Hey y’all SAG-AFRTA/WGA resources will be in the description! Wanted to use this to address my comment about Mattel being run by all men and how that is portrayed in the movie - this isn’t true and I should’ve added more detail. While the current CEO and CFO are men, there are plenty of women in leadership roles and the inventor of Barbie Ruth Handler was the first president of the company. However, it is still a systemic issue beyond Mattel and the point I hoped to make was that it feels like an empty commentary coming from a movie like this one. Sorry for any confusion.
ok, so the whole war between men and women thing is cool though? and between us and the boomers, and between black and white? and between right and left, and between bigots and saints? and... wow we are really this easy to control arn't we?
Isn’t Mattel being run only by men just blatantly not true? Their board of directors is like 6/11 woman, on top of having had a female CEO for over 30 years. What exactly is the patriarchal humor against Mattel supposed to get Mattel to change corporately. It just seems like projecting something about corporate America that just really isn’t that true anymore to a harming degree. I think this movie is massively oversold by the reviews just due to its political humor. I really didn’t think it was a good movie, and that’s not even getting into the plot problems, but if someone can explain what I’m missing than I’m all ears.
I’m glad this got pointed out. It’s easy to just go along with what is interpreted on screen but truth is everyone in charge at Mattel isn’t a man like the film would like you to think. And the CEO for over 30 years was a woman. The literal rise of Barbie happened under the direction and leadership of a woman.
Great review as always, Sydney! I’m excited to see Barbie hopefully sometime next week after I’m seeing Oppenheimer Friday night. I think Greta Gerwig has proven to be a great and talented director after Lady Bird and Little Women which I both liked. The sets and costumes look off the charts, it looks funny and entertaining and it seems like both Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling were born to play Barbie and Ken. Hoping to enjoy this one.
Thanks for the review ! I agree 100% with what you said! I was also disappointed with the heavy handedness That was closer to the end of the movie. And you can definitely feel the constraints that Mattel had over this movie. But overall it was funny and heartwarming . I bought tickets to see it again this weekend 😅
@@SydneyVolpe Having just seen the film, I agree it's a little speechy - but then I kind of agreed with everything America Ferrera said. And you gotta admit, the politics were markedly better than the garden variety lean-in liberalism you'd get from, say, SNL - don't you think?
@@xe666 7 out of 8 of their c suite positions are men and there are plenty of companies where the entire c suite is male, yet I can’t think of one company where the entire c suite (or even 7/8ths) is female. That’s the point 🙄
Hadnt seen any trailers for this & actually had lower expectations that were surpassed. The comedy was really hitting for me & Kate was just Kate, everything she said had me dying. "play guitar at you" might be the best line of the movie 😂 i think you're right, the tonal shift between the actual emotional moments and the "tumblr art posts" made me interested to see how the script was influenced by studio. Theres a lot of big company roasts in movies now but yeah they dont care because the $ they can get from it is far superior. Also Mattel or whoever would rather align themselves with something like this so its a "if i go down you do too" type pact, they cant be fully attacked by the public for their record of misogyny without also Barbie movie (a good thing) getting attacked, and the audience wont want to do that
Thanks for the review! I loved Little Women, so I'm looking forward to both of this and Oppenheimer, but trying to manage expectations with the insane hype. Either way, it's going to be a good day at the movies this Saturday 😄
I'll always remember going to see this movie with all my friends, and when Will Ferrell said "I have a friend that's Jewish!!" We all looked at my Jewish friend and died laughing. The theater looked at us like we were crazy, but to us it was fantastic
Loved your review, you summed up my opinion of this movie very nicely. Overall I liked it, but there were so many important themes in it that for me the focus was lost a little bit. I also thought the themes were handled a little on the nose (even if it was on purpose) which for me was a little distracting. But overall I enjoyed myself watching this movie and I got some food for thought.
Awesome review Sydney your pink shirt is so pretty🤩💖. I can't wait to see it on Sunday with my sister. Would you say Barbie is your favourite movie of 2023?
Great review, can't wait to see it myself! I'm also super impressed at how consistently you're able to put out these high quality reviews with such a short turnaround! Keep it up!
Just saw it. I thought the ending was really disappointing. They should have suggested that the kens and Barbies work together as equals moving forward but instead, they decided to be petty and keep them relegated as second class citizens like in the “real world”. Annoying as hell.
Well that was the point, in the real world, men and women are stilm unequal, but at least we acknowledge that and are making some changes recently, thats why Barbie apologized to the Kens, but they still have work ahead to be treated as equals completely, just like real life in many different parts of the world
@@sopademacaco5785in the US it is literally illegal for any woman to be treated any differently than a man yet somehow people still believe we live in a patriarchy. This movie makes it clear that equality isn't the feminist agenda, because it has already been achieved but still isn't good enough
@@politicaleconomist6116 Im not talking about the US, im not even from there. The fact that you can only think about your own country instead of ones who still hold a patriarchal system says a lot. Besides, didn’t they took one of women’s right to abortion in most states from there? We are still not equal in there and in many other countries, and not only speaking legally, but also socially, with many powerful misogynistic men having a lot of influence on young boys, like what happened with Andrew tate and all these guys who started to make podcasts belittling women
@@sopademacaco5785 The movie was made in the US and Mattel is an American company. Abortion has been framed by feminism as a women's right, but it's a human right. Andrew Tate is considered counter culture and is overwhelmingly condemned by basically every institution of power.
@@politicaleconomist6116 It was made in the Us but its going to have a worldwide influence, not only there, abortion has been framed by feminists as a women’s right because its their own freedom and right to choose to have a baby and make their own decisions that will have effect in their own body both physically and psychologically.And like i said, I’ve talked about being differences of gender not only legally but socially, and even though Andrew tate has been condemned by the law, it has made an important impact in young teens and males in general across the west. Plus he wasn’t condemned by his hate speech against women, but for human trafficking.
This movie takes shots at men at every chance it can. These needs to be called out more. You can't claim to be against discrimination when you are doing it yourself. I'm glad that they are empowering little girls in our society, but it's not balanced or equal. Boys growing up watching entertainment like this are going to grow up shamed and filled with insecurities but maybe that's what they want and it's all part of the agenda.
LOL you missed the entire point. We live in a society where men hold the power and have historically kept women in subjugation/inequality since the dawn of civilization. The film addresses this and slightly flips things around in order for people to see how women have always felt. Barbie even acknowledges how she treated Ken, and encourages him to exist as his own autonomous person toward the end. Addressing the patriarchy and toxic masculinity is not equivalent to bashing men. It points out reality in a humorous and clever way to encourage introspection. It's hilarious because this is the reality of how men have behaved toward women, and now men are butthurt when their own reflection is shown to them in the mirror. If men were actually secure and confident in their masculinity, addressing these issues wouldn't be a problem. As a man, I love this film and kudos to Greta and everyone involved for being so bold in tackling these topics.
Why can't it. When movies like James Bond or for that matter almost every second movie in Hollywood, treat women as mere objects or even say so called famous sitcom for that matter like HIMYM where a narcissistic stalk and harass woman all throughout the series and still could get away and get called a nice guy, then why can't a movie made by and especially for women be unapologetic to show what women are made to feel on daily basis by awful man. Why is it that the same man who like to treat and enjoy it when women are treated as a mere object feel existential crisis when their toxic maneuvers are being called out and when they are shown as a mere accessory.
