If you’d told me five years ago that there would be a Barbie movie that somehow was not only just not a cash grab or nostalgia bait but also a genuinely amazing piece of cinema with an amazing message to boot I’d never believe you.
If you’d told me five years ago that there would be a Barbie movie that somehow was not only just not a cash grab or nostalgia bait but also a genuinely amazing piece of cinema with an amazing message to boot I’d never believe you.
The main thing that stood out to me personally is something that was posted elsewhere in the comment section. Every time something makes you feel bad for Ken it’s because he’s experiencing something that women deal with every day in real life.
The movie has a lot of girl power vibes yes but overall it’s inherently political in its messaging about how we treat women by showing how unfair it is when men are treated the same way.
I went into this in depth when it came out, but I think it missed the mark here somewhat. If it committed to the message of Ken being marginalized in a matriarchy as a mirror to the struggles of women in a patriarchy, it would have been much more powerful with a clear message.
But then it made some choices which, in that context, basically just translated into “men bad” and really muddled the message.