Movie Review: Barbie
The recent Barbie movie starring Margot Robbie is a beautifully written, acted, and produced film that focuses on an iconic female figure in a newer modern light, bringing Barbie back to her purpose of showing young girls especially that they can do or be anything.
This movie exemplifies the progress being made in the movement to bring awareness to gender disparities, not just in film but in society. The movie not only featured many female actors such as Margot Robbie, America Ferrera, Issa Rea, and many more but it was also directed by female director Greta Gerwig and produced by leading actress Margot Robbie. The movie follows two major themes: the first being the hardships of womanhood itself and secondly the acknowledgment that, as important as progress is, it is simply a building block toward solutions that take time, and such change does not occur overnight.
Furthermore, the movie takes on the true theme of feminism in that the movie begins with the Barbies ruling supreme as the Kens merely exist in their shadows. As the movie progresses however, the Kens become inspired by the idea of patriarchy, deciding that they are done being looked down on, and they enact their own patriarchy in Barbieland. Of course, this creates a rift among the people in Barbieland, leading to a major conflict and the realization that if the Barbies want to go back to being their strong independent selves, then the Kens should also be able to do so. After all, they are more than just accessories to the Barbies. This significant realization led the Kens and Barbies of Barbieland to come together to find ways to make progress toward equality in their land. For example, they create ideas like having a Ken as a member of a judiciary court in Barbieland so that they too can have a say in the matters that affect them.
The gender dynamics in this film represent the true meaning of feminism, which is to bring all people to a level of equity in our society that is truly reflective of the demographic pluralism that we live in. Furthermore, as written in a previous article of mine, the Barbie movie passes the Bechdel test, which you may recall means it has…
1. at least two [named] women in it,
2. …who talk to each other,
3. …about something besides a man.
This test does not fully capture the message of the movie and may not seem like sufficient accomplishments for a movie in today's age. However, it is concerning that many current movies don't pass even the limited requirements of this test. For example, the movie Oppenheimer does not pass the Bechdel test, meeting only two of the three requirements, and the new Super Mario Bros movie doesn't meet any of these requirements.
The Barbie movie was not only engaging, funny, heartwarming, and nostalgic, but it also provides insight into gender equity for a wide range of audience members, from grandparents and parents who played with the original 1959 Barbie, all the way to little kids today who are still playing with the newest 2023 collection. Barbie has continued to evolve as an icon with a timeless message that women can BE and DO anything!