Barbie Wasn’t Good (And it Wasn’t Because of Feminism) | Review Quickie
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- Опубліковано 26 вер 2024
- The Barbie movie is all dolled up with nothing to say.
There's been a lot of mixed reviews and debate on whether the Barbie movie (Greta Gerwig) was any good or promotes feminism too much.
I was pumped going to see Barbie on opening day dressed in blue and pink. I had a group of friends and we were ready to experience, what we assumed to be the better half of Barbenheimer. But while everyone liked it, I thought it was heavy handed and boring.
And while many, like Ben Shapiro, say the issue is the feminist and anti-patriarchy messaging, I disagree. As a staunch feminist myself, I had different issues with the film that stem back to my issues with lifestyle feminism. And there's nothing discontinued Barbies, Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, as Ken or Michael Cera as Allan could do to make it better.
If you like or hate the Barbie movie, want an option on whether you should spend your money to see it in theatres, or are curious to hear another option for why Barbie movie wasn't as good as everyone says it is, this video is for you.
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I thought it was weird that, at the end, Kens were like ‘how about we have some rights now?’ And the Barbie’s laughed at them
RIGHT?? What kind of message was THAT supposed to portray? Definitely not equal rights :/
@@maiamaiapapaya I couldn’t figure out what the movie wanted to be out :/ It felt like it was written by an AI who was fed a bunch of early/mid 2000’s bad faith pop feminism articles
@@GravyBaby420 hahaha that is the best way to describe it
It's girlbullying, plain and simple, and the film unironically endorses it. That's why it is truly horrible film and one of the worst movies ever.
I think it was meant to portray how in the real world, (specifically America) we can all agree women should have equal rights to men (and vice versa) but women still don't hold very rolls of power. In some circles, a woman having authority would be considered crazy.
For example, America has never had a woman as president in spite of being a country for just shy of 250 years.
"A theme works best when it's shown in subtexts and character action - not when it's 30% of your script's dialogue"
Exactly. No subtlety at all, everything's just thrown at your face in utterly boring lines everyone's heard a thousand times over in a thousand different films... I found that all the more disappointing that I actually really enjoyed the first part of the movie, it displayed some real interesting concepts and roles.
Indeed.
It's lazy scriptwriting.
How about the "how hard it is to be a woman" speech?
Exactly my experience.
It wasn't really even dialog. It was a boring exposition speech plus yelling at the other Barbies until they snapped out of it. SHOW us, don't tell us. Also, women don't have to buy into that long list of expectations and external pressure. Women are just as responsible as men (or the patriarchy) for creating those pressures and perceptions. And I hated how the Barbies ignored and marginalized the discontinued Barbies, not to mention how horribly they treated weird Barbie.
As a woman, I was looking for this opinion… so many of my girl friends LOVED the movie… I thought it was so surface level and doesn’t really do much to propel feminism forward which could be fine but the way they were treating it was like it was revolutionary and it wasn’t. I know what it’s like to be a woman, I am one. I felt like my experience was wrapped up in a pretty pink bow and somewhat diminished to be these obvious events of misogyny when that’s not all that it is. So this film did nothing for me really and it does nothing for men who also are negatively effected by the patriarchy. What about the violence men are resorted to due to not being able to properly express emotions? Ken could’ve got into a real fight in the real world or could’ve had backlash for being more feminine than traditional men? Anyway… this is probably my favorite review and I feel validated in disliking this movie so THANK YOU
@sebastiandemel4740they clearly did which is why they have so many of their own thoughts. Try harder.
@sebastiandemel4740they were looking for someone who shared their opinion. felt like that was kinda obvious
So you either not a woman or you hate yourself (woman) that bad then? The fact you are excusing men violent actions for something THEY set they’re self up with is crazy. Wake up to actually loving yourself or atleast love being a women atleast.
"as a pick me .."
how do you feel about so many of your friends so impacted by the movie?
Gloria’s speech is where I checked out from the movie. It was too obvious. Barbie talks about the contradictions of modern womanhood but doesn’t talk about how to overcome those same challenges
Maybe they don't know how or the editor's thought their solutions were full of shit, so they cut them from the film. We'll never know unless there's a director's cut at some point and even then our information will be very limited and cherry picked.
It was also pretty entitled to think it's simply a female experience when everyone feels like they're being pulled a hundred different directions to try to satisfy everyone
@@enterthenameyo exactly on point. they dont realize that every single person feels like this and has their own complicated issues and they just simplifed it to "women life hard, men life easy"
That scene really felt like it was talking down at me and not to me.
as a woman, i cried at the speech, its not demeaning men its simply pointing out the many expectations PEOPLE have with women
not all men have life easy, not all women have life easy, and not all men have it hard, and not all women have it hard
is it so hard to comprehend that gloria’s speech was not about MEN BAD WOMEN GOOD but that WOMEN CAN BE BAD WOMEN CAN BE GOOD and still be EQUAL?
The end of the movie made me sad, they could've done so much, but they chose to do nothing with it..
This review is SPOT ON!!!!!! It could be a popcorn nothing movie but thay is NOT what they marketed and making the actual so-so feministic speech be the WEAPON to end barbieland patriarchy was nooooot fun.
