![[1/2]Margot Robbie attends the European premiere of "Barbie" in London, Britain July 12, 2023. (COURTESY OF REUTERS/Maja Smiejkowska)](/sites/msgrnews.com/files/2023-08/SPW7NCONP5MVVGIPFXVUNXUILU.jpeg)
Decked out in pink, I recently visited Parkside Theater to watch Barbie.
The movie has received mixed reviews online due to its theming and jokes, being both praised for its empowerment of women and condemned for its “representation of men.” Some parents have also disapproved of the movie's adult themes and portrayal of a popular children’s toy.
After an initial watch, I think the movie is not a good choice for young children and should be watched by its recommended audience of ages 13-plus. The movie has several adult jokes, as well as remarks about the sexualization of women in dolls and media, and focuses on heavy topics related to death, depression, and finding one’s identity.
Barbie is the main character alongside her “counterpart,” Ken. The lead Barbie is just one of many Barbies in BarbieLand and refers to herself as a “stereotypical Barbie.” However, her party paradise and doll fantasy is broken one day after her person’s thoughts in the real world begin to affect her in BarbieLand.
To achieve her perfect life again, Barbie decides to visit the real world, locate the girl playing with her, and help her resolve her “thoughts of death.” On the other hand, Ken struggles just to get Barbie to notice him in BarbieLand and respond to his one-sided affections. To prove himself as her true partner to the other Kens, he decides to go to the real world with her – but without her approval.
When these two dolls come face-to-face with the real world, they realize just how different a doll’s wonderland is from everyday real life.
Women don’t rule the world like in BarbieLand; not everyone is happy and friendly, and both Barbie and Ken realize they are shown different amounts of respect based on their genders. While Barbie faces a mental breakdown throughout the movie over experiencing heavy topics and sexualization in the real world, Ken craves the power and freedom that real-world men have.
On opposing ends, these two explore diverging paths of real-world problems while trying to redefine themselves and their purposes.
By the end of the movie, Barbie, Ken, and many dolls of BarbieLand come to realize the imaginary world created by children is very different from the adult world that everyone grows into, and that people being treated based on various stigmas is not fair, either in a real or fictional sense.
The movie is quite comedic, has some great musical numbers, and is very colorful despite the depiction of several heavy topics. Visually and audibly, the movie is very strong; however, the message didn’t translate very well for me. After leaving the theater, many people were in the lobby discussing the plot and message behind the movie, while I, too, was left questioning the same things. The story seemed to have too many themes and topics to have a central message and the topics discussed did not feel thoroughly explored or given proper closure.
Due to this, I would rank Barbie 7 out of 10 for its enjoyable watching experience and respectful handling of adult themes, but it suffers from relatively open-ended storytelling.