Is this the phantom patriarchy you lot see everywhere? Candace Owens is one of the more popular personas on the right. Is This the Year of the Republican Woman? With a record number of conservative female candidates on the ballot, 2020 could be GOP women’s turn to make history.
The film Barbie despite its potential box office success, disappoints on multiple levels, as it pushes an overly political agenda and fails to deliver a genuinely empowering message. Rather than being the enjoyable and lighthearted comedy it was marketed as, the film veers into a feminist lecture that alienates its audience, including the fans of Barbie. The director, Greta Gerwig, seems to have infused the movie with her ultra-woke mindset, resulting in a lack of nuance and depth. From the outset, the movie feels like a Trojan horse, disguising its heavy-handed agenda of perceived male hatred and an obsession with dismantling the patriarchy. The supposed empowerment narrative turns out to be a thinly veiled man-bashing exercise that trades humor for misguided messages about sexism and patriarchy. Even the Barbie-Ken romance is undermined, perpetuating a narrative that emasculates male characters rather than promoting healthy, equal relationships. As the plot unfolds, the movie takes an unexpected turn with Barbie's struggle with menopause, a topic that feels disconnected and adds to the film's lack of coherence. The portrayal of Ken as a deranged antagonist and the subsequent attempt to establish a matriarchal society in Barbie land further detract from the movie's credibility. The film's failure to balance entertainment with meaningful storytelling exposes larger issues within Hollywood, as it appears more focused on pushing biased feminist agendas than fostering creativity and joy. The movie's divisive and biased messages are harmful, doing a disservice not only to young girls and women but also to men and families. Moreover, the film's LGBTQ+ connotations may not be inherently problematic, but their execution and portrayal could be concerning, particularly when aimed at a young audience. It is essential to approach such themes with sensitivity and thoughtfulness, considering the age-appropriateness of the content and its potential impact on young minds. In conclusion, I cannot recommend Barbie to anyone seeking an enjoyable and meaningful cinematic experience. The film's promotion of the fifth wave of feminism seems to have lost sight of what true empowerment means for both women and men. It is a shame that such potential for a masterpiece was squandered by the director's agenda-driven approach, highlighting the broken state of Hollywood today. This film could have been great, but it ultimately falls flat, echoing the problematic trends seen in some Disney films as well. Considering its flaws, I would advise against letting young audiences, especially nieces and daughters, watch this film. Instead, we should seek content that promotes genuine empowerment and fosters positive values.
As a male, I feel the complete opposite of you. Perhaps you took the film too personal. It was poking fun at itself (the entire concept of Barbie/toy capitalism) and making comments at society in present tense. Neither side displayed was 100% true in my opinion, however that was the point. To make you think and have a reaction. Some of the male themes it addressed do happen currently. And as a male who has hobbies that are more masculine, I chuckled at some of what was shown cause it is true for me cause that is how I am wired. Some of the themes presented are what is happening in both fairy tale land (IMO where we wish of having the ideal place and goals) and in America. If you disagreed with it, fair, however that does not mean that it does not resonate with many people who will watch it. I am not the primary audience the movie was looking for however I still took a ton from it. It is a much deeper movie than it marketed itself while also being lighthearted and funny at times. I think it was unique and among my favorites this year.
it's not a man hating film, the whole purpose of it all is that it shows parallels between barbieland and the real world. it shows how gender inequality affects both sexes. when ken discovers the patriarchy he had to uphold its values such as the idea that men should never cry, seeing as he was calling himself pathetic for doing so. and who came up with that ideology to begin with, wouldn't it be men? point is it just shines light on how even the concept of barbie, a doll that's capable of anything, a doll whose job is to empower women and young girls are under the hands of men and capitalism. so no calling it a man hating film misses the entire point of the movie.
Your thoughts were exactly what I was thinking in terms of the negative. Overall it was a fun time but the writing was a little off and it felt like I was being spoon-fed lines which made it less effective. When it did have great moments, they shined too like the ending (I actually got emotional). I guess I’m just mixed on it like you are. Thanks for your review queen!
Mattel is not the main funder of this movie. It's being distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. Mattel is one of the four production companies making the Barbie movie. Also Margo Robbie in an interview mentions that Mattel had to be spoon-fed the script for almost a hundred things in the script, to get Mattel to sign off on the script. In some instances Mattel executives had to go to the film set to see how things worked, because they were freaked out by some things in the script. So it sounds more like Mattel had to be dragged along to get them to let the film be made.
I hear you but I still think it can’t be without a conflict of interest, Mattel hasn’t had too many live action films, or maybe any of this scale, so they definitely had to be open to some risks but ultimately wouldn’t do anything that wasn’t advantageous to them
Yeah but Mattel had to sign off on the film and whenever any of their products were featured, so they would have expected some promotions of their product.
@@SydneyVolpe I think Mattel in real life are motivated as they are portrayed in the film : All they care about is making money. Personally I think the idea of Mattel creating franchises from their other toy IP is going to bomb compared to the Barbie. Barbie has a broad audience appeal, and I don't see this with their other toy lines. Kids will love live action toy movies, but I don't think this will happen for adults. I think their best bet is to create a Ken movie that can explore the issues that Ken faces, especially in sorting out who he really is apart from Barbie. This could settle a bunch of issues, and address the folks that feel that the Barbie movie was anti-men. ( Ken was along for the ride, but he was not the main focus of the Barbie movie. Which is why I think Ken should get his own movie. )
I loved your review. The lack of nuance and heavy-handed messaging really disappointed me. The “precocious” tween character was very irritating and dragged down every scene for me
Im watching this movie in a couple of hours and I am beyond hyped for this movie, I'm ashamed to say I haven't seen Greta Gerwig two other movies Ladybird and Little Women but I'm watching this movie and I'm excited that I'm finally watching a movie by Greta Gerwig.
What a wonderful weekend for movies. Yes, LOVE the Cera mention, he got the most laughs from me after Gosling and McKinnon. Barenheimer was exhausting in a good way! Barbie first, then Oppenheimer last, unbelievable experience.
I watched this in a theater in South Korea. Even though some of the politics are on the nose to American audiences, they're still fresh to Asian audiences.
@@SydneyVolpe A lot of the jokes didn't translate, but that's common (I wouldn't know how to translate the "beach off" sequence). I'm usually the only one laughing in the theater. Generally, it's been positive. I think the message is more subversive and subtle in Korea. I enjoyed your review.
Margot doesn't remind me of Barbie, and Ryan doesn't remind me of Ken at all. I think Ken is a strong, silent type, and Barbie is a carefree type who can also be serious. I never thought Barbie came from a perfect world. She was into dressing nice. She also had a Malibu camper. So, she was fairly rugged and adventurous. Kind of a hippie in a way. Looking at the whole thing kind of irks me. Just because you like to dress up doesn't mean you are a total plastic ditz. Just because you date a surfer Ken who doesn't do much else, doesn't mean he is some vapid loser. I think Barbie's colors more were orange than pink also. Her camper was orange. She was a beach girl always in bathing suits.
Would you recommend this film to a straight man it’s just all the guys I’ve spoke to seem to dismiss because it’s Barbie and I guess we have been conditioned not to like Barbie but I like the director and all the actors plus I like girly films some times as a example I like Clueless as much as I like Predator 😊
Having not seeing it except the excerpts on YT ... yet, I can tell it has deep life meanings and will impactful for it's creation. It will be studied in the future. Pure perma-grin fantasy of innocence and humor ... and fantastic graphics, script, and pace ... and no, I haven't even seen it yet. Emotional Cotton Candy!!! Yippee.