The Barbieland patriarchy had a sort of Birth of a Nation feel. If Barbierand is an oppressive matriarchy (established aligory), then the Kens are right to fight back. The movie creates a binary choice between patriarchy and matriarchy, but also assumes the matriarchy is better, for reasons.
the ending makes no sense, when Barbie goes to the real world that is considered "patriarchy", when she didn't like that world in the first place, and she goes there to understand the human emotions
Is like an American feminist chooses to go live in Afghanistan to go fight the Patriarchy there and make it "equal". And you know that would bever happen😂.
I see it as Barbie just being an individual rather than 'just another toy'. Also, to be human - it wasn't explained the best but the scene itself was beautiful. The clips of women and their family and friends was cute!
Totally agree, this movie failed to show what it really meant to show....the director was not mature enough to take on this heavy topic.
Frances Ha was great, Ladbird was about a spoiled, rich kid brat.
Totally agree! I had fun with the group I saw it with but it was so heavy handed and superficial. My expectations were high because I love Greta Gerwig but it felt like I was watching an unedited first draft. Props to Michael Cera and Ryan Gosling for the being the best parts of the movie.
This comment is so backhanded. Margot outdid both of them
how ironic that people are saying the male characters were the only good part of the BARBIE MOVIE..
Stop being a female simp!
@@gojosfairy2687 you dont know the meaning of backhanded
@@gojosfairy2687You could literally say the reverse too. That's why it's called an opinion.
I wish they explored the mother daughter relationship I feel like that was such a good plot point of the movie…… but yeah they did not 😭
And it was so random how they randomly mentioned toward the end of the movie that there was a dad lol. I actually thought it was a single mom situation, which would've been really interesting to see!!
@@abc-xf9jgthey brought up the dad much earlier than that but it was so quick you certainly missed it. He was on his phone learning Spanish or something like that
This theme was explored in Brazzers...
@@AR7271I'm gonna be honest. I remember that scene but was still shocked there was a dad.
It was also the most cringe part of the movie outside of of the sh*tty speech
Watch "Life in the Dreamhouse" youll unironically like Barbie...then hate it after realizing they cancelled it.
im a guy and watched it as a kid
@@al-saif_ I'm 42 and I love it now.
I wanted a live-action Life in the Dreamhouse
That's the exact show I wanted this movie to be and it failed so spectacularly.
@@FizzypopizationA film can’t really meet everyone’s expectations.
Yes! I had to look so hard for a review of Barbie from a woman’s perspective which didn’t have the word ‘woke’ in the title. I 100% agree with this review, I wasn’t sure if it was something major that I missed. I would like to add that it was really clever to flip the script with Ken’s storyline but it was something that was very much left unexplored.
I made a huge mistake by seeing Oppenheimer first. Barbie was just eh for me. And Oppenheimer should win an Oscar. So yeah.
*The Super Mario Bros. Movie* depicts women in power in a much better light anyway.
Saw someone comment that it's supposed to be shallow/basic feminism because you, the viewer, are not there to learn, but rather to witness a woman fall into a world she literally has no clue about. Makes sense, but I 100% agree with you that it got too messy, and the lack of "show don't tell" with the feminist issues bothered me (like, the peak plot point was a speech? hmmm)
The most embarrassing thing is that they introduce the premise that every doll is linked to a real world person, but then forget it. That's the catalyst for the whole adventure! It's like the one ring just sitting in Frodo's pocket, forgotten, and then they just fight a conventional war against Sauron
AS A WOMAN THANK U I told someone I didn’t like the Barbie movie and I got called a pick me it literally gave Netflix original
That happened to me a lot! I’m making a video soon about that phenomenon
Everyone says “come in with low expectations and it would be great”, but I actually already heard from some people that the plot was shallow, and I wanted to see what they meant, still being very excited to enjoy the movie. But it was worse than I thought for the exact reasons you mentioned. The fact that it’s forcing a political conversation without adding anything to it and claiming to empower women was just… weird. You can’t empower women with a shallow plot. It was basically a giant Barbie ad, and I wish they chose to either dumb it down to keep the expectations low or meet the high expectations with a better plot. It could’ve gone so much better but at least it didn’t flop.
I don't understand.
I thought social media teaches empowerment through consumption?
I agree with your take on the movie, and also no offence but you have lovely hair and eyes.
@@Keralite29 slmps!
@@CEWIII9873 I'm sorry, I had to 😔
@@Keralite29 "no offence but you have lovely hair and eyes" - oh the times when a compliment is seen as an insult!
Thank you!!! 👏👏 Barbie doesn't go on a story arc in her own movie, Ken does! They had so much potential to make a smart film, but were lazy. For example Mattel does not allow Barbie to get married or have children because that would mean she would have s3x. So Barbie the "perfect" symbol of femininity is not allowed, by the system who created her, to become a wife or a mother. But is use to encourage little girls to become those things. She is denied the things she is a symbol for whether she wants them or not. And they couldn't think of how that could be an interesting idea to explore?
It seems there are many, many ideas such as this the movie could have explored, but instead settled on the dumbest...
I think that might be the point. I felt the same at first but at the end she says the line 'I want to be MORE than an idea' - it was the start of her journey as a human and the end of her icon/symbolic/ideal-girl doll life. Still, I wish we had more build up to that pay off ... but it's okay as is.
