Barbie: A Review

By: Jenna Jenkerson

Tuesday, September 26, 2023

I loved Barbie as a kid. When I was younger, I constantly played with my Barbie's, making them go on imaginary adventures with a pink Barbie convertible I got on my birthday. I have at least 7 Barbies sitting in a storage unit right now, remnants of a gone, but never forgotten time. So, you know I was excited to find out about the live action Barbie movie released on July 21st, 2023, starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling. The movie went through many obstacles like multiple directors and acting changes for over 10 years. Although I was nervous to see whether it would live up to its hype, I can confidently assure you that it lived up to its hype.  

The movie starts with introducing us to Stereotypical Barbie (Robbie) and her friends. They live in a matriarchal society where the Barbies hold high ranking positions, and every day is perfect, and everyone always has fun. However, during an entertaining dance number, Barbie asks everyone dancing about death, and everything seems to go wrong after. The next day, Barbie is stricken with cellulite, bad breath and flat feet. To solve this issue, she must find her owner in the real world and cure her issues. So, Barbie goes off on her adventure, with Ken being a surprise guest to tag along with her to spend more time with her.  

The movie surprised me when it talked about topics such as the patriarchy, which is set up in Barbie Land after Ken (Gosling) discovers it in the real world. Upset about not feeling respected in Barbie Land, mostly from Barbie, he sets the patriarchy in Barbie Land. Barbies went from respected leaders and politicians to housewives and maids seemingly overnight. Radio stations in the Barbie Land went from playing songs about female empowerment to a hilarious inclusion of Push by Matchbox Twenty. 

Barbie returns home, along with friends she made in the real world including Gloria, a Mattel employee (America Ferrera). Barbie is shocked when seeing her fellow Barbies out of powerful positions. With the help of Gloria, they free the other Barbies, regain power and promise to make life better for the Ken’s. Although Barbie and Ken make up, she tells Ken that he needs to find out who he really is without her. Barbie, also unsure of who she is, meets the spirit of Ruth Handler, the creator of Barbie.  

Played by Rhea Pearlman, who although has a relatively minor role, gives vital advice to Barbie and helps give us perhaps the best scene in the entire movie, including a montage of different stages in different women’s lives and the existential dread of growing up. The scene, already sad enough, is made even more devastating by including What was I made for? By Billie Eilish, a song that seemingly reads Barbie’s mind in the scene. Eventually, Barbie makes the decision to become a human and at the end of the movie goes to see her gynecologist. 

Barbie is a stellar movie. Entertaining yet quite devastating at times, the movie is balanced with a spectacular soundtrack with singles from Ice Spice, Nicki Minaj, Dua Lipa, Charli XCX and Billie Eilish. Although it is a Barbie movie and people may assume it's for kids, due to the subject matters talked about in the movie, it's intended for people aged 13 or older.