Barbie, a film released on July 21, 2023 is a comedic adaptation of the famous children’s doll. Directed by Gerwig, the movie boasts a stacked cast with stars like Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, Will Ferrell, and Simu Liu.
By Mallory Byl
Just about two weeks after its release, the movie passed the 1 billion dollar mark. As of now, Barbie has made close to 1.3 billion dollars, making it the biggest-ever female solo-directed film. It has also become Warner Brothers’ highest-grossing movie in history.
The movie has also been praised for its soundtrack, which includes popular artists such as Lizzo, Charli XCX, Ice Spice, Nicki Minaj, Billie Eilish, and Dua Lipa.
The movie begins with Barbie waking up in her perfect fantasy Barbieland. She finds out that she is unintentionally crossing the boundary between the real world and Barbieland. She tries to fix this by going to the real world with her friend, Ken.
When Barbie gets to the real world, however, her reality is altered. She realizes that the real world is the opposite of Barbieland. She is shocked that the real world is completely run by men, not women.
This commentary on the patriarchy is easy to understand, which I liked. The movie acknowledges the seemingly impossible standards that women are held to. I liked that Barbie conveys this in a way that many women can relate to because it made many women feel understood; in a way few other movies have in the past few years.
Ken’s arc in the movie eventually becomes conflictual. At the beginning of the movie, Ken’s entire existence is defined by Barbie. Later on, Ken goes to the real world and realizes it is run by men, opposite to Barbieland. He feels empowered by this and decides to take over Barbieland and turn it into “Kenland.”
I think female empowerment is explored fairly well in the movie. Barbie deconstructs the patriarchy in a sarcastic, entertaining way. For a billion-dollar film, it’s quite progressive. However, I think that the upbeat, humorous tone of the film limits it from diving deeper into female empowerment; at times the female empowerment lens feels surface-level.
Throughout the movie, the Barbies are able to be anything. They are things like physicists, doctors, and even the President. However, the film reiterates that not all women are going to be these amazing things, and that’s perfectly okay. The film portrays that it is okay for women to be just ordinary; which I feel is an important sentiment.
After watching the movie, I think the film lives up to its deserved hype. Barbie features wild dancing sequences, vivid colors, eccentric costumes, and even a John Cena cameo.
My favorite parts of the movie were the costumes and the script. The screenwriters masterfully combine satire, humor, and sadness, all with an overall feminist undertone.
Overall, Barbie is bizarre, hilarious, and most importantly, unique.
Mallory Byl
Mallory Byl '25. Journalism 1. Arts & Entertainment.
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