Thankyooooouuuu! Watched it today and had to search to see if there were any reviews that aligned with my thoughts.
There were definitely a couple of things I didn’t appreciate in the film. The scene where the ‘Ken’s’ are around the fires with their guitars and then the Barbie’s begin switching Ken’s as apart of their plan. I felt that this was enforcing negative views around females. Reinforcing stereotypes of females being more manipulative and using males to get what they need. And then for Barbie to apologise to Ken at the end of the movie after he literally moved into her house and took over.. that seemed interesting to me. Left the movie feeling somewhat sad and not empowered to be female.
As for the film it was definitely all over the place. It either needed to be more funny and light-hearted or be a life-changing inspirational movie that has a clear perspective on females in society.
Missed the mark in my opinion.
I have not seen the movie (nor will I), but it seems like it creates an artificial dichotomy.
When I was in the military, we had so many shared experiences and struggles with female servicemembers, I learned then as now that everyone struggles, and everyone's struggles are different.
I cannot help but think what I know of Gerwig and her ilk of someone who, like Mindy Kaling, was born into wealth and whose only idea of "struggle" is not attaining to what they feel entitled.
This movie was a disservice to Barbie as a notorious kids toy and to all the little girls out there who didn’t get to enjoy a fun Barbie movie and instead were shoveled w propaganda. This movie makes me angry at the female writer and angry with the messaging about how it was okay to belittle the Kens and then manipulate them to regain their power. It was really a big jumble of mixed-messages and dead ends. This movie was so NOT iconic and it had all the opportunity to be. Thanks lady for the review - well said!
The movie was very shallow. I don't think it did anything for women. It did not make anybody who wasn't already a feminist feel for women suddenly. It didn't hit anyone hard other than western women with first world problems. It could have gone into why we really need feminism across the globe because there is so much denied to women even the right to live a fulfilling happy independent life, they're denied safety. But it doesn't touch on any of those things other than just how women are made to feel bad about cellulite and how there is pressure to look perfect!!!! Seriously? That's all that we require feminism for right now???? Seriously. Nobody gives a shit. Even I as a woman was like f that. Who gives a crap. In America itself there are bigger problems for women than they touched upon. It's Hollywood's version of whats the worst treatment given to women, it's their opinion. 😂 And it's so far off from reality. Then they continue to do that with their red carpets and fashion parades and designer clothes and botox and surgeries. Like seriously?????
As a 38 year old woman without kids, I just don't get the selfishness of making a Barbie movie that wasn't for kids. Is our generation really that selfish that we have to gatekeep Barbie from people that are currently experiencing childhood just because ours is over and we want to work through adult issues using nostalgia? I don't get all the people that were "it wasn't for kids, it's rated PG13." Why the heck wasn't it for kids? Why couldn't little girls just enjoy a fun Barbie movie without being burdened heavy adult topics. Man if I was a kid and heard America Ferrara's speech I would not want to grow up. Also, what about little boys who like to play with Barbie. How were they supposed to feel? It also spat in the face of people who like the Barbie lore as well. Ken was never a Nice Guy that Barbie had no interest in, he is her literal boyfriend. What about Skipper, Kelly, etc? I know some Barbie fans enjoyed it, but they are too easily pleased in my opinion
Great point. I still don't know why Mattel let the script be produced.
couldnt have said it better myself. This shouldve been a kid movie not a therapy seasion
My toughts exactly and I'm also a childless 30-something yr old. Interesting to note tho from what I've heard A LOT of people went to the theaters even taking their kids thinking it was a kids movie!
Barbie is a 60+ year brand. The brand has more adult fans than children at this point. That’s why, it’s very simple..
aren't there dozens of barbie movies for kids tho...........
For me the movie really was just so flat and boring I didn’t laugh once
Honest to god. Corporations won so hard.
It was enjoyable, and incredibly cinematic and beautiful, but.. logically speaking, it was difficult to grasp.
It tried to be serious, and sometimes it landed, sometimes it didn't.
Sometimes it felt like a Hallmark movie.
Sometimes it felt like a Saturday Night Live skit trying to be deep.
I called it Feminism for Dummies.
It was campy, entertaining, and I enjoyed it for what it was. It was disjointed and the tone gave me whiplash at times. And there was no subtlety to be found.
A better ending would have been a reveal that a mom was teaching her kid about feminism using Barbie dolls, because that’s what it felt like. An instruction manual to explain why feminism matters.
BUT. Maybe it was meant to be that way. Maybe it was meant to shake some people still wrapped up in internalized misogyny and say “LOOK AT ME. THE PATRIARCHY IS REAL. LET ME SHOW YOU WITH CRAYONS AND BARBIES”.
In which case, it was a great honeypot, and good job.
I’ve seen a lot of conservative women having these conversations for the first time because of this movie, and so I’m going to have to forgive its flaws.
The movie tried to be 4 different movies, failed at being all of them, fell into the position of defeatist tragedy, and even failed at being that.
It tried to be a fun feel good movie, but constantly dragged the mood.
It tried to be a movie showcasing real life issues through contrasts and foils with the Kens’ mistreatment, but it failed again.
It tried to be an uplifting and empowering movie about womanhood, but it failed by showing no way to combat the horrendous realities of life. Being depressing, too real, and defeatist saved the day instead of… idk, the opposite?
