbies was great. Along with the movie itself. I can’t really explain it, but it was a hard PG-13. I can’t believe that this wasn’t even remotely a kids movie. Like they were so many scenes that were legitimately hilarious as hell for adults. I feel like the adults enjoyed it more in my theater rather than kids would. Everybody clapped at the end of my theater. And yet this works perfectly at the end with the gynecologist joke because yeah they don’t have genitals like they said, but still hilarious. It didn’t feel pandering when it came to toxic masculinity and being a woman.
She developed genitalia when she became human. That scene is telling us she’s a human now and no longer a doll. That means accepting and embracing the complexities and discomfort of humanity which is a big part of any gyno appointment. How was that not clear?
@@ashleyarias7444I really don’t understand how that wasn’t crystal clear 😂
How can one not understand the confusion?
She said she loved the film 😏
Which I'm sure most chip-shouldered girls did at the expense of the dignity and comfort of whatever unfortunate males who were also subject to the hatecrime of a film.
Did anyone besides me feel just the tiniest bit sorry for Ryan Gosling’s Ken , having to deal simultaneously with his own identity crisis and the unrequited love from Margot Robbie’s Barbie?
@@ashleyarias7444 I have a different theory. I think she always had genitalia but she only discovered it as she "grew up" towards the end of the movie. Same way little kids are unaware of their parts until they get older. Ken was very quick to say he had genitals when Barbie told a bunch of guys he didn't have them.
Will Ferrell's pink shirt mixed with his insanely thorough knowledge of Barbie land andhow to get there made me wonder if he was a Ken who stayed in the human world 😂
You have a point.
Great review! Taking extremely detailed subjects like sexism, the patriarchy, and capitalism among other topics, and making this information seem credible, useful, and still light-hearted is a difficult task! Shoutout to your writers and everyone who works at ScreenCrush!
Agreed 🙌
Excellent insights. The elderly woman was mistakenly identified as Barbie’s creator Ruth Handler. Fun fact: the woman on the bench is Oscar winning costume designer Ann Roth.
Thanks I was wondering is she famous 😅
@@fourtwentythree Same
This movie was wayyy deeper and more intentional than I expected. Absolutely loved it and will be a good rewatch!
The acting and visuals I enjoyed but that was kinda expected
'I'm a man with no power, does that make me a woman?' Was a genuine question asked by a man in 'the real world' to his boss/ Barbie and I think that it is one of the best and most interesting, annoying and truthful but realistic- (I could go on) lines I have ever heard.
The gynecologist joke at the end of the movie was absolutely prefection.
Most men reacting to the movie don’t even mention the gynecologist joke… I guess they don’t get it
How was it a joke?
@@TylerYogaTV to many women don’t go to the gynecologist on regular check up but first thing she does is going to the gynecologist is satire
@@zaklinabrajanoski2476 No, I definitely got it. The misdirect, thinking she's applying for a job, was perfect.
Not for kids. OMG😮
Was so fun to see "Gravik" and "Shang-Chi" in this movie as Ken, especially Kingsley since he is completley opposite to how he is in Secret Invasion! Also the girl who played Sasha, played kid Gamora in Infinity War.
The whole movie I was thinking that this is where Shang-Chi and Gravik are in another multi-verse...the barbie-verse lol.
@@mariellecarter2201 lmaoo
Yes, and the new Doctor from Doctor Who as well
Without seeing it again, I can’t 100% confirm BUT one of the books Ken checked out of the library was blue with a very bold font. The colour and font type are very similar to that of British chocolate bar “Yorkie” which had a marketing campaign in the 00’s where the chocolate was marketed towards men by having the tagline “It’s not for girls”. As a Brit in North America, I may be of a small few who connected these dots, but I feel like it’s the level of detail that this movie would’ve gone into.
Fantastic cinema!!
One interesting part of Barbie was the final scene with America's husband saying "sí se puede" which America replies "That's a political statement" the ironic part is if you remember America's first movie was "gotta kick it up" A movie about a Latina cheerleaders team with their main catch phrase being "sí se puede" Also, just the irony of Ugly Betty being in Barbie is funny.
When he said that I immediately remembered Gotta Kick It Up. I used to love when that came on the Disney channel, that was the first thing I saw America in. For me it was another of many moments recounting my own childhood.
And of course "sí se puede" is the motto of the United Farm Workers, and Barack Obama used the loose English translation "Yes We Can" as his 2008 campaign motto, which also explains why it's "a political statement"!
America also mentioned in her speech the ‘Sisterhood’ which was a nod to the ‘Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants’ movies that she was in 😊
Wow. I do enjoy more your videos than the actual episode or movie you analize.