I haven't seen the movie and heard it has some good parts but overall it wasn't made for little girls! I heard she goes to a gynecologist and little girls do not need to see that.
Im conflicted bcuz i loved Little Women & i liked the feminism of that film too...but I did not like that aspect here in Barbie I think margot is the problem here & not greta, her production is a little 2 radical sometimes, & its kinda ironic bcuz she worked with David O Russel last year. & also u brought up how its a little bit corrupt for this film in general Its a shame bcuz this movie could hav been & SHOULD have been a home run but now its yet another culture war when it did not need to be...AT ALL
how is it a culture war? I am confused. the film made a point of making sure ken's story and point of view and discovery are very much a prominent part of the film. yes, the film was geared towards girls and women perhaps more than men, but barbie the toy and the brand are as well, so that is to be expected in terms of the brand. it amazes me that folks go down this road at all with this film. Barbie is genuinely saying that patriarchy when taken to extreme is bad for women and for men. it is also saying matriarchy when taken to extreme is bad for men and for women too. how are those ideas anything resembling a culture war moment? the extreme of either things makes it tough to be a human being. that is clear to me from BARBIE. I am a 56 year old gay man. I find it really interesting, and telling that for most of the summers in my adult life I have seen multiple blockbusters in the form of: the Spiderman movies, the batman movies, the x-men movies, the superman movies, the Raiders of the lost ark movies, the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, even the Harry Potter movies. those movies from their respective franchises have dominated the summer blockbuster scene for literally the past about 40 years now. when I look at that list-do I see any pattern? any common denominator, at all? hmm. this one summer-for the first time-basically in the history of summer blockbusters we get a BARBIE. one movie, for the first time. and people lose their minds.. woke! culture wars! anti-men! how dare they!!! and on and on and on. I know you weren't being that extreme. but when you bring in the phrase "culture war"-i have to say I honestly don't know what you are talking about. and I don't see or hear or feel any wars going on in BARBIE. i hear a buzz phrase when I hear "culture war" that has been marketed to mask and soften what really, at the core of it, is bigotry and discrimination. truthfully. I hoped people (and I am not saying men-because it wasn't solely men, but mainly men) could be a little more generous based on all of those blockbuster moments I just mentioned. I don't recall their being an uproar around any of those other films when they were released. it is disappointing to see this in people. for me BARBIE was a home run. a major home run. I am glad that the billions it has brought in made it a home run for others too. again, what is the culture war you are speaking of here? and you do remember this film is about a doll. I don't understand how folks have gone down this road, and why they seem to be looking to start a culture war with this film, and that I do not understand (to quote you) AT ALL.
You put my thoughts into words so well 😭; i agree with this so much especially with the mention of the clunky switching between straight up banger insights and lines that were obviously delivered and meant to be taken as satire,, , i wish it focused on only One aspect it tried to tackle or like at least had a full hour more of run time, oppenheimer was 3 hours anyway 😭😭
Nice! You posted a review for this sooner than I expected! I skipped over the middle chunk of your review just so I can go into this flick and have my own thoughts before finding similarities or differences between mine and yours. I listened to your general thoughts, and now I have my expectations balanced. I'll be seeing "Barbie" tomorrow evening, and then I'll see a 70mm IMAX showing of "Oppenheimer" next weekend with friends. (This weekend, I might sneak in a re-watch of "M:I 7"😉) Great work as always, Sydney!😊 EDIT: I couldn't help myself. I watched the chunk that I initially skipped.
Honestly conservatives finding excuses to get mad at this movie and saying its gonna flop because it’s “feminist” or theres a trans actress in there(really, they’re only in there for maybe 5 minutes tops and its not even acknowledged yet they still get mad because grr trans people have roles in media) Like, this is literally barbie. Feminism, Female Empowerment And inclusivity is in its blood. Tbh i didnt think the messages were that in your face, even when they were i still found it enjoyable
Feminists literally protested Barbie in the 60's. It's hilarious how Mattel have convinced people Barbie is some huge womens rights figures. Her jobs through the 60's were teachers assistant, nurse, secratary and spaceman (space was hot then) and a bunch of outfits. It really has f all to do with feminism
I think it’s strange that some men pick and choose history. Also why not a empowering movie now when a human rights are being taken away as we speak from women all over the world. Its still very much a kens world as we speak lmao.
For me, living in Kazakhstan, this film came up very well. The mother speach was so real. And my friend, that not too emotional cried, I never saw her cry over a movie before. Sorry for my English.
You literally took all the words right out of my mouth. literally what I was saying after I watched the movie. I still gave it a four out of five, but I agree with everything you said.
I wish the story plot wasnt so politicaly complicated given its a story of dolls,,, also a romance with ken (ryan) would of been great and more fun to watch … like i hate how he just left her in the human world without a care …
Great review and sxcited to see what I’ll think about the topics you talked about like commercialized aspects. I am watching it tomorrow and will probably watch this again after I review it on my page.
Barbie being a box office and Little mermaid not just proves that racism is alive and kicking in the United States, 2 years of racism and talk of boycott started ever since Disney announced who was going to play the little mermaid in 2020
Or the movie was just really bad and most people didn't want to see a shoehorned reboot of a already beloved IP. Using the racism card to defend a corporation that actively both have a racist history and an even homophobic history is somewhat ironic.
A man clearly hurt Greta Gerwig quite badly in the past and it seems to have coloured her world view. That or she lacks the ability to think critically... Therapy would help her work out her issues and stop hating men so much.
Omg the girlboss millennial feminism churned my stomach too. it was so ehhh to watch even if it was an important message. That being said the themes that were well executed were about reality vs fantasy, clinging onto your inner child, embracing imperfection to be human because perfection isnt attainable. Barbie learning what it means to be human is so beautiful and there are certain moments of womanhood (ie Barbie and the old woman and Barbie + Barbie inventor) that were so heartmoving it did kinda "fix" the millenial girlboss stuff for me. not as annoying anymore then.
I think the move was saying don’t get complacent there’s still a lot to fight. like the control over your body lmao. Unless your ok with that. Never got girl boss from this movie.
for me the thing that bothered me was that they kind of speak only in the language of buzzwords and common talking points (even though they're correct) - but on the other hand it's not played up absurdly enough to feel like a consistent tongue-in-cheek tonal decision ? so it just kind of falls into a weird category of feeling unnatural in an unintentional way a lot of the time. that won't bother everyone but i think it would've been stronger if they'd picked a direction and leaned into it harder - either play it up more, or have the characters think of other more personalised ways to express what they're experiencing that they'd believably think of
Women have better things to do then watch this movie. lol Positive spin. Lol I totally agree with you what is with so many male movie critiques. I would imagine women would have excelled in expressing there opinion to everyone who willl listen.
It’s hard not to be influenced one way or the other by the hype surrounding a movie. I heard so many positive things about Barbie that I had high expectations. So when I saw it I was disappointed and felt like I wasted my money seeing it. But in retrospect it was a decent enough movie. The first half of the movie was pretty funny. But it got pretty boring after a while. I was happy when it ended. For me this is a C- movie.