Finally, it tried to showcase the problems with internal and auto discrimination and how power can shift the mind and make you fight against your own team, but it failed yet again by making all the traitorous Barbies just brainwashed.
Ultimately, the theme was that life sucks for women, you can’t do a damn thing about it except continue to exist despite it. There is no solution, just endure and occasionally make rye comments and lash out through media to poke the bear. Except it ended on a happy note, so even the tragedy failed to follow through.
Barbie is four kids in a trench coat pretending to be an adult, but only appearing as a monstrous freak with a face that doesn’t match with the infernal mistake inside.
I found it confusing asf when the Barbie's were like "AHHHHHHHH CELULITE AHHHHHHHH WRINKLES AHHHHHH IMPERFECTIONS!!!!!" but when Barbie sees an old woman on the bench with all of these (percieved) "flaws" she's like "You're beautiful." I thought that was a moment where Barbie realises it's not a bad thing to have these physical traits but then she goes right back to being afraid of those things
yeah lol, the movie is failed as being moral
One of the most shallow and overrated movies ive ever seen. And the debate around it is the worst. If anyone dares to have a critique on it, people get mad and call you sexist or a pick me or whatever.
I don't hate it, but the more I think about it the less and less I like it. Probably one of the most overrated blockbusters in the past 5 or so years imo. Gerwig herself is a lot of hot air imo. 0 for 3 she is imo.
Overrated nd a full on garbage movie
Even as a guy, I know other dudes are gonna use this as an excuse to hate the movie.
You spelled reason wrong.
Movies should be criticized, this is in fact a good reason to criticize the movie
@@ghg-xm9tu *they’re (ironic haha)
@@VideoEssayWatcher5484 I don’t mean that it shouldn’t be. But they will dislike it and then find reasons to hate it even more.
slmp!
Great analysis!! I wished they had fleshed out Gloria’s character. Her tirade didn’t feel earned at all. I’m a Feminist too but it all felt so hollow. Show, don’t tell!
you said it perfectly, ive been trying to put into words why i felt so disappointed by this movie and this video said it all!!
Tbh I feel really bad for not liking this movie, my other friends loved it and me not having the same reaction just made me question if I was like one of those pick me girls or that I have internalized misogyny idk bro
I mean the movie was boring as hell overall
There is nothing wrong that you didn’t like the movie. That is just your own opinion.
no, it may mean you love and appreciate good men in your life.
Ugh my whole life has been me feeling like some sorta "not like other girls" girl bc Ive never related to the mainstream girl power stuff and am often annoyed by it. But honestly, in my own life, i think it comes down to a lot of it being aimed at neurotypical audiences. I don't know if I was too inattentive as a child to be "properly socialized" as girl, but it always just seems to come down to so much of feminism being focused on how "the patriarchy" affects women that "act like women". Its disappointing.
You're not hateful or a bigot just because you didn't like a movie. You're entitled to your own opinion.
I had to scroll past 50 "Barbie movie reaction" videos before I found one done by a woman.
Unlike you, I went to the movie with low expectations, expecting a fluffy fun movie with no heart. I have to say I was very pleasantly surprised by what I found. I even went a second time to find the Easter Eggs I missed the first time.
Sorry that it didn't live up to your expectations while it wildly exceeded mine!
100%
You're easily pleased then
@@ritaferreira2682 nah, just smart enough to understand the jokes and get the references.
@@debbieroberts4141 or they're just not funny. The amount of times I could tell how much the movie wanted to make me laugh and go ooh yeah but it missed, my gosh I've never rolled my eyes so much seeing a movie, enough so that that in itself was getting somewhat funny to me by the end 😅
As a long time feminist, I do think us, feminist, weren't the targeted audience. I think this film is still feminist, but rather than being this subtle and really thoughtful reflexion it is an open door to feminism for a lot of people (mostly men). That's why even though it's clearky not my favorite film (I do think the speech of the real world woman wasn't that great) it's still useful (that said speech will be a realisation for a lot of men) and I'm happy about it
disagree
life is a struggle, but we ALL struggle in different ways.
When feminists speak of "male privilege" they are speaking only of the PEOPLE in the top 10 percent, and not of garbage men or sanitation workers.
The people at the top crush us ALL, and not just women, and creating artificial dichotomies is not the answer.
For me, the problem with Barbie was the construction of the movie. I felt like I was watching random unrelated scenes like from some music video. As a result, I was bored for significant part of the movie.
But when it comes to feminism... There wasn't too much of it. In fact, if we interpret the Kens' behavior as a reference to radical feminists, then we will find a critique of feminism. Thanks to this, this film is not propaganda (as some people try to prove), but perhaps the most natural (Idk what other word I could use) form of feminism. It doesn't tell you that everything is perfect, but at the same time it shows how much society has been through and in some way appreciates it.
I rate the overall message of the film very positively, but I can't forget that a large part of the narrative was boring. I consider this movie to be my favorite 6/10 movie :)
Do you really believe that men are such predators they sl@p a woman's behind in public?