Thankyou team ScreenCrush!
Thank you Screen Crush!
The internet is filled with videos of male reviewers pointing out flaws in the movie (when they are not just vomiting hate on it) as a way of disguising their hatred against it for the sole reason of male bruised egos.
And here you are giving us this amazing analysis.
Love ya! Great job.
I think the male reviews are just giving their biased opinions and this guy gives his and you agree with it 👍 that’s good, I like this review, Christ stuck man didn’t vomit hate and I didn’t like his review, and there’s female reviewers vomiting hate 😅
Yep, so many bruised egos. Many men are so used to their ego being coddled (like Ken in the real world), that the slightest hint of critique or examination, they completely fall apart. But what is heartening as there are men who didn’t miss the point, and clearly aren’t insecure.
@@LadyScaper most men don’t care but the ones on UA-cam love the controversy 💴 🙌
It's an amazing amount of conservative women channels hating the movie too
Thank you for understanding female characters as well as you do. I am an avid fan who watches all your marvel episodes as well and I am always impressed by your insight and empathy.
Such a good movie!! I didn't expect to be emotionally moved by this movie props to greta. All the barbies ,and Ken's were on point ryan gosling was so frigging good his facial expression throughout the movie is great. Kingsley, and simu were also great the practical effects, and set design was amazing give them Oscar already no Point in waiting.
I took my tween nieces to this yesterday. I asked them their favorite characters. My oldest niece went Gloria and the youngest went President. They are also mini mcu fans. So they were happy to see familiar faces on screen when things got a bit over their head. But they were asking me if I was around when most of the discontinued Barbie's showed up on screen, big oof.
well, were you? 😀
You really brought your kids to see this? Jeez CPS where you at
@@owawewaholy reading comprehension
@@owawewait’s giving crickets
@@owawewaCPS jokes and threats at a guardian which hasn’t done anything is mad fucked up.
My favorite part was when the memories were actually the Mother's! I didn't see that coming! TBH I wanted to say the outfit changes.
I asked my daughters "isn't that Sasha from Bratz along with the other 3 girls in that cafeteria scene?" Was I the only one who caught that?
Check the comments
I think this is one of the best SC breakdowns you have ever created. The film was completely brilliant in it's simplicity. I absolutely loved it, and I loved this breakdown! Can I also say, Doug gets better every episode.
Sad that Kelly didn’t make a cameo. As the youngest, she was my Barbie. My sister played with actual Barbie.
And there where no shellys I just realize
I had a Francie doll, who was Barbie's cousin. I was disappointed she wasn't in the movie
I liked the mother daughter relationship. Watching the girl watch her mom act like a kid again was very cute. And the idea that the mom was married to a male bimbo type character was funny too. As much as Barbie blew off Ken, the mom blew off dad.
I loved this movie so much. Laughed, cried, got angry. It quickly became my favorite movie.
14:20 right? I was expecting him to become a Skrull every second
I really appreciate Ryan's insightsfully indebted breakdowns of the movie. "Barbie"!!
The doll Barbie has always been an inspirational icon that made me aspire to be the best at whatever career I choose 💗 ❤🎉😊
If we had a barbie sequel ,but it's her interacting with other toys like Gi joe, transformers, and plastic dinosaur that'd be so dope.
don't give me a hope
We all know GI Joe was Barbie’s side piece. Ken also got with GI Joe from time to time. Head cannon was Barbie was always straight polyamorous, Ken was bi, and Joe was pan sexual and they had a casual thruple relationship. I didn’t have the language for it back then but it still played out like that somehow
Barbie 2: The Toys Story
We can call it, “Toy Story.”
The writer in me see the potential to talk about racism with these groups lol.
Some Easter eggs I would’ve mentioned all the Sex Ed (Netflix series) cameos as well as Allan’s fight scene being reminiscent of the fight scenes from the Scott Pilgrim movie.
I knew I recognized some people, but I didn't remember from where until I could look it up.
Here as a doll collector who happens to love movies, just to clarify one mistake on the video: The Ken doll you show when Sugar's Daddy aka Sugar daddy Ken is mention is not actually that doll.
6:35 The one from the picture is called "Poolside Paramour Sergio Silva" from the Integrity Toys doll line Poppy Parker. The reason there's any Sugar daddy actual doll picture anywhere is because that doll wasn't discontinued, it was cancelled before getting into production, because of the name controversy (which was supposed to be a joke, most people didn't liked it even when it was supposed to be part of the adult collector's line Barbie BFMC Silkstone, not a playline doll for kids) All you can find is 2 prototype pic from a catalogue.