A film which targets fascism, beauty standards and corporate capitalism, and which derives most of its viewing pleasure from fascistic simplicity, extraordinary beauty in its cast, and a corporate capitalist creation. The film has two screenwriters, which perhaps explains its mixed messaging. There are some comments criticizing a simplified view of the patriarchy (pointing out you can’t get a CEO job without an MBA, irregardless of gender, for example), but ultimately it asks us to buy into a simplified view of the patriarchy, strangely punctuated by an extradiegetic image gallery of Sylvester Stallone for some reason. It also briefly criticizes a divide of the sexes, with sympathy towards the solely subservient Ken, in parts, but ultimately ends on a triumphant division of the sexes with women writing the constitution. In keeping with modern culture, all men in the movie are hopeless buffoons, and all women are innately wonderful. They seem to be mocking this idea at the start, with women winning Noble prizes seemingly without doing any work, but end up reconfirming this culturally cliched trope. The men become the clear villains, with a desperate need to impress themselves upon women, and to compete with each other to do so. Any attempts to please women, through such sinister means as singing, paying compliments and wishing to protect, are portrayed as worthy of derision, through a rigidly hateful lens. The women are portrayed as the heroines. In the narrative, they ultimately rely on the promise of sex, manipulation, lies and cruelty as their tools, and these are presented as positive attributes and tactics. It’s a film about a children’s doll, made by a self indulgent director, that will ultimately appeal to similarly miserable and unattractive middle aged women, who are invited to identify with a very attractive lead star who deserves to make a lot of money out of the conceit.
Finally saw it, very happy to eat my words on this. A largely brilliant movie that’s surprisingly much deeper and thought provoking than I expected. A wonderful Trojan horse of a film.
I agree. I just saw it today and I thought it was great. I knew the biggest criticism that it was receiving was that it was to preachy with its messaging but I didn’t feel that.
I’m curious myself, it’s already a political touchstone with republicans freaking out over it, which makes me want to see it more. It could actually be an interesting litmus test for people and it’s good when movies provoke a dialog.
Great movie to watch in a packed cinema, it was a blast but definitely thanks to the shared experience and vibes in the room (I can't imagine watching it alone on bluray and enjoying it nearly as much).
I definitely agree wirh a lot of this review (especially the way the film handled in terms of the writing and thematic stages) and I don't think as strong as Greta's last two outings as a director with Lady Bird and Little Women, but I still thought it was great for what it was and I really hope that not only Greta still allows her voice as a director still gets the chance to shine through whatever she does indie or big studio works, but the message the film wants to coveny will connect to the audience watching it (especially the women watching it). I'm seeing Oppenhimer tomorrow afternoon in IMAX (can't wait!). Also I hope Gosling's Ken song gets nominated for Best Song comes award season.
Exceeded my high expectations. SUCH a good time, especially if you aren’t entertained by hollow fluff. It was fun, with substance. Both my daughters loved it. The whole theatre applauded at one point. My husband is going with me tonight.
How old are your daughters? Mine are 10 and 12 and they really disliked the movie. Are your daughters older? I didn't see it, because I have no interest, but thought they would like it.
went to see Oppenheimer last night in White Marsh, Maryland, but the real story was the crowds of excited women, dressed in Pink, and their boyfriends trying their best to look dandy, going to see Barbie. I can't remember a time I've ever seen women en-masse, all generations, going to the cinema. The clash of worlds at the cinema was special and fun, like a small cosplay convention at each theater around America last night and this whole weekend. Big contrast afterward of course, solemn crowds coming out of Oppe. I'm eager to hear your thoughts on Oppe and the contrast of feelings in one weekend between these two blockbusters, and society at large, and what contrasting thoughts and conversations arise in those people who see Both of these Films in one weekend. I'm seeing Barbie on Sunday.
We just got back from seeing the movie. Loved it. Congrats Margot, Noah, Margot, and Ryan. A+. But the star of show was America Fererra! Funny, full of surprises and a great script. (-:
Hey y’all SAG-AFRTA/WGA resources will be in the description! Wanted to use this to address my comment about Mattel being run by all men and how that is portrayed in the movie - this isn’t true and I should’ve added more detail. While the current CEO and CFO are men, there are plenty of women in leadership roles and the inventor of Barbie Ruth Handler was the first president of the company. However, it is still a systemic issue beyond Mattel and the point I hoped to make was that it feels like an empty commentary coming from a movie like this one. Sorry for any confusion.
Only positives no bad things to say about this movie.... This movie is not good... Men are bad 😮
The streaming platforms can't budge because they make way less money than claimed. So it is a stalemate? I hope they find a solution.
@@BTHABIT. wow. good luck in life.
ok, so the whole war between men and women thing is cool though? and between us and the boomers, and between black and white? and between right and left, and between bigots and saints? and... wow we are really this easy to control arn't we?
Isn’t Mattel being run only by men just blatantly not true? Their board of directors is like 6/11 woman, on top of having had a female CEO for over 30 years. What exactly is the patriarchal humor against Mattel supposed to get Mattel to change corporately. It just seems like projecting something about corporate America that just really isn’t that true anymore to a harming degree.
I think this movie is massively oversold by the reviews just due to its political humor. I really didn’t think it was a good movie, and that’s not even getting into the plot problems, but if someone can explain what I’m missing than I’m all ears.
It's clear you've engaged deeply with its complexities
6:43 There are 5 women and 6 men on the board of Mattel. I don't know why the movie lies about that.
I’m glad this got pointed out. It’s easy to just go along with what is interpreted on screen but truth is everyone in charge at Mattel isn’t a man like the film would like you to think. And the CEO for over 30 years was a woman. The literal rise of Barbie happened under the direction and leadership of a woman.
Great review as always, Sydney! I’m excited to see Barbie hopefully sometime next week after I’m seeing Oppenheimer Friday night. I think Greta Gerwig has proven to be a great and talented director after Lady Bird and Little Women which I both liked. The sets and costumes look off the charts, it looks funny and entertaining and it seems like both Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling were born to play Barbie and Ken. Hoping to enjoy this one.
Thanks for the review ! I agree 100% with what you said! I was also disappointed with the heavy handedness That was closer to the end of the movie. And you can definitely feel the constraints that Mattel had over this movie. But overall it was funny and heartwarming . I bought tickets to see it again this weekend 😅
I’m literally at the movies theaters and about to do the double feature lol. Great review Sydney, can’t wait to check Barbie out soon.
Omgg have so much fun Bernardo! What’s first?!
@@SydneyVolpe Oppenheimer than Barbie
“Greta! You didn’t change the level of female representation on the board of Mattel!” is a pretty big ask from a film.
If you think I’m critiquing Greta you’re missing the point lol
@@SydneyVolpe
Having just seen the film, I agree it's a little speechy - but then I kind of agreed with everything America Ferrera said. And you gotta admit, the politics were markedly better than the garden variety lean-in liberalism you'd get from, say, SNL - don't you think?
There are 5 women and 6 men on the board of Mattel. I don't know why the movie lies about that.