YES, gosh, thank you. Bored was the overwhelming feeling I had during most of the movie. Nothing led to anything meaningful, it was difficult to truly care about any character, and the few scenes that had the potential for those things were buried under all the rest.
im with you at being angry at the film for spending all this time and money creating this world that ultimately feels like a glorify dream sequence. A pretty cloud for the main chracter to jump from. As soon as I saw the posters of Allan and Midge I was so excited to see them on screen and having really interesting or funny setups and interactions about being a discontinued toy/outcast but no, they were bait for real Barbie lore fans. The movie has all these characters and rich set ups that are underwritten. Even i think the narrator was underutilised.
Isn't that Barbie in a nutshell though? A doll in a Dreamland?
@@NoirRaven yes, but then why spend all this money and time making it feel real!? and having all this interestring societal dynamics that dont get fleshed out?? the movie tried to escape itself with this with the narrator saying "just don't think about too much" - well that is a problem because is inconsisting with in everything else that makes me wanna believe is a real place, or ppl there are real or the problems they have are real. The Barbie movie fail at being a fantasy movie, because it is not interested is fleshing out its fantasy, it wastes its time indulging in intellectual conversations, that literally are talked about vs making it character driven and emotionally satisfying. Case in point, Toy Story did it better 20 years ago.
The worst is when after doing all the drama and change the world Barbie had to figure out her own plan who she wants to be! Confused Barbie !
This review is refreshingly articulate and well thought out. I feel mostly the same way about the film and felt the messaging at times was far too heavy-handed for its own good.
Well thought-out? Really?
Alan is my fave. Brampton represent❤. His character is just so solid and so unassuming, so many of us like that everywhere, his character is such an anchor.
And he's one of a kind!
Crazies on the left say it’s not progressive enough. Crazies on the right say it’s antimen. Me in the middle loving it.
Ah yes anyone without your opinion is "crazy". 🤣
This is exactly my thoughts! I was underwhelmed by the whole message but the Barbie world was so fun to watch
i was confused when i left the theater not liking the movie while my bf was a fan of it… i wasn’t able to put my finger on what it was that bothered me about it until watching your video, because up until now i had only heard good reviews about the movie. i was sadly let down by all the hype.
3.5 on letterbox, it’s heavily reliant on set design and the lead actors performances but overall a tad shallow with no real direction on the point it’s trying to make
Always enjoy your indepth reviews and your consistently well crafted metaphors eg: "it was like being repeatedly being smacked in the face with a damp sock full of nickles " ......sooo good. Also the way you edit your videos is dead brilliant . And congratulations on you new digs ,theres nothing better than your own space .Cheers
Finished the film only an hour ago. You articulated my thoughts PERFECTLY
Even “Don’t Worry, Darling” managed to explore it’s themes in deeper and more innovative ways
Thank you for saying all of these things. Everyone I know irl that saw it were like “it was amazing!” And I was like “that movie was literally all over the place! Why did they draw the comparison of Ken dolls feeling like how women in the real world feel and then never actually address it?” I also had all of the complaints you had too. I asked “who was this movie for?” I’m glad I wasn’t the only one.
Sometimes, when a movie seems segmented/schizo that means it was made by multiple directors simultaneously for speed/efficiency. A typical beancounter move. Then you wind up with crap.
Finally something I agree with about this movie!! THANK YOU
I ran to you few year ago in the video about 500 days of summer. At that time I told myself “Omg, I totally love that girl. She’s funny and her video is full of great points and thoughts”. Well it’s amazing that I am here again after those years and I can say that exact same thing. You’re great! Keep going
i’m a young woman and i feel like i enjoyed the movie so much it because it’s MY first perspective on feminism and i felt understood because i’ve never felt heard like that before
That’s interesting! I’m glad it was able to open up that perspective for you!
If you’re interested in exploring feminism further, I have another video you might enjoy!
ua-cam.com/video/ZbefR9UZbkM/v-deo.htmlsi=Cc9XSon5YPjKRcHg
I feel as though Mattel 100% had a lot of influence on just HOW much the movie was allowed to explore its topics. Because GOD FORBID they go TOO far and make it actually say something that could potentially damage their sales!! SHAME ON ALL OF YOU FOR WANTING NUANCE!11!!!11!
Finally, finally someone that explained exactly how I felt with this movie! So disconnected to it, as a woman, it was a huge disappointment
i expect the movie to be fun with barbie being sent to the real world to find that girl who keeps bashing the dolls before barbieland would be destroyed but in the middle of the movie i felt something wrong its a 360 degree turnaround ken becomes the villain
180 degree* just fyi
yeah like something was off ;-;
THANK YOUUUU like i hated that movie because of how immature it was in its white liberal feminism, but anytime i bring that up people just say, "well its not meant to be that its meant to be silly,,," which like, thats not how it works? the sillyest things have the biggest impacts on society because of how widespread they become, so greta just putting the most disgusting nothing rich-white-lady-feminism shoved into every crevice of the movie just made it hard to stomach. Also, maybe this was jsut me but I thought the whole point on why people were excited for the Barbie movie was because it was going to try and push true class-concious feminism into the mainstream, and then it comes out and when i complain all my friends (who loved it) just tell me to stop taking it so seriously. Like it forces me to think about its feminism when thats 30% of the script in boxed up and cliche lines.
To be fair, feminism isn't nuanced.
