It’s weird to think that after the massive amounts of hype built up for the Barbenheimer weekend, both Barbie and Oppenheimer delivered. In their blockbuster opening weekend, the films earned $162 million and $82 million domestically. Everybody agrees that both movies did better than expected at the box office, but that does not necessarily mean that both of the films are high quality. While you can see our review of Oppenheimer here, let’s examine whether the Barbie movie is fun enough to be worth seeing if you weren’t one of the millions who already flocked to the theaters.
Is Barbie a Good Movie?
Barbie, which was directed by Greta Gerwig, is without a doubt, a good movie. In fact, it’s a great movie. It is fun and campy, with every actor who plays a Barbie or a Ken committing to their roles. There are plenty of funny lines, but still some jokes that didn’t land for me. The story is good, but a little muddled at times, especially with the side plot of Will Ferrell’s character, the CEO of Mattel. Ryan Gosling as Ken stands out, particularly in his musical number, but I wasn’t expecting just how much I would laugh at Michael Cera’s Allan. The film also has its fair share of emotional beats, with Margot Robbie and America Ferrera landing some remarkable performances.
Not only is the Barbie movie actually good and a lot of fun to watch, making me laugh heartily at least a dozen times, but it’s also selling out at theaters. Seeing everyone dressed up in pink, with movie sessions selling out should make you feel great too. It’s a terrific opportunity to go to the movies with your friends and just have a good time.
Does The Barbie Movie Deserve Controversy?
When a movie garners a certain amount of hype or success, it is usually viewed through a different lens, with certain people looking to drag it down for various reasons. It could be for any reason, but for Barbie, the two main points of controversy have been the takes that the movie is anti-man or that it hates men, and that the map of the “real world” in Barbie includes the “nine-dash line.”
Does Barbie hate men? Absolutely not. I would argue that there are too many men in this movie, and they’re mostly treated in a positive light. The Kens are kind of dumb but that’s the point, they’re the “and Ken” of the “Barbie and Ken” paradigm. Otherwise, it’s mostly about the Barbies trying to live their own lives, which is definitely not anti-men. As for the map, it’s not in the movie for that long, making it barely noticeable, and it’s obviously a crayon drawing that I’m sure no adult would recognize as a legitimate map.
To you, Barbie can just be a fun movie: a piece of entertainment that is artful and that you will think about once or twice after watching it, and that’s totally fine. It could also be something that sticks with you that you will think about months after watching it – something transformative that you return to when you’re sad, sick, celebrating, or just when it’s a little rainy outside and you feel like seeing something familiar.