@@xe666 7 out of 8 of their c suite positions are men and there are plenty of companies where the entire c suite is male, yet I can’t think of one company where the entire c suite (or even 7/8ths) is female. That’s the point 🙄
@@xe666 in fairness it's actually not set in the present day although that's easy to miss
Hadnt seen any trailers for this & actually had lower expectations that were surpassed. The comedy was really hitting for me & Kate was just Kate, everything she said had me dying. "play guitar at you" might be the best line of the movie 😂 i think you're right, the tonal shift between the actual emotional moments and the "tumblr art posts" made me interested to see how the script was influenced by studio. Theres a lot of big company roasts in movies now but yeah they dont care because the $ they can get from it is far superior. Also Mattel or whoever would rather align themselves with something like this so its a "if i go down you do too" type pact, they cant be fully attacked by the public for their record of misogyny without also Barbie movie (a good thing) getting attacked, and the audience wont want to do that
Thanks for the review! I loved Little Women, so I'm looking forward to both of this and Oppenheimer, but trying to manage expectations with the insane hype. Either way, it's going to be a good day at the movies this Saturday 😄
I'll always remember going to see this movie with all my friends, and when Will Ferrell said "I have a friend that's Jewish!!" We all looked at my Jewish friend and died laughing. The theater looked at us like we were crazy, but to us it was fantastic
Loved your review, you summed up my opinion of this movie very nicely. Overall I liked it, but there were so many important themes in it that for me the focus was lost a little bit. I also thought the themes were handled a little on the nose (even if it was on purpose) which for me was a little distracting. But overall I enjoyed myself watching this movie and I got some food for thought.
Awesome review Sydney your pink shirt is so pretty🤩💖. I can't wait to see it on Sunday with my sister. Would you say Barbie is your favourite movie of 2023?
Great review, can't wait to see it myself!
I'm also super impressed at how consistently you're able to put out these high quality reviews with such a short turnaround! Keep it up!
That means the world to me thank you for watching!! Hope you enjoy it🙏🏼
What? Are you are women
You crushed this review
Just saw it. I thought the ending was really disappointing. They should have suggested that the kens and Barbies work together as equals moving forward but instead, they decided to be petty and keep them relegated as second class citizens like in the “real world”. Annoying as hell.
Well that was the point, in the real world, men and women are stilm unequal, but at least we acknowledge that and are making some changes recently, thats why Barbie apologized to the Kens, but they still have work ahead to be treated as equals completely, just like real life in many different parts of the world
@@sopademacaco5785in the US it is literally illegal for any woman to be treated any differently than a man yet somehow people still believe we live in a patriarchy. This movie makes it clear that equality isn't the feminist agenda, because it has already been achieved but still isn't good enough
@@politicaleconomist6116 Im not talking about the US, im not even from there. The fact that you can only think about your own country instead of ones who still hold a patriarchal system says a lot. Besides, didn’t they took one of women’s right to abortion in most states from there? We are still not equal in there and in many other countries, and not only speaking legally, but also socially, with many powerful misogynistic men having a lot of influence on young boys, like what happened with Andrew tate and all these guys who started to make podcasts belittling women
@@sopademacaco5785 The movie was made in the US and Mattel is an American company. Abortion has been framed by feminism as a women's right, but it's a human right. Andrew Tate is considered counter culture and is overwhelmingly condemned by basically every institution of power.
@@politicaleconomist6116 It was made in the Us but its going to have a worldwide influence, not only there, abortion has been framed by feminists as a women’s right because its their own freedom and right to choose to have a baby and make their own decisions that will have effect in their own body both physically and psychologically.And like i said, I’ve talked about being differences of gender not only legally but socially, and even though Andrew tate has been condemned by the law, it has made an important impact in young teens and males in general across the west. Plus he wasn’t condemned by his hate speech against women, but for human trafficking.
Going to the cinema on your own rules and makes those times when you go with other people more special
I loved Barbie, but I 100% agree on your criticisms. The commercialism in this was really distracting!
Nice review.
Thanks for watching Bleak🙏🏼
☝️ love this totally agree it was very fun but gave me a lot of cringe
My wife and myself were dissapointed...they hit you with the message throughought the whole movie...plus, it's not funny
This movie takes shots at men at every chance it can. These needs to be called out more. You can't claim to be against discrimination when you are doing it yourself. I'm glad that they are empowering little girls in our society, but it's not balanced or equal. Boys growing up watching entertainment like this are going to grow up shamed and filled with insecurities but maybe that's what they want and it's all part of the agenda.
100% truth
LOL you missed the entire point. We live in a society where men hold the power and have historically kept women in subjugation/inequality since the dawn of civilization. The film addresses this and slightly flips things around in order for people to see how women have always felt. Barbie even acknowledges how she treated Ken, and encourages him to exist as his own autonomous person toward the end. Addressing the patriarchy and toxic masculinity is not equivalent to bashing men. It points out reality in a humorous and clever way to encourage introspection. It's hilarious because this is the reality of how men have behaved toward women, and now men are butthurt when their own reflection is shown to them in the mirror. If men were actually secure and confident in their masculinity, addressing these issues wouldn't be a problem. As a man, I love this film and kudos to Greta and everyone involved for being so bold in tackling these topics.
Why can't it. When movies like James Bond or for that matter almost every second movie in Hollywood, treat women as mere objects or even say so called famous sitcom for that matter like HIMYM where a narcissistic stalk and harass woman all throughout the series and still could get away and get called a nice guy, then why can't a movie made by and especially for women be unapologetic to show what women are made to feel on daily basis by awful man. Why is it that the same man who like to treat and enjoy it when women are treated as a mere object feel existential crisis when their toxic maneuvers are being called out and when they are shown as a mere accessory.
@@nal8098 EXACTLY 👏🏼
Pffffftttt!!!!
And I’m glad the GOP hates this movie and feels threatened by it. Nothing more terrifying to those people than a woman in power.
Is this the phantom patriarchy you lot see everywhere?
Candace Owens is one of the more popular personas on the right.
Is This the Year of the Republican Woman?
With a record number of conservative female candidates on the ballot, 2020 could be GOP women’s turn to make history.
The film Barbie despite its potential box office success, disappoints on multiple levels, as it pushes an overly political agenda and fails to deliver a genuinely empowering message. Rather than being the enjoyable and lighthearted comedy it was marketed as, the film veers into a feminist lecture that alienates its audience, including the fans of Barbie. The director, Greta Gerwig, seems to have infused the movie with her ultra-woke mindset, resulting in a lack of nuance and depth.
From the outset, the movie feels like a Trojan horse, disguising its heavy-handed agenda of perceived male hatred and an obsession with dismantling the patriarchy. The supposed empowerment narrative turns out to be a thinly veiled man-bashing exercise that trades humor for misguided messages about sexism and patriarchy. Even the Barbie-Ken romance is undermined, perpetuating a narrative that emasculates male characters rather than promoting healthy, equal relationships.
As the plot unfolds, the movie takes an unexpected turn with Barbie's struggle with menopause, a topic that feels disconnected and adds to the film's lack of coherence. The portrayal of Ken as a deranged antagonist and the subsequent attempt to establish a matriarchal society in Barbie land further detract from the movie's credibility.
The film's failure to balance entertainment with meaningful storytelling exposes larger issues within Hollywood, as it appears more focused on pushing biased feminist agendas than fostering creativity and joy. The movie's divisive and biased messages are harmful, doing a disservice not only to young girls and women but also to men and families.
Moreover, the film's LGBTQ+ connotations may not be inherently problematic, but their execution and portrayal could be concerning, particularly when aimed at a young audience. It is essential to approach such themes with sensitivity and thoughtfulness, considering the age-appropriateness of the content and its potential impact on young minds.
In conclusion, I cannot recommend Barbie to anyone seeking an enjoyable and meaningful cinematic experience. The film's promotion of the fifth wave of feminism seems to have lost sight of what true empowerment means for both women and men. It is a shame that such potential for a masterpiece was squandered by the director's agenda-driven approach, highlighting the broken state of Hollywood today. This film could have been great, but it ultimately falls flat, echoing the problematic trends seen in some Disney films as well.