Anyway, great breakdown ♥
Another home run Screen Crush and Ryan Arey! I’ve been waiting for your review and analysis with baited breath! Thank you.
I feel like there was so much you missed but you did an AMAZING job explaining the film. There was so much in it to be expected to cover in such a short time.
Excellent breakdown and summarizing the thoughts and concepts I had as well as filling the gaps. I thought it was a nice touch where wide shots of the Barbieland landscape everything moved and looked like toy dolls.
Ryan Gosling was amazing, and during the white jumpsuit scene he recreates that clip of him dancing when he was younger
What a brilliant movie Greta made. Not just fun but the message! We need more of this out there!
no
Honestly as far removed from the target audience as I am I was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed it. I kind of went into it just expecting a 2 hour commercial but it really surprised me
Misandry
No, we really, really don't!
@@jimsteinmanfan80 God forbid women think for themselves 😂
Awesome video. I had a hard time to understsnd all of the messages the movie was trying to make and you've covered the most conflicting ones. Thanks. I truly expected more from the movie but maybe their mistake was to cover too many topics at the same time.
Ruth Handler, the inventor of the Barbie doll, had two children, a girl named Barbara…
…and a boy named Kenneth
Plastic Flowers In The Attic
Wow, im honestly excited to go see this movie after watching this breakdown
I've seen it twice already and cried both times, not exactly what I was expecting but it was a wonderful surprise! Definitely one of the best films I've seen in a very long while (and most anticipated!) Also hands down the best theater experience I've ever had, it was a full house both times and everyone was dressed in pink... people in my row even brought their own barbie themed snacks it was precious
My god, did a bot write this? Do you know basic sentence structure?
@@jpat1513 bro really out here looking for discourse anywhere he can find it, tragic
@@jpat1513 Barbie thinks bullies are pathetic.
@@Yibambe. that’s weird when the Barbies are the bullies
Barbie wouldn't like you,@@jpat1513
2 small easter eggs I found - in Mattel headquarter in the Back you can See WB headquarter and another company headquarter behind the Windows
And in the "house" where the whole Mattel staff hid in Barbie world the tapestry Shows the Infamous UNO Game by Mattel :)
I just got out of the movie. I really enjoyed it. My only issue is that I felt like I was watching two movies happening simultaneously. One was a movie about Barbie having an existential crisis and the other was about all of the Kens trying to take over Barbie Land. I think the movie did a good job weaving them together, but it still felt a bit jarring at times. I think it might have been better if the CEO was actually the antagonist. He never really felt like one.
The only other issue I have is that, in the end, Barbie apologized to Ken, but Ken didn't really seem to take responsibility for his actions. I didn't like that after all this stuff about how it's not the woman's job to be all things to all people, she still had to comfort Ken because his coup didn't work out. Seems contradictory to the core message.
ALL of this!!! Definitely felt like I was watching two movies at once, maybe they could have made one of those plot lines into a sequel?
I think the lack of ken apologizing was on purpose. There’s a double standard. We are expected to apologize but men don’t think they have to.
@@rebecca62442 I'm aware of the double standard. That's why I was surprised they didn't make any mention of it or say something about it after the fact in the movie. Or even before she apologized. I just felt like because it was so upfront about the messaging, it felt strange they were up front in that instance as well.
I don’t think the kens are on the levels of the Barbie’s they are accessories imo and since Barbie is the hero she apologizes ?! I don’t think there is supposed to be equality in Barbie land, kens are just there. If it was another Barbie I’m sure she would have apologized 😅🙌
Loved your commentary. I work for Mattel and we struggle to include diversity and intelligence in the Barbie line. Then make sure a seller like WMT puts it out there to be bought.
Cool story, corporate fascist
One thing you missed is how Margot Robbie’s hands are always curved like an actual Barbie
She sure tries 😅
Solid breakdown, Ryan. However, one thing I believe you missed was that Barbie Land was aesthetically split equally with Ken/Barbie decoration to note their co-existence.
I actually had Skipper and Tutti (now Chelsea). Good times.
I think it was a great movie. A good balance of funny parts and serious parts and a nice story. Most of the people hating on it are children that try to be cool, or ‘patriarchal’ men that feel personally attacked.
Or just normal people who aren’t really into it…
@@TRKJSR I did say ‘most’. But in that case you probably knew that when you watched the trailer, and did not go to the movie. And no need to hate on it then lol
I haven’t heard anything bad. Are people complaining?
