Page 13 | Barbie!

Prrambulate · 2023-07-18T09:06:53+00:00

Who’s watching this? I think it’s going to have a massive opening week in the UK. I’m so intrigued. At once a very subversive film, penned by Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach; on another level, a film so heavily marketed that it seems to have entered the cultural mainstream. I wonder how it will straddle those tensions.

Chicoandchunky · 14/08/2023 07:10

I watched it last week and was bored after the first ten minutes. But, growing up, I hated playing with dolls, and I thought the plot and themes in the film were just too obvious.

Luizaa · 14/08/2023 07:43

Good film, actually well written as it worked on both a child level and an adult level.
Thought there were some strong GC themes in it. Liked the Trump 'building a wall' skit.
Hilarious that 'trans' barbie was also Dr Barbie, it shows the power of satire.

Ambertonix · 15/08/2023 15:53

I went to see it today and i absolutely loved it. Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling were perfectly cast in this. I loved the story, the message and the whole feel good atmosphere. Some scenes were overly long and probably not needed but overall as a 50 year old who loved her Barbies this really cheered me up.

vjg13 · 16/08/2023 10:25

HeddaGarbled · 10/08/2023 00:32

“Ordinary Barbie just wants a flattering top, and to get through the day feeling kind of good about herself”

Best line!

This!

I really enjoyed it. Watched it with my 20 year old daughter and felt a bit choked up with the "Mothers stand still so their daughters can look back see how far they have come line"

Toddlerteaplease · 21/08/2023 21:24

Cried laughing at the Pride and prejudice scene, and the Birkenstocks.

Toddlerteaplease · 21/08/2023 21:25

Was Ruth at the end deliberately looking like Margaret Thatcher?! Or the queen for that matter!

Toddlerteaplease · 21/08/2023 21:27

MissTrip82 · 09/08/2023 09:32

I didn’t mind it. I enjoyed the Barbie nostalgia (I had lots of Barbies). It was as feminist as a mainstream movie is going to be ie not very.

The most interesting bit was the end. Surprised me very much that a movie in 2023 suggested her first act as a woman was going to a gynaecologist as though having a vagina was the thing that finally made her a woman…….really felt like that was the most controversial bit in the current climate!

The meaning of that scene went straight over my head!

stringbean · 24/08/2023 08:02

Bit late to the party - saw it yesterday. Wasn't nearly as fun as I'd expected - entertaining but not really laugh out loud, and the feminist message was delivered with all the subtlety of a lead weight. Just felt a bit meh about it all - can't see it appealing to younger children; think they'd be bored after a while. Didn't get the last line - why was going to visit a gynaecologist her top priority as a woman in the real world? The line about mothers standing still I also didn't get: surely we have to run to keep up?!

atthebottomofthehill · 24/08/2023 10:08

stringbean · 24/08/2023 08:02

Bit late to the party - saw it yesterday. Wasn't nearly as fun as I'd expected - entertaining but not really laugh out loud, and the feminist message was delivered with all the subtlety of a lead weight. Just felt a bit meh about it all - can't see it appealing to younger children; think they'd be bored after a while. Didn't get the last line - why was going to visit a gynaecologist her top priority as a woman in the real world? The line about mothers standing still I also didn't get: surely we have to run to keep up?!

Mothers standing still refers to how women still (on the whole) have to sacrifice their careers to be mothers more than fathers do, but that we're all trying to change this for our children. I think.

Seeing the gynae refers to the fact she is now a real human woman. Barbie dolls are famously smooth in that area.

I agree with you, it was meh.

JaninaDuszejko · 24/08/2023 16:59

Mothers standing still also refers to the fact that each wave of feminism slightly despises the wave before and wonders why they were happy with the progress they made rather than pushing for more. Forgetting how much their mothers had to fight for the progress they did make.