Considering its flaws, I would advise against letting young audiences, especially nieces and daughters, watch this film. Instead, we should seek content that promotes genuine empowerment and fosters positive values.
As a male, I feel the complete opposite of you. Perhaps you took the film too personal. It was poking fun at itself (the entire concept of Barbie/toy capitalism) and making comments at society in present tense. Neither side displayed was 100% true in my opinion, however that was the point. To make you think and have a reaction. Some of the male themes it addressed do happen currently. And as a male who has hobbies that are more masculine, I chuckled at some of what was shown cause it is true for me cause that is how I am wired.
Some of the themes presented are what is happening in both fairy tale land (IMO where we wish of having the ideal place and goals) and in America. If you disagreed with it, fair, however that does not mean that it does not resonate with many people who will watch it. I am not the primary audience the movie was looking for however I still took a ton from it. It is a much deeper movie than it marketed itself while also being lighthearted and funny at times. I think it was unique and among my favorites this year.
It's a man hating film. If the gender roles were reversed in this film Women would be absolutely outraged
it's not a man hating film, the whole purpose of it all is that it shows parallels between barbieland and the real world. it shows how gender inequality affects both sexes. when ken discovers the patriarchy he had to uphold its values such as the idea that men should never cry, seeing as he was calling himself pathetic for doing so. and who came up with that ideology to begin with, wouldn't it be men? point is it just shines light on how even the concept of barbie, a doll that's capable of anything, a doll whose job is to empower women and young girls are under the hands of men and capitalism. so no calling it a man hating film misses the entire point of the movie.
I am a male and disagree.
Your thoughts were exactly what I was thinking in terms of the negative. Overall it was a fun time but the writing was a little off and it felt like I was being spoon-fed lines which made it less effective. When it did have great moments, they shined too like the ending (I actually got emotional). I guess I’m just mixed on it like you are. Thanks for your review queen!
6:42 correction - Mattel is not run by all men; their board of directors (11 seats) has 5 women on it
Mattel is not the main funder of this movie. It's being distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. Mattel is one of the four production companies making the Barbie movie. Also Margo Robbie in an interview mentions that Mattel had to be spoon-fed the script for almost a hundred things in the script, to get Mattel to sign off on the script. In some instances Mattel executives had to go to the film set to see how things worked, because they were freaked out by some things in the script. So it sounds more like Mattel had to be dragged along to get them to let the film be made.
I hear you but I still think it can’t be without a conflict of interest, Mattel hasn’t had too many live action films, or maybe any of this scale, so they definitely had to be open to some risks but ultimately wouldn’t do anything that wasn’t advantageous to them
Yeah but Mattel had to sign off on the film and whenever any of their products were featured, so they would have expected some promotions of their product.
@@BridgeDDD The Mattel board in real life are made up of roughly 50 percent women.
@@SydneyVolpe I think Mattel in real life are motivated as they are portrayed in the film : All they care about is making money.
Personally I think the idea of Mattel creating franchises from their other toy IP is going to bomb compared to the Barbie. Barbie has a broad audience appeal, and I don't see this with their other toy lines. Kids will love live action toy movies, but I don't think this will happen for adults.
I think their best bet is to create a Ken movie that can explore the issues that Ken faces, especially in sorting out who he really is apart from Barbie. This could settle a bunch of issues, and address the folks that feel that the Barbie movie was anti-men. ( Ken was along for the ride, but he was not the main focus of the Barbie movie. Which is why I think Ken should get his own movie. )
Gave this movie a try but wasn't really feeling this too much.
There is 5 female board of directors at mattel.
I loved your review. The lack of nuance and heavy-handed messaging really disappointed me. The “precocious” tween character was very irritating and dragged down every scene for me
Uh... the tween girl was _supposed_ to be deeply unlikable. She grows and softens as she exposes herself to her mother's inner world.
I CANNOT WAIT TO GET MY I AM KENOUGH TIE-DYE HOODIE
I NEED ONE
Studio interference? Are you saying they should release the Gerwig cut?
Ryan Gosling is the funniest actor working today and I don’t think I’m kidding
Im watching this movie in a couple of hours and I am beyond hyped for this movie, I'm ashamed to say I haven't seen Greta Gerwig two other movies Ladybird and Little Women but I'm watching this movie and I'm excited that I'm finally watching a movie by Greta Gerwig.
Hope you have fun! I definitely recommend visiting her other films, she’s such an excellent filmmaker
@@SydneyVolpe Thanks Sydney ! and I definitely will check out her other movies
Is this movie made for kids or adults ?
Adults. It's rated PG-13, but I'm not sure most young teenagers would really "get" it.
They lost the chance to encourage young boys to be respectful to women, be an advocate to women; to encourage women.
Yeah this isnt for boys but I could easily see it having the opoosite effect
Huh?
What a wonderful weekend for movies. Yes, LOVE the Cera mention, he got the most laughs from me after Gosling and McKinnon.
Barenheimer was exhausting in a good way! Barbie first, then Oppenheimer last, unbelievable experience.
If you don’t mind me asking which film did you think was the best between the 2?
@@cooperwolfe5478 Oppenheimer.
@@alexleonce1913 Honestly it was a really tough choice because I thought both films were great but I would personally choose Barbie.
I wish I had pink when to watch this movie in 😂
There are 5 women on the Mattel board of directors. To make its points, the movie had to create a "real world" that doesn't actually exist.
5 women and 6 men! So almost equal
right.
Can’t wait for your Oppenheimer review ❤
Seeing it tonight! :)
I watched this in a theater in South Korea. Even though some of the politics are on the nose to American audiences, they're still fresh to Asian audiences.
Thank you for sharing that perspective I hadn’t thought of how it would be received across the world. How do you think the audience liked it?
@@SydneyVolpe A lot of the jokes didn't translate, but that's common (I wouldn't know how to translate the "beach off" sequence). I'm usually the only one laughing in the theater. Generally, it's been positive. I think the message is more subversive and subtle in Korea. I enjoyed your review.
I feel Bad for the girls who didnt like the movie and can't say shit because they Will be labeled as facists
Fascist over not liking a Barbie movie? People have issues.
And for the group who was vocal about not seeing it, your thoughts?
Margot doesn't remind me of Barbie, and Ryan doesn't remind me of Ken at all. I think Ken is a strong, silent type, and Barbie is a carefree type who can also be serious. I never thought Barbie came from a perfect world. She was into dressing nice. She also had a Malibu camper. So, she was fairly rugged and adventurous. Kind of a hippie in a way. Looking at the whole thing kind of irks me.
Just because you like to dress up doesn't mean you are a total plastic ditz. Just because you date a surfer Ken who doesn't do much else, doesn't mean he is some vapid loser. I think Barbie's colors more were orange than pink also. Her camper was orange. She was a beach girl always in bathing suits.
Would you recommend this film to a straight man it’s just all the guys I’ve spoke to seem to dismiss because it’s Barbie and I guess we have been conditioned not to like Barbie but I like the director and all the actors plus I like girly films some times as a example I like Clueless as much as I like Predator 😊
Currently the Mattel board of directors is comprised of 5 women and 6 men so they didn’t represent the true Mattel board in the movie…
for some reason your review didn’t show up in my subscribers section…. weird
Having not seeing it except the excerpts on YT ... yet, I can tell it has deep life meanings and will impactful for it's creation. It will be studied in the future. Pure perma-grin fantasy of innocence and humor ... and fantastic graphics, script, and pace ... and no, I haven't even seen it yet. Emotional Cotton Candy!!! Yippee.