@@FromTrash2Treasure there definitely are people complaining! I saw a lot on some ig posts. But im sure you can find it on youtube too
Personally I didn’t enjoy it, since you were curious why people didn’t like it. It just felt very choppy and not cohesive. From a matriarchal society to a patriarchal society then back to a matriarchal society. One more villainous than the other. To the journey of a fictional character gaining consciousness. It was an attempt at many messages non of which were properly delivered. I think a lot of the issue was Margot Robbie being the producer of the movie. Actors usually don’t have a researched grasp of reality or the ability to convey them. This is just my opinion, I’m glad others enjoyed them but wasn’t my cup of tea.
Great analysis! I thought one interesting aspect was that, even after the entire movie explaining how bad the patriarchy is, Barbie still chooses to abandon her dream world for it, because it’s the one place where she can feel authenti. and living in a real but “bad” world is better than living in a fake but “good” world. I also found it interesting how the Barbies had an “awakening” after Gloria snapped them out of their brainwashing, but then went straight back to the matriarchy system that got them in the mess in the first place. In my opinion it’s because they were still naive dolls doing what they only know how to do. None of them had been to the real world, and therefore only stereotypical Barbie saw that it wasn’t the system that was wrong, it was the entire world. Once you taste a more authentic reality, you cannot go back to the old one.
I like your response but cypher in the matrix went back stating ignorance is bliss…then he died😅 of course now Barbie doesn’t have anyone controlling her actions 🤔 so she is free ! Shockingly Ken doesn’t decide to leave,or he’s the villain so he can’t? he’s his own man now but what’s left for him in Barbieland ?
@@fourtwentythree Notably, cypher wasn't the main character, instead showed a different darker path one might take. But of course Neo fought so hard for the real world.
Re: Ken, I think they kinda just gave up on giving him a meaningful arc in the end. He reached self-awareness but is that really the arc they meant to show?
@@max_mittler I think Ken is an accessory and like you say do they need to make it about him ? I think he’s a tool for Barbie to have her moment 🤔
But cypher does get a taste of reality and goes back I’m sure a lot of people prefer the matrix after seeing Zion, but you say since he’s not the main char and his going back led to his downfall then there is no going back ? I can understand that thought 👍
I love this channel but now I love it double for this video. Thank you so so much.
It’s weird Barbie not crazy Barbie. 😉
Great breakdown as always! Loved this movie.
I loved the movie and the story it told. Women are “enough” no matter what we do. As for the Ken, seeing the Kens as how women are/were treated is an eye opener for men. This was a very powerful eye opening movie for teenage girls. It’s filled with empowerment.
I had a theory that Will Ferrell’s character was also the dad from the Lego movie! I thought there might have been some kind of tie-in to the Lego movie because of it, with it being another massive toy line, like some kind of throwaway one line Easter egg reference. Not disappointed that this didn’t happen though, because this will probably be my favourite movie of the year. Greta Gerwig is an absolute mastermind, can’t wait to go and see it again!
I’m starting to think all Will Ferrell movies are connected. Like Barbieland, the North Pole is a magical pocket dimension that takes a montage to get to. Buddy likes toys so he could be both the LEGO movie dad and the CEO of Mattel. There’s also this movie, I think it was called “Spirited away” or something. I haven’t watched it, but if buddy died he could have definitely become some sort of Christmas spirt since he used to be an Elf.
Awesome breakdown. Your dog is so adorable in his little polo shirt ❤🐶
First The Lego Movie, now Barbie... What will be the last film in the Will Ferrell trilogy of toys coming to life?
Toy Story: Live Action
Super thoughtful and spot on analysis as always. What I loved about this movie is how deep the references went. And how many there were. You could do three more breakdowns like this and still not catch them all.
Absolutely perfectly explained.
I LOVE this movie and I actually got emotional 😢 in that final scene before Barbie enters the real world.
One of the best video essays I've seen. Thank you!
I honestly feel like the whole movie was perfection I too am glad to see positive things about it I’d go see it tomorrow if I wasn’t broke from going Friday between food, and tickets i have to wait for a bit,but I honestly could watch this every day, and will be buying a dvd, which I usually don’t because of streaming! This will be worth it,I hope they put the directors cut out,I also want to see the deleted scenes! I crack up tho every time I think about the “beach off” part! 😂
As a unemployed, depressed 25 years old woman this movie made me deeply sad !!! A womans life is soooo well portrayed here that its actually scaring, when America Ferrera ( sorry if its wrong ) started to say how it is to be a woman, i felted everything deeply and took it straight to my heart !!!
I was so shocked I laughed so many times at the shit in this movie. I needed a good laugh
OMG what a great analysis!!! You really get it! So refreshing. You put into words all the reasons I love this movie.