I get what you're saying, and I definitely had some struggles with the working mom's speech and the ending. However, I also think it's a lot to put on a movie about a doll. I went in with no expectations. I didn't watch a trailer or an interview or anything. So, I liked it for the most part. I'm not raving about it, but it's fun and -- for a movie about a doll that many, including myself, could see as harmful to feminism -- it was a pleasant surprise. Yes, it could have done more with what it had. It could have done more than just represent different ethnicities, body types, and so forth. I have to ask, though, how would you have done that, while still delivering all of the things (nostalgia, history, social commentary, musical numbers, and on and on) that it has?
i think aside from the shallow feminist commentary, the movie overextended itself. the writing and plot were abysmal due to this very fact. nothing in the movie felt meaningful. none of the themes were able to resonate because the narrative was unable to back it up. no character had to work for anything, and none of them were well developed. the movie could’ve benefitted from pulling back on all that it had, even without the conversation of its watered down feminism, because then it would’ve had more time to narratively put together a beautiful story. the narrative suffered from all of the things that the movie had.
I agree! Definitely wish this movie was good but oh well
I wish this movie was more like Enchanted because I don’t see Barbie the same way the movie tried to portray her with meh feminism and too much wokeness. As a 90’s kid I felt robbed by nowadays views.
"Babys first feminism" yes exactly. I appreciate what the movie said for those who needed to hear it, but it didn't say anything new.
I am very pleased to see many of the same opinions about this movie in this comment section. I thought I was the only one. The movie was extremely mid for me like it was close to being a really good film, but they kept falling short. As a women, I was getting tired of feminism being shoved down my throat during the entire second half of the movie. Women rights good obviously, but the movie should’ve done it in a different way were you're not force feeding your audience.
Glad you're back.
Excited to see more of your videos.
I think the nail in the Barbie coffin for me was when Will Ferrell (love that man, hate his character) stole America Ferrera's ideas at the end of the movie, and didn't even offer her a creative promotion from her receptionist position, or a raise. Like, if we're talking about equality, shouldn't women be at the head of the Barbie corporation?
Personally I loved this movie and it hit all the expectations I had for it. But I still respect your opinion because we all have our own expectations and stuff we don’t like in media.
were your "expectations" met when the random guy assaulted Barbie in public in front of a bunch of people?
This! All of this! I liked the theme and parts of the movie, but they had so many ideas that I was holding onto that never went anywhere. I felt so distracted by the world and it's intricacies unexplored, that I couldn't begin to enjoy it at the midpoint. I was still holding onto so many questions and distractions that were unanswered. I then was slammed with a bunch of in-your-face, strong fisted dialogues that were just over encumbering. I was so distracted by loose ends that I'd almost checked out into my own head before the end tried to bring it back together.
Your review is so well-structured and insightful!
5:24 Or it'd be like if in The Lego Movie, if we didn't have the scene where Ghost Vitruvius explains why he lied about the prophecy, and it just focuses on Emmett shutting down, and Lucy gets the will to do something on her own.
I'm glad i wasnt the only one thrown off when they went into the real world. I thought it didnt fit.
I hated how they went into the human world and then focused on some random boring people for no reason. I wanted fun and goofy, not serious gender war bs
Barbie was an online rant made into a 2 hour moive. Cinema is not a platform to vent. Art is about conversation and observation not an emotional trash can. There is lack of conversation about Barbie on an academic level and that alarms me. Any differing or controversial opinion is shut down with "You just don't get it". The fact that people need to say "Even as a woman/feminist" before they criticise the movie shows how vapid our society has become - or let me take another jab - how the movie itself created a toxic environment for movie goers and reviewers. It's done a lot of disservice to the movie industry and its audience.
If they wanted to do something more substantial it would have been interesting if they'd gone a little more "Wizard of Oz" with Ruth Handler, Barbie's creator. Handler, IRL, was a lot closer to Elizabeth Holmes than Elizabeth Cady Stanton, who, btw, had some pretty bloody disturbing ideas of her own. The reason she faded into relative obscurity wasn't just because the IRS had beef with her. She was an outright fraudster who stright-up lied to the IRS & SEC. Handler was a proper capitalist who understood little girls far better than her male colleagues & used her insight to make a lot of money. I don't think she lost much sleep about all the eating disorders & impossible expectations she helped inspire. She wasn't evil, per se, but she wasn't what I'd call good, either. And she certainly had agency.
That movie seemed like bunch of shallow takes on petriarchy and feminism and a lot of PR marketing for Barbie brand. Last scene with the creator of Barbie was terrible. People are aware of the evolution of Barbie dolls and its effects on children. But in the end they just said "it's not the creator's fault, it is your fault".
As I said many time before (on different comment sections), the major problem of the the film is the overdose of theme treated and thus hip bing is really 1 dimensional lecture on everything. Every plot line felt half baked and the resolution felt rushed.
And while the feminism part ouf the movie is really blend, the patriarchy part also felt really poor in its depiction. The whole time I felt like the movie was insulting me BECAUSE I was a man: and I understand that’s how woman may feel in front of she hulk or madam Webb or other pop culture movies, but the difference is that over there, it’s bad writing (the writers focus on making a strong female protagonist instead of making a strong protagonist who happens to be a female) where as in the barbie movie it felt like the writer knew what they were doing.
Also, even tho Alan was fun, him breaking the fourth wall didn’t lead anywhere?
