The Barbie Movie Experience
Greta Gerwig’s Barbie movie is an enchanting experience for children and adults alike. The Barbie movie brought life to the magical imagination of children while re-awakening the inner child in us all!
The movie opens with beautiful cinematography, emphasizing how terrible life was for children before Barbie dolls existed. The invention of Barbie changed how children played, expanding their imagination past playing family with their baby dolls.
As children, we all dreamed of having a Barbie life in the dream house, a Barbie airplane, or even a Barbie jeep, but Barbieland brought to life every Barbie toy we wished to play with. The cinematography of Barbieland had stunning visuals and vibrant splashes of colors, much like how a child would imagine. Different shades of pink and purple filled the screen as Barbie made her way through Barbieland, greeting all the other Barbies as she went. However, once Barbie ventured into the real world, suddenly everything was dull and serious, much like how adults visual life.
The writing of the Barbie movie was hilariously brilliant, with its witty one-liners that would leave you gasping for air. But despite the old classic Barbie movies being targeted toward children, this movie was directed toward the older generation that grew up with the classics. The beginning of the movie starts out sweet and childlike, but once Barbie enters the real world, it becomes clear why this movie was labeled PG-13. There are several suggestive references and brief language which some parents might not be comfortable with their children hearing. Although the one time the f-word is used, it’s bleeped out.
Going into the Barbie movie, I was a bit reluctant about the casting, but as the movie continued, I realized the casting was on point. The actors put blood, sweat, and tears into their characters, adding depth, emotion, humor, and charisma that shines through on the big screen. Margot Robbie was the perfect choice for Barbie, and I don’t think anyone could have done a better job than her. She captured the personality of Barbie that we grew up with and morphed it into something even better!
But hidden behind the hyper-stylized pink throughout the movie, Greta Gerwig managed to create a beautiful Barbie movie that tackles complex topics in society, such as patriarchy, sexism, and feminism. As Barbie ventures into the real world to discover why she has flat feet now or is having thoughts of death, she finds that the real world is opposite from Barbieland. In the real world, men are in places of power, and women are looked down on and sexualized-all in the name of patriarchy.
The Barbie movie showed the audience how in Barbieland, everything is innocent with no double meaning or corruption, much like a child’s mind, but once the scenery changes to the real world, Gerwing proves how the real world can corrupt anyone. But that doesn’t stop her from showing who Barbie was truly meant to be.
Mattel originally created Barbie to be a doll for kids to play with, not for her to become some huge inspiration for young girls that would play with her all around the world, but as time continued, that’s exactly what she became. Barbie made young girls realize they didn’t have to follow the gender norms in society. They could be an astronaut, teacher, chef, doctor, lawyer, or construction worker simply because Barbie had been all those things and so much more. Barbie showed kids worldwide that if they wanted to be something, society couldn’t stop them.
Greta Gerwig created a masterpiece that made so many women all over the world feel like they had been heard and that someone finally understood them. Barbie was never just meant to be a doll; she wasn’t meant to be an inspiration.
Since the Barbie movie isn’t kid-friendly, head over to Paper Leaves and check out our amazing Barbie books for your kids!
I Can Be… Story Collection (Step Into Reading)
Barbie Dress-Up Ultimate Sticker Collection (Barbie Sticker Books)
Barbie It Takes Two: Friends Forever with 2 Necklaces
The Story of Barbie and the Woman Who Created Her by Cindy Eagon
And so many more!
Written by Carlie Renee
