Barbenheimer Part 1 (Barbie): Vic and Monika Weigh In

As you have seen (below), Walter and I went to see Barbenheimer last week, taking the opportunity to watch the two films back-to-back in the largest, loudest and most comfortable theatre in the province (I think). I started writing my reviews of the two films a week ago but got distracted by other things and Walter posted his review of Barbie first. I will try not to repeat too much of what he has already said. 

An important factor in our reviewing of Barbie is something Walter already touched on, namely that Walter and I in no way represent the target demographic. Our shared frustration that Sasha’s initial challenge of the entire history of Barbie was not pursued further demonstrates this fact. Walter and I might have been hoping for the kind of critical social commentary we have come to expect from writers Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach and thus found that Barbie was too soft/gentle in its critical analysis. This also applies to Gloria’s key speech on the treatment of women in our patriarchal society, a speech we thought was great but didn’t go far enough (“so tame”, as Walter says). But the film wasn’t made for us, so the real question is what the target audience expected and thought about these scenes. 

Fortunately, one of our film-buff friends, a former student of ours at St. Stephen’s University and a regular at our weekly movie night for years, does represent a key target demographic (young women) and was willing to share her reflections on Barbie with me (with permission to share them here). Monika adored this film and has already watched it a number of times. I will begin my review with her thoughts because I consider them more relevant than my own. Where I quote Monika directly, I will use italics.

To get a feel for how differently Monika viewed Barbie, I will quote her response to my concerns about the scenes featuring Sasha and Gloria (daughter and mother: terrific central characters played very well by Ariana Greenblatt and America Ferrera) and her thoughts about the target demographic: Gloria's speech was absolutely spellbinding to me. I agree that it could have gone further and pushed more, but just to have the struggles that she mentioned recognized as something impossible and heavy that is placed on every woman and which we all understand, somehow, that we're not supposed to talk about? Well. I cried. And it felt so validating and empowering. I KNOW this movie didn't push ideas of feminism very far (at all). Anyone who's read any feminist theory will be well aware that these are the absolute basics, but then again a lot of the audience for this movie will not be familiar with it. We have to start from the bottom, and there are a LOT of people who are unfamiliar with these basic ideas. And truly, seeing something like this on a big screen with a big crowd was unexpectedly emotional. It's real! These struggles that we've had for years are REAL! Other people know about them! I can't describe to you the euphoria.

I think that what Greta was exploring is the idea that Barbie's impact on the world wasn't her (Barbie’s) choice, and it also wasn't the intent of Barbie’s creator. There is a time and place for movies with a Sasha point of view, but I am SO thankful that this didn't turn out to be one of them. Barbie’s intended audience is not someone with a phd in gender studies. This is for ten-year-olds who are getting bullied at school, and the inner children of girls who were forced to grow up much more quickly than boys (and let go of their dreams, and try to fit in, and not be too much but not be too little). It has more than enough to get young girls asking questions, and also to maybe make a few men (who might not otherwise have given it any thought) think that there might be more to the female experience than they realize. I understand wanting the film to go deeper (and I share that desire) but I am SO happy with what it did. Feminism 101 is clearly needed with the state of the world today. 

I think Barbie has a LOT of punch if you've ever been in Barbie's high-heeled, slippery shoes (which a lot of us have, metaphorically speaking). The part where she's in the real world for the first time and being catcalled and she's so confused - that happened to me. That happened to my best friend. That has happened to almost every woman I know, because there comes a day (and you're not sure what changed) when all of a sudden the world, which seemed like a great place to run around  in the woods and have sleepovers and practice lipstick application, is suddenly horrifyingly unsafe. Everything Barbie did and said and saw resonated so deeply that I walked away feeling deeply seen and known and wholly, completely accepted and okay in a way that very few movies have made me feel.

After reading Monika’s reflections, I am more than ready to admit that I can’t provide a reliable review of Barbie unless I make a serious effort to view the film from the perspective of a girl or young woman, for whom the doll and film mean something so much more personal than they could possibly mean for me (for my second viewing of Barbie, I will make at least an attempt to do this). Nevertheless, I will offer a few of my own reflections on Barbie.

First, Barbie is full of magical movie moments that make it an absolute joy to watch. Those magic moments include the speeches mentioned above, the Mattel boardroom scene, an hilarious comment by the narrator and Walter’s least-favourite scene in the film (which was my favourite scene in the film, no doubt indicating a key way in which Walter and I differ in our film tastes), namely Ken’s song and dance number. I think that scene is brilliant for a number of reasons, though I can’t say why without spoilers. In general, however, the scenes featuring men are among my least-favourite in the film. This does not include the character of Allan (a perfectly-cast Michael Cera) but it does include the Kens and the board of Mattel. For me, the men represent a form of silliness I rarely appreciate. Monika suggests the Kens may be disrupting my comfort because I’m used to seeing men stuffed full of complexity and depth and greatness and PURPOSE and most of the men in this film didn't have a lot of any of those things. Perhaps there is something to that, though I often wish men were more frequently shown to be the way she describes. 

Technically, Barbie is a very well-made film, as I would expect from Gerwig, whose last two films were in my top ten lists. Margot Robbie is perfectly cast and brilliant throughout. Ryan Gosling is also excellent and Kate McKinnon is terrific as Weird Barbie. The cinematography is strong (I was not bothered by all the pink) and the music is great. 

But the most wonderful thing about Barbie is the sum of its parts. Here I am referring to the tone/atmosphere and message of the film, in which the dehumanization of both women and men is satirized throughout in a way that respects all of the characters. There’s even a unique challenge to the myth of redemptive violence. In other words, as Walter says, Barbie’s heart is in the right place (i.e. it attempts to help make the world a better place). The word “stereotypical” is mentioned frequently in the film, with the obvious aim being to challenge stereotypes. Barbie provides a joyful and inclusive alternative vision of a world in which neither men nor women are treated as objects. For this reason, I can only applaud its popularity among the young and argue against anyone who claims Gerwig has ‘sold out’ by making a film for Mattel (and Warner Bros.). As Walter says, patriarchy still thrives. I welcome any film which challenges that false vision of the world. 

For me, Barbie is an important, thoroughly-entertaining film that gets a solid ***+. A second viewing (coming soon) may send it into top-ten country.