I agree so much with you’re video and I think we could dive so much more on the missed opportunity and the potential this movie had to be a classic movie.
Finally I’d like to say that I think that the movie should’ve had a more open and nuanced message: instead of just talking about feminism, they could’ve shown that we all need (men and women) to break free from the dumb norms, like lifestyles/toxic feminism for woman that just creat nocive standards for girls; and patriarchy that also creates dumb standards for girls and boys.
Also id would like to note that this movie is clearly not made for kids but for adults and that it’s sad that this movie is so un-nuanced because it kinda put a barrier for lil boys who might like barbie (that’s really dumb given that feminism is supposed to break down barriers between men and women).
As you said, it’s a fun ride until you start going into the « heavy » plot
I was literally looking for this comment everywhere. I watched this movie Today and it was just so bad because of the script. No message passed, too obvious, storyline not connecting here and there...
The "other" Barbie's were cast in a light similar to the "Island of misfit toys".
I couldn’t have explained it better- thank you. When I say I didn’t enjoy this movie and wouldn’t watch it again- people gasp. I loved Barbie growing up, but the lack of character exploration, the AMOUNT of cameos and characters, extraneous details, meandering setting, lack of a plot anchor, and length of the movie- took away from the genuineness of the themes trying to be portrayed. 🎉❤. Thank you.
At the end of the movie, Barbie learns her lesson & Ken learns his place 🙃🤷🏾♂️😕
I thought this review was pretty generous. I also went into the theatre ready to really like it and get swept up in the eye candy and fun of it all.
I found it really hard to watch, for the same reasons you outline here. I left the theatre feeling grumpy and annoyed 😂.
The Kens just wanted to be more involved with Barbie
I was so disappointed with the Barbie movie. As a woman who considers herself a feminist. I’m shocked it’s in rotation for awards. Honestly, I’ve never been a big Greta Gerwig fan. I think my favorite film of hers is Little Women, and… I still have some issues with it.
I’m so glad I found your review of this movie. Everything you’ve said came straight from my head, minus the hatred of will Ferrel’s character…
I'd also like to mention that Mattel's presence in the movie was unnecessary. I thought there was going to be a movie long conflict of Mattel trying to capture Barbie while she's dealing with the struggle of wanting to have agency over her life. It could have interesting lessons on becoming something greater than the role you were assigned, even though the world is trying to stop you.
Instead, Mattel's executives were a bunch of incompetent bafoons that didn't pose any real threat. Even worse, there were jokes and visual gags the entire time Mattel was on screen.
The reality is that making yourself a skilled enough filmmaker and writer to Make something like this AND also exist in the social world in such a way that you’re capable of being accepted to make this big mainstream movie by a studio, does not really have overlap with being someone who’s developed their emotional/mental space to the forefront of revolutionary or feminist thought. (No one really is gonna be All That at the same time, in this world at least rn.)
Your video has a lot of good points my general counterpoint would be, as someone who sees how easy it is to be a critic, both myself and in those around me, is that MAKING SOMETHING is really hard. We can all criticize and have good ideas in isolation but making something is actually so damn hard, creating an original thing and making it happen in the world. The critic’s voice too, can really kill creativity.
The person who has all the good ideas in isolation is not necessarily the same person out there making stuff and honing a craft. Now, there’s something to be said for *who* feels entitled to make something, and assume their ideas and work are important enough to be shared, and *those* that would only make something if they thought it was truly additive and not junk food-it’s just that reaching the point that you can create something that truly goes against the grain of society and is out on a limb, AND then exercise the will to fully expose that thing to the whole world to look at completely, is a hard place for anyone to get to emotionally because of the requisite tolerance for vulnerability.
(Maybe I’m that critic rn and there’s irony here? I just want to open up this as a dialogue because I’ve had this thought a lot and this felt like a space to share it.)
So here’s what I would say, it probably wasn’t really fair to expect this movie to be much more than it was. And I think we all can in general practice withholding our judgment brain a bit of THIS BAD and instead hold it and go, okay, I see you greta, AND, how might this have been improved?
Like accepting the creative attempt and not degrading it. Talking to each other like we would if it was a kid showing us their piece of art. I just want us to be nicer. You’re not /wrong/ per say and you’re right about so much in this video and it’s valid to have your reaction. I just want us all to be nicer in this entire critic culture too and realize how we might be introducing toxicity ourselves, and not pretend otherwise just cuz we have ~ the best takes ~ you know? We’re not exempt, nor from being put under that microscope.
I haven’t watched this movie since last summer and I probably won’t watch it again but your video reminded me of some of my thoughts. I did find the pace and flow of the movie to be a bit jagged and offbeat and missing some things that would have tied it together for me. And I did find it long. The most positive thing I can say about it is that I actually saw it in a theater (i was the only one in there) and managed to make it through the whole thing without needing to completely walk out - though I was standing by the exit aisle for that whole last bit ready to leave. (not many movies are worth even that much to me so that’s a compliment) A lot of the story didn’t really follow to me and as an allegory I didn’t see how it lined up much with the real world, in short.