You did a perfect job dissecting this wonderful movie!
you killed the analysis man ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ thank you so much
You know a movie's good when you watch it and think "I can't wait to watch the screencrush breakdown when I get home!"
Shill!?
@@TheEverSoTalented I just genuinely enjoy these videos
Shes like spider-man... but for women!
Seriously though i wasnt actually expecting the movie to be this good when i went to go see it
Sigh.
I know right, it was good.
Excellent reviews as always Ryan agree with every point keep up the great work👍🏽.
I also liked that in America’s speech, she talked about rejecting men in a way that doesn’t hurt their ego, and then you see it in action when Barbie tries to console Ken, he misreads it as romantic interest (OF COURSE), tries to kiss her, and she has to let him down easily and help him cope with it even though, as America also points out, “he stole your house! Girl!” Ken does not deserve her friendship but he gets it anyway.
at least Barbie had a house. Where do the kens sleep while the barbies are having girls night?
Where do the Ken’s sleep exactly? 😂
@@cykesrevenge I feel like they all just sleep in a pile, kinda like what a kid would do with them.
They kinda give me Gertrude from Hamlet vibes, where she has to marry Claudius because otherwise she’s nothing and she will have nothing.
@@cykesrevenge it seems like you’re making a joke because this is what the movie did, but just in case, I want to be clear that I think this issue made Ken a sympathetic character but is not a good reason for going full douche and stealing her stuff. To me it had strong colonial vibes, like France has a colony and I’m jealous, so I’m invading Ethiopa. Is it fair that France stole someone’s land for their benefit? No. Does that justify you going and sealing someone else’s land? Also no.
@@cykesrevengeWell, when they pand out, there are more houses in the suburbia part of Barbie Land the Ken's probably do have houses but the Barbie's are too absorbed in their perfect days, jobs and such to bother to realize or visit the houses.
This movie was so in depth and deep
I was crying through out
I actually think this movie is in contention for a slew of Oscar’s. Best Director, Cinematography, OST, screenplay, etc….
Sadly I think it will win tons of Oscar's, and be number one in the box office for 2023 with more reviewing than any other film since Titanic.
Costume design!
This video was great. Thank you so much!
Hey, Screen Crush! I love you work and appreciate how much research you do for top quality content.
Is heartbreaking that I found some mistake I cannot be silent about. You stated that "-dom" in word "kingdom" comes from dominance which isn't quite true. Originally it was an independent word, but already active as a suffix in Old English (as in freodom, wisdom). Knowing that this word's meaning lay closer to dominion or domain than, as you suggested, domination. Thus, Kendom should not be understood as Kens' domination, but only as Kens' domain.
Can't wait to see more surprising releases from you guys. I never thought I'd say it, but now I want to watch that movie and it you that made it. Chapeau bas.
First review and already subscribed. Clearly this is a channel/guy who loves movies. Great stuff!
I think one thing people miss is that Barbieland is not a true feminist utopia because all of the C-suite of Matell are men, and they created this fantasy world for girls. Even though ruth handler invented Barbie, men were the ones to market her. so it is essentially what men who are oppressed by patriarchy believe a matriarchy would look like.this kind of equates to 2nd wave feminism where women were focused on becoming equal to men who are also oppressed under patriarchy. And that is an important point because women have not ever been able to define ourselves outside of the confines of the patriarchy. We can't ever find out who we truly are until we are all free from the oppression of patriarchy.
This review is so spot on.
And may I say, far more insightful than some of the supposed feminist/capitalist critiques from various UA-camrs which have been mostly joyless and nitpicky
We almost got a Gravik vs Shang Chi
Great review! Thank you 😊
This movie was so good! It could have taken itself too silly, or too serious, and it struck the right balance! Can't wait to see this again!
... I waited to see the movie before I watched this video! 😂
Love your breakdowns so much! I absolutely loved the film. Hilarious, self aware and affirming
The best breakdown video I've seen of Barbie so far. You guys are the best!
Love it! I usually watch you WITH my husband talking Disney and Marvel. How refreshing to see your take on Barbie!
I think the movie was pretty dope..went in with two daughters thinking nothing of it and left impressed
I wasn’t interested in seeing this movie at all. But the analyses are fascinating. Now I want to go see it. Thank you.
5:40 I went in having no specific desires but secretly wanting Barbie dogs to have some screen time and I’m so glad they did 🐕 I had the pregnant dog that came with veterinarian Barbie I loved them so ❤
THANKS for this, Doug and Ryan!!!!