Saw Barbie (2023), a film about the famous doll, beloved of children everywhere. So first let me say: this film was not made for me. I enjoyed it, but I have not kept on top of the cultural conversation around feminism well enough to really grapple with this film. I enjoyed it okay, I just feel I didn't totally get it.
So okay, here's my impression of the film: it felt fun and funny but it felt like 3 films colliding. One plot line is about the titular Barbie becoming disenchanted with her world of glamorous pretend, one plot line is kind of a critique of the performative faux-progressivism of the Barbie line ("she can be a cook! A teacher! A nurse! Barbie can do anything!") and the last plot line is about Barbie's relationship with her boyfriend Ken who is becoming frustrated and bitter, living in Barbie's shadow. These are all complex topics and I could have used some more talking down to.
I didn't get the sense that the film is all that progressive. It was built as a big-budget film, so some restraint and punch-pulling is expected. I felt like we could've done without Ken having as major a role, but him being sidelined is a big part of the film and it feels important to include something about why men might feel resentful and what that resentment drives them too. (On that note, I found Ken's new-found and quirky sense of masculinity hilarious and horrible.) But, including a strong sub-plot about Ken's resentment towards Barbie makes it feel culture-war-ish to me, like a battle of the sexes when there needn't be. It feels like a bit of a muddle to me but, as stated above, it is perhaps a muddle only in my mind.
But okay. All that aside, the film is solid. I was entertained and made to feel tenderness and pity, made to smile and laugh. The closing scenes are beautiful and lovely. I felt a bit of the ick around Ken's business, but okay nothing I can't handle. Not my fave film (but then, what is?) but not bad at all.
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