Barbie not exercising agency in that key moment you pointed out, I remember being a huge let down and I felt it lacked the bravery the story *really* needed. She ends up not really rebelling and avoids the criticism a woman would take for that by completely going against the culture and standing for something more. (the character does and the filmmaker does, simultaneously)
The movie was like… alright. My favorite part was just when she rejected ken at the end and it felt like something more was there to be mined, cuz it felt new and counter enough to patriarchal tropes to ne important. It felt she had someone interesting she might have been capable of embodying as a character, if the story continued from that point, rather than that being the ending.
i agree, it was not good.
If The Creator doesn't win every single movie award there is to win then somebody has their head screwed on backwards
Thank you. I feel like it was trying so hard to be a feminist-approved movie that it forgot to be fun. The other Barbies felt sidelined in a movie that could have been about how they felt their jobs weren’t good enough in comparison to Lifestyle Feminist Barbie, who should have existed more as a Goddess they all are forced to look up to instead of a person.
I adore Barbie, but was so disappointed in that film. It was too anti feminist in parts but hid it
Did you get essays for homework in highschool and just say yes, more of this forever?
LOLLLLLLLL!!!!!
It's barbie want to be making a barbie movie trying to give a big humanity message and failed to capture the diverse population! Totall failure!😢
I thought they spent just enough time in the real world. Maybe the car chase was unnecessary, but they were heading back through the boat/rocket/jet ski/camper tunnel before too long.
The feminist dichotomies speech was ultimately shallow, but then when that was what cured everyone I thought it was a funny joke, like thinking a well-crafted tweet is the same as activism. Looking back on it though, I don’t know if that was the joke.
The movie speaks the language of one that wants to be taken seriously with a message, but also keeps reiterating that you shouldn’t think about it too hard.
I’ve definitely been overthinking it since watching.
anyway. I enjoyed the review! Looking forward to seeing how you’ll do a Joseph Sugarman defense.
I agree with your points
Of course it wasn’t because of feminism. Not a single character was over 300lbs how could it possibly be feminist?
yeah, I was hoping it would be funny and lighthearted, like Clueless - but it was really bad...the way Barbie is sexually harassed in the real world is disturbing, there is zero explanation for how the resentful tween daughter suddenly loves her mom and thinks that Barbie is cool, the movie is literally a battle of the sexes, and is SO outdated...implying that everyone is cisgendered and heterosexual both in Barbieland and in the real world. just...gross. also the way it's saying "all women are this way" and "all men are like this" is so toxic...like, we're all human beings and each person is unique, our bodies don't define who we are or the way we think or the choices that we make. it was the kind of feminism that was popular back in the 1960s...now I understand why Amy Schumer turned down the role of Barbie...she's actually funny, and I'm sure she didn't want to be part of something with such a depressing and unhelpful narrative. and the scene at the end where Barbie's greatest accomplishment is going to the gynecologist? such a bizarre choice...like, just look at any post on TikTok about women's experiences of going to the gynecologist and you will see millions if not billions of comments recounting extreme trauma and pain. it made no sense at all...unless the filmmakers were trying to say "being a real woman is so great, it's worth all the sexual harassment and gynecologist visits"? which still honestly makes no sense. I agree that the entire movie could have been just been fun adventures in Barbieland and it would have been a million times better than this preachy and trite nonsense.
Omg yes yes yes, It was supposed to be s Barbie movie but her screen time was overall so limited. I hated how they just made it about everything but her. And what was that last scene supposed to be? I would get if she was going to a job interview but it was... what it was....
My expectations when watching the movie were so high because I grew up loving Barbie as a kid and watching Barbie’s life in the dream house on Netflix but kinda made me feel sad that they did nothing with the ending and I feel I like the only person who had an arc was Ken out of all people for me I thought the discontinued dolls were gonna do something but were only added there just to say “hey remember this doll or hey remember back then when they made this” I was pretty sad they didn’t do anything with sugars daddy he was my favorite out of the discontinued.
I COMPLETELY AGREE. man was the storyline and surface-level feminism giving me nothing and disappointing!!
I thouroughly loved the movie. I can agree though. I was irritated with Sasha, as she was annoying and unnecessarily rude. Her lines gave me the ick. "YES WHITE SAVIOR BARBIE" was so attrocious to me. I enjoyed the chaos of the movie. It was fun to watch and all the little details in the background was a real treat to me. It's not a bad movie. It just seems like a good introduction to clueless people about the concept of feminism. I wouldn't suggest it for the more seasoned feminists but it is a nice treat to watch.
I've been through the first min of a bunch of Barbie reviews until I found yours. THANK YOU for reviewing the movie itself and not just the politics. And totally agree it would've been a much more interesting move to explore these issues in Barbie world. WHY WOULD YOU GO TO THE REAL WORLD IF YOU CREATED THIS AWESOME ONE? Seems obvious in retrospect but I hadn't thought about it
Agreed. I walked out the of movie not really knowing what it wanted me to understand... was the point of the movie that a subconcious driver for a toxic patriarchy is because men dont feel appreciated in their romantic lives? Was the point of the movie that women are held back from achieving whatever they want because they don't see the contradictions that real world society places on them? Was the point that I'm just supposed to ignore all sociology about patriarchy and matriarchy in favor of the pursuit of self-fulfillment?? Who is even the main character in the movie???
You're absolutely right. The movie was trying to do too much. It might have been better off as a multi-series of movies to explore all the concepts presented.