by Lori Twichell
If there’s one thing everyone knows, it’s the story of Barbie and Ken. Or at least some semblance of it. Everyone who is old enough to drink legally knows who Barbie is and that’s she’s had more jobs than anyone on the planet ever should. And still, we love our Barbies. The sheer number of Barbie collectibles, programming, and accessories should let us know that. It’s not a surprise that Mattel chose to take a doll with over a billion dollars in sales every year and turned it into a movie.
What I Loved
I had a great time at this movie. I found myself laughing out loud and clapping during the showing. Most of the time, I was one of the only ones doing this and I truly think that was probably a marketing mis-match. Barbie is a toy brand so people rarely consider the rating on a film when a kid’s toy is involved. The gasps from the audience at some of the jokes were awesome and it really underscored one of the reasons I love seeing movies in a theater setting.
Ryan Gosling steals the show in his over the top portrayal of Ken. I am pretty much to the point of believing there is little Ryan Gosling can’t do. In Barbie, he’s so earnest and engaged with this role that it’s a delight to watch him. His singing and dancing were on point and I couldn’t help but be delighted with the rivalry between his Ken and Simu Liu’s Ken. They were fabulous as they matched energy in every scene.
The music was also amazing. If you are someone that doesn’t pay attention to the lyrics, please do yourself a favor and listen to what they’re singing. It’s hilarious. At one point the person singing actually sings the lyrics, “Hey I wasn’t done yet. Still singing here.” I love that sort of humor.
The sets, the costumes, the props, and the discussions of the various Barbies, their accessories and friends was awesome. It was a feast for the senses on all levels. So many outfits I remember my Barbie dolls having and at one point I saw a few things that I hadn’t seen since I was a kid and I was delighted. There were also a few gasp out loud uproarious moments that had me utterly and completely delighted with the film. For these, I could definitely consider going again.
The Plot
The main point of the movie is that in Barbieland, everything is dominated by women. Presidents, doctors, lawyers, politicians, supreme court…all of them are Barbies. And the narration in the beginning openly states that they love living this way because they know that Barbie’s existence changed the real world so it’s just the same way.
We all see immediately that Kens (there are a lot of them) are obviously subjugated. They have no jobs. No lives. No belongings. And our main Ken only lives to be acknowledged by Barbie and that is in the only value in his life.
Barbie, on the other hand, loves her life. It’s all the same every day and that works for her. Except…things are starting to malfunction just a little bit. (Her feet are flat!!!!!) She is going to need to go to a place called the Real World in order to fix things. Though she plans to go alone, Ken sneaks in with her for this big adventure. And so the two of them head for the Real World to fix the things going wrong.
When they arrive at their destination, the world is a very different place than they had imagined. Barbie is immediately anxious, stressed, and doesn’t understand how anything works. In the real world, there are no female doctors, leaders, or helpers in Barbie’s experience. She only meets men in power.
And Ken? Well, this is where Ken learns about the patriarchy. And that in a patriarchal society, he gets respect. From there, things go very upside down and lopsided for both Barbie and Ken in very different ways.
Though the lopsided issues were in your face (and sometimes hit home with a sledgehammer) the conclusion of the story leaves everything to the imagination. We don’t actually see it balancing out in a way that shows partnership or coming together. From what is shown on the screen, it still essentially ends with Barbies vs. Kens and one must be dominant over the other.
For all of the enlightenment received by the Barbies in the film, not one of them ever came out and stated that they didn’t really treat Ken right or with respect in Barbieland. An offhand apology is issued about taking Ken for granted, but nowhere is it mentioned that Kens can be competent, educated, or good partners. The Barbies also ignore that men have feelings. At one point Ken is crying and Barbie asks if he wants to talk but he states that he’s a liberated man so he’s fine. They could have explored a lot there but they let it go in favor of Barbie’s enlightenment.
I am boy mom. I have a son. I’m working hard to raise a good man. He and I have had a lot of conversations about how all men aren’t bad and all women aren’t good. Also how sometimes men are just blamed for a lot of things and they aren’t allowed to feel, be bullied, or hurt. This movie definitely does not address any of that and in fact, it really plays the other side. I’m glad my son didn’t go with me because as a young man who definitely feels things deeply, this would have hurt him.
Conclusion
There were a lot of scenes I loved. I really went into this one ready for delight and entertainment and it did serve that. I clapped. I burst into really loud laughter. I gasped. At one point I even cried. And there really could be some powerful lessons in there about growth and enlightenment. Girl power is definitely the theme of this movie. There are a couple of big rants by characters and one rather long speech about how hard it is to be a woman and honestly, I could not argue with any of that at all. It’s not wrong. It was, in fact, powerful and moving.
However, even though many things were true and on point for how women have been treated (and often still are), that doesn’t give us the right to turn that back around to men and treat them the same. That doesn’t actually make anything equal. It just swings the other direction. I fully believe we can empower women and girls without dominating men or belittling them. There’s room for both of us and we can work together successfully. I fully believe this.
I so wanted to love this movie. In the end I really loved parts of it. I loved scenes. I loved the humor. And I loved what it could have been. I just wish it might have covered a few things a little better.
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