Review by ReaganGraeve

Dressed in all pink, millions of Barbie fans ran to see the Barbie movie directed by Greta Gerwig, a rising director of feminist films. The movie follows Barbie (Margot Robbie) and Ken’s (Ryan Gosling) adventure into the real world and the importance of self-acceptance. 

Growing up watching Barbie movies like The Twelve Dancing Princesses and The Princess and the Pauper, I had high expectations for the new Barbie movie. The set for Barbieland was incredible in its resemblance to actual toy “dream houses,” and I was in love with the costume designs for Barbie. 

Her outfits, almost always being pink, were a perfect match for the scenes. The soundtrack, featuring female artists like Billie Eilish, Lizzo, and Ice Spice, sparked every emotion in the audience, from tears to laughter.

Although it far exceeded my visual expectations compared to the past Barbie movies, I found the most satisfying part within its message. Not only is Barbie more realistic than the Barbie movies of our childhood as it’s filmed with real people, but it’s also more realistic because it depicts the struggles of being a woman in a patriarchal society where men dominate career fields and women are often left at a disadvantage. Some critics, mainly men, have rated this movie one star, saying it’s not realistic, however, I think Gerwig’s intention was to show life through a woman’s point of view, which differs from a man’s.

One of my favorite parts of the movie, which had me shedding a few tears, was the montage of real women and girls throughout their lives. I feel like it highlighted the beauty of being a girl while growing up with challenging experiences, and yet finding a way through them with each other.

There was no better way to portray Barbieland than to have Barbies with important jobs and confident attitudes. Barbie is one of the first dolls that has careers and pushes women to “be anything.” 

Despite all these positive elements, I found the plot hard to follow because numerous aspects of Barbieland were left unexplained. The mother and daughter characters were introduced just before a Chevy advertisement that felt like it lasted forever. Their characters also felt stereotypical. The tween daughter was outrageously moody for no reason, and the mom’s speech felt forced. It didn’t match the scene and ended up just sounding like a corny speech off Tumblr in 2014. Lastly, the ending felt a little unsatisfying as Barbie decided to become a human, especially after being sexually assaulted in the real world. 

Overall, I thought the Barbie movie was a must watch movie for any Barbie fan. Although the feminism depicted didn’t match that of Gerwig’s other movies like “Lady Bird” and “Little Women,” it was still a decent representation of womanhood. The humor and creativity was unmatched compared to other movies in theaters. I’d say the Barbie movie was just Kenough.