Barbie

Rating: 5/5

First things first- I know I know, I’m late to this review. But give me some grace, this blog is new.

In true feminine power and fashion I absolutely had to have Barbie be my first published movie review.

Greta Gerwig did something so touching- so moving- with this movie.

Barbie was, and will continue to be, so much more than an hour and fifty-four minutes of bright colors, outfit coordination, big Hollywood names, and fantastic marketing.

It is a love letter to all women.

It’s a discussion on girlhood and the fragility of happiness, peace, and confidence for women in a world where the framework for men is so naturally woven. It’s a reminder of feelings, of pride, and of the softness that lives within each and every one of us, having been pushed deeper and deeper with each passing year as a result of our surroundings and the realization of our reality.

Greta’s depiction of girlhood and the entanglement of feelings women of all ages face was so raw and pure it left me crying.

When girlhood is brought up I oftentimes clam up or remain silent. I have very few memories from childhood and overall don’t enjoy talking about being young. But this movie forced me in the very best way to crack open the feelings of being little Alli again and sit with it with a sense of gratitude I’ve never been able to.

And that says a lot cause I was a Bratz girl.

If you’re anything like me, something about seeing strong female characters crafted correctly in an empowering manner (and not in a “written-by-a-man” way) brings me to tears. I don’t know what it is about it- maybe I’m sensitive (which is not a bad thing at all… let me make that much clear), maybe I never saw that growing up, who knows? But when I feel the empowerment through the screen I tear up. It’s a sense of connection that transcends what I’m capable of putting into words. And that’s what Greta did. She took a feeling so buried deep inside me that I didn’t even know it was there.

At their worst Greta made corporate real-world men silly and playful. She made the Kens selfish, yes, but not aggressive or necessarily dangerous. While Barbieland had men content, Kenland made Barbies objects of entertainment and pleasure. Even at their ‘worst,’ Kens were still appreciated. The movie highlighted this was a service done by Barbies that the real world has not granted its women.

I especially found it interesting that Barbie’s main concern was whether or not Ken still liked her, despite entirely uprooting her Dreamland’s societal structure. This is such a wonderfully accurate depiction of how women are programmed since birth to cater their every existing end-thought to male approval.

Then, of course, Barbie finds herself apologizing for not reciprocating Ken’s feelings- another all-too-real conversation. The feeling of being internally guilted for not having reciprocated feelings for a man- as if you somehow are doing them an injustice by exhibiting nature.

Perhaps my favorite aspect of the movie is just how blind some people are to its meaning. Watching people rip into Barbie and call it an “attack on men” (or a movie about a “plastic doll with big boobs”…) is exactly why it needed to exist in the first place.

Overall, this is a movie so thick with intention and message that I will never get bored of it. I loved how aware of itself the film was as a whole.

I wish I could go back and watch this movie for the first time again, especially aside the sea of pink sitting all around me in the theater soaking in every detail placed from Greta’s heart.

Not only will Barbie shatter you into a thousand pieces, it will put you back together again and give you a warm hug all the while.