I haven't seen the movie and heard it has some good parts but overall it wasn't made for little girls! I heard she goes to a gynecologist and little girls do not need to see that.
The movie was good but I overhyped it so much that I was disappointed, it's it's 7.5/10 or a 8/10 but I expected a 10/10
I’m with you! But at the end of the day it’s just awesome Barbie and Oppenheimer both ended up getting great reception
The only opinion I care about
💖
Im conflicted bcuz i loved Little Women & i liked the feminism of that film too...but I did not like that aspect here in Barbie
I think margot is the problem here & not greta, her production is a little 2 radical sometimes, & its kinda ironic bcuz she worked with David O Russel last year. & also u brought up how its a little bit corrupt for this film in general
Its a shame bcuz this movie could hav been & SHOULD have been a home run but now its yet another culture war when it did not need to be...AT ALL
how is it a culture war? I am confused. the film made a point of making sure ken's story and point of view and discovery are very much a prominent part of the film. yes, the film was geared towards girls and women perhaps more than men, but barbie the toy and the brand are as well, so that is to be expected in terms of the brand. it amazes me that folks go down this road at all with this film. Barbie is genuinely saying that patriarchy when taken to extreme is bad for women and for men. it is also saying matriarchy when taken to extreme is bad for men and for women too. how are those ideas anything resembling a culture war moment? the extreme of either things makes it tough to be a human being. that is clear to me from BARBIE.
I am a 56 year old gay man. I find it really interesting, and telling that for most of the summers in my adult life I have seen multiple blockbusters in the form of: the Spiderman movies, the batman movies, the x-men movies, the superman movies, the Raiders of the lost ark movies, the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, even the Harry Potter movies. those movies from their respective franchises have dominated the summer blockbuster scene for literally the past about 40 years now. when I look at that list-do I see any pattern? any common denominator, at all? hmm. this one summer-for the first time-basically in the history of summer blockbusters we get a BARBIE. one movie, for the first time. and people lose their minds..
woke! culture wars! anti-men! how dare they!!! and on and on and on. I know you weren't being that extreme. but when you bring in the phrase "culture war"-i have to say I honestly don't know what you are talking about. and I don't see or hear or feel any wars going on in BARBIE. i hear a buzz phrase when I hear "culture war" that has been marketed to mask and soften what really, at the core of it, is bigotry and discrimination. truthfully. I hoped people (and I am not saying men-because it wasn't solely men, but mainly men) could be a little more generous based on all of those blockbuster moments I just mentioned. I don't recall their being an uproar around any of those other films when they were released. it is disappointing to see this in people. for me BARBIE was a home run. a major home run. I am glad that the billions it has brought in made it a home run for others too. again, what is the culture war you are speaking of here? and you do remember this film is about a doll. I don't understand how folks have gone down this road, and why they seem to be looking to start a culture war with this film, and that I do not understand (to quote you) AT ALL.
The scene with the lady at the bus stop made me cry too 💓🥹
So simple but profound💜
You put my thoughts into words so well 😭; i agree with this so much especially with the mention of the clunky switching between straight up banger insights and lines that were obviously delivered and meant to be taken as satire,, , i wish it focused on only One aspect it tried to tackle or like at least had a full hour more of run time, oppenheimer was 3 hours anyway 😭😭
😂😂😂😂 sure 😂😂😂😂
Awesome review! I also just watched Barbie and found it surprising! There's a review up on my channel too if you're in a perusing mood Syd ☺
Nice! You posted a review for this sooner than I expected! I skipped over the middle chunk of your review just so I can go into this flick and have my own thoughts before finding similarities or differences between mine and yours. I listened to your general thoughts, and now I have my expectations balanced.
I'll be seeing "Barbie" tomorrow evening, and then I'll see a 70mm IMAX showing of "Oppenheimer" next weekend with friends. (This weekend, I might sneak in a re-watch of "M:I 7"😉)
Great work as always, Sydney!😊
EDIT: I couldn't help myself. I watched the chunk that I initially skipped.
Its a disgusting anti male movie. It was total misandry from start to finish. It should be considered abuse to subject kids to that movie.
Honestly conservatives finding excuses to get mad at this movie and saying its gonna flop because it’s “feminist” or theres a trans actress in there(really, they’re only in there for maybe 5 minutes tops and its not even acknowledged yet they still get mad because grr trans people have roles in media)
Like, this is literally barbie. Feminism, Female Empowerment And inclusivity is in its blood. Tbh i didnt think the messages were that in your face, even when they were i still found it enjoyable
Feminists literally protested Barbie in the 60's. It's hilarious how Mattel have convinced people Barbie is some huge womens rights figures. Her jobs through the 60's were teachers assistant, nurse, secratary and spaceman (space was hot then) and a bunch of outfits. It really has f all to do with feminism
Bro I’m not even conservative and it’s a misandrist movie that’s it
Did you find it inclusive of men?
@@edwardfala7723 no
Pink suits you. I've never seen you so hyped for a movie. You've probably swayed me to watch it.
Thank you!😂 i think it’s worth checking out.
Like the scene in Waynes World, the plug for Nuprin, little, yellow, different?? lol
I think it’s strange that some men pick and choose history. Also why not a empowering movie now when a human rights are being taken away as we speak from women all over the world. Its still very much a kens world as we speak lmao.
For me, living in Kazakhstan, this film came up very well. The mother speach was so real. And my friend, that not too emotional cried, I never saw her cry over a movie before.
Sorry for my English.
You literally took all the words right out of my mouth. literally what I was saying after I watched the movie. I still gave it a four out of five, but I agree with everything you said.
Can i watch barbie with parents?
@@erehhh6199 for sure
I wish the story plot wasnt so politicaly complicated given its a story of dolls,,, also a romance with ken (ryan) would of been great and more fun to watch … like i hate how he just left her in the human world without a care …
Nice review! Going to lower expectations but still way excited going into it!
I think you’ll have so much fun! but managed expectations are definitely good haha
I liked it!
I haven't seen it, but I'm pretty sure this movie the female equivalent of "Ken World".
Incredible review Sydney!
Thanks reeltok podcast!!
Barbie on Friday. Oppenheimer on Saturday. Back to back was the plan but after working all day that would have been too much.
I took my wife and 8 year old daughter and was expecting a feel-good Toy Story like movie, instead was greeted with a leftist propaganda film.
Great review. What was your opinion on the scene when the mother talked about the struggles of being a woman?
Great review and sxcited to see what I’ll think about the topics you talked about like commercialized aspects. I am watching it tomorrow and will probably watch this again after I review it on my page.
I’m seeing Barbie on Sunday hopefully I’ll do a double feature again I did a double feature back in 2013 . I love ur review Sydney ❤️
Barbie being a box office and Little mermaid not just proves that racism is alive and kicking in the United States, 2 years of racism and talk of boycott started ever since Disney announced who was going to play the little mermaid in 2020
Or the movie was just really bad and most people didn't want to see a shoehorned reboot of a already beloved IP. Using the racism card to defend a corporation that actively both have a racist history and an even homophobic history is somewhat ironic.
No, that’s greta and Robbie.
A man clearly hurt Greta Gerwig quite badly in the past and it seems to have coloured her world view. That or she lacks the ability to think critically... Therapy would help her work out her issues and stop hating men so much.
Some of what was shown had some truth to it.
Great review!
Thanks for watching!
Barbie seeing an old woman sounds like the end of Logan’s Run
Ya Hit the nail on the head again, Syd. Good work.
Omg the girlboss millennial feminism churned my stomach too. it was so ehhh to watch even if it was an important message. That being said the themes that were well executed were about reality vs fantasy, clinging onto your inner child, embracing imperfection to be human because perfection isnt attainable. Barbie learning what it means to be human is so beautiful and there are certain moments of womanhood (ie Barbie and the old woman and Barbie + Barbie inventor) that were so heartmoving it did kinda "fix" the millenial girlboss stuff for me. not as annoying anymore then.
I think the move was saying don’t get complacent there’s still a lot to fight. like the control over your body lmao. Unless your ok with that. Never got girl boss from this movie.
when was it ever girl boss LOL i actually walked out feeling proud to be a woman
for me the thing that bothered me was that they kind of speak only in the language of buzzwords and common talking points (even though they're correct) - but on the other hand it's not played up absurdly enough to feel like a consistent tongue-in-cheek tonal decision ? so it just kind of falls into a weird category of feeling unnatural in an unintentional way a lot of the time. that won't bother everyone but i think it would've been stronger if they'd picked a direction and leaned into it harder - either play it up more, or have the characters think of other more personalised ways to express what they're experiencing that they'd believably think of
Best review of Barbie by far
You know what’s depressing? This is the only women I could find that reviewed the movie.
Women have better things to do then watch this movie. lol Positive spin. Lol I totally agree with you what is with so many male movie critiques. I would imagine women would have excelled in expressing there opinion to everyone who willl listen.
Have you looked?
Brittany Sellner
Alteori
Amaula Ekpunobi
Classically Abby
That Star Wars Girl
Kat Blaque
Melonie Mac Go Boom
Brittney Reacts
love the review!!
This movie was soooo stupid!! They destroyed my Barbie fantasy movie.👎
It’s hard not to be influenced one way or the other by the hype surrounding a movie. I heard so many positive things about Barbie that I had high expectations. So when I saw it I was disappointed and felt like I wasted my money seeing it. But in retrospect it was a decent enough movie. The first half of the movie was pretty funny. But it got pretty boring after a while. I was happy when it ended. For me this is a C- movie.
A film which targets fascism, beauty standards and corporate capitalism, and which derives most of its viewing pleasure from fascistic simplicity, extraordinary beauty in its cast, and a corporate capitalist creation.
The film has two screenwriters, which perhaps explains its mixed messaging. There are some comments criticizing a simplified view of the patriarchy (pointing out you can’t get a CEO job without an MBA, irregardless of gender, for example), but ultimately it asks us to buy into a simplified view of the patriarchy, strangely punctuated by an extradiegetic image gallery of Sylvester Stallone for some reason.
It also briefly criticizes a divide of the sexes, with sympathy towards the solely subservient Ken, in parts, but ultimately ends on a triumphant division of the sexes with women writing the constitution.
In keeping with modern culture, all men in the movie are hopeless buffoons, and all women are innately wonderful. They seem to be mocking this idea at the start, with women winning Noble prizes seemingly without doing any work, but end up reconfirming this culturally cliched trope.
The men become the clear villains, with a desperate need to impress themselves upon women, and to compete with each other to do so. Any attempts to please women, through such sinister means as singing, paying compliments and wishing to protect, are portrayed as worthy of derision, through a rigidly hateful lens.
The women are portrayed as the heroines. In the narrative, they ultimately rely on the promise of sex, manipulation, lies and cruelty as their tools, and these are presented as positive attributes and tactics.
It’s a film about a children’s doll, made by a self indulgent director, that will ultimately appeal to similarly miserable and unattractive middle aged women, who are invited to identify with a very attractive lead star who deserves to make a lot of money out of the conceit.
Ooh I was worried the rainbow capitalism would shine through 😬 glad to hear it mostly still slaps though!
We can hold these two truths lol, hopefully you have fun if you check it out!
You gonna review Oppenheimer?
Yep workin on it haha, proving to be a tough movie to review but will probably be up tomorrow
@@SydneyVolpe Sweet, looking forward to it! Great channel
Great review!
Thanks for watching!🙌🏼🛼
This is honestly one of my favourite films ever! They did such a great job!
Glad you loved it, i want to see it again tbh!
Finally saw it, very happy to eat my words on this. A largely brilliant movie that’s surprisingly much deeper and thought provoking than I expected. A wonderful Trojan horse of a film.
I agree. I just saw it today and I thought it was great. I knew the biggest criticism that it was receiving was that it was to preachy with its messaging but I didn’t feel that.
I was really holding my head in pain over the hype with this, but if the movie is genuinely good I’ll be more than happy to eat my words on this
Curious what you’ll think then! Theres a ton of fun to be had
I’m curious myself, it’s already a political touchstone with republicans freaking out over it, which makes me want to see it more. It could actually be an interesting litmus test for people and it’s good when movies provoke a dialog.
@@konowd
Please name a movie that's released within the past 5 years that _hasn't_ made Republicans freak out.
@@IsomerMashups sounds of freedom obviously
@@konowd
Never heard of it...
Great movie to watch in a packed cinema, it was a blast but definitely thanks to the shared experience and vibes in the room (I can't imagine watching it alone on bluray and enjoying it nearly as much).
Barbieheimer is the summer blockbuster we deserve AND the one we need!! 😆
🦇🦇
I definitely agree wirh a lot of this review (especially the way the film handled in terms of the writing and thematic stages) and I don't think as strong as Greta's last two outings as a director with Lady Bird and Little Women, but I still thought it was great for what it was and I really hope that not only Greta still allows her voice as a director still gets the chance to shine through whatever she does indie or big studio works, but the message the film wants to coveny will connect to the audience watching it (especially the women watching it). I'm seeing Oppenhimer tomorrow afternoon in IMAX (can't wait!). Also I hope Gosling's Ken song gets nominated for Best Song comes award season.
Exceeded my high expectations. SUCH a good time, especially if you aren’t entertained by hollow fluff. It was fun, with substance. Both my daughters loved it. The whole theatre applauded at one point. My husband is going with me tonight.
Dax "to be a man"
How old are your daughters? Mine are 10 and 12 and they really disliked the movie. Are your daughters older? I didn't see it, because I have no interest, but thought they would like it.
went to see Oppenheimer last night in White Marsh, Maryland, but the real story was the crowds of excited women, dressed in Pink, and their boyfriends trying their best to look dandy, going to see Barbie. I can't remember a time I've ever seen women en-masse, all generations, going to the cinema. The clash of worlds at the cinema was special and fun, like a small cosplay convention at each theater around America last night and this whole weekend. Big contrast afterward of course, solemn crowds coming out of Oppe. I'm eager to hear your thoughts on Oppe and the contrast of feelings in one weekend between these two blockbusters, and society at large, and what contrasting thoughts and conversations arise in those people who see Both of these Films in one weekend. I'm seeing Barbie on Sunday.
Haley bailey was terrible at being Ariel. This barbie is amazing
We just got back from seeing the movie. Loved it. Congrats Margot, Noah, Margot, and Ryan. A+. But the star of show was America Fererra! Funny, full of surprises and a great script. (-: