Review: Barbie Film (2023)
GOOD — CONTROVERSIAL — LACKED DEPTH
My first impression of the Barbie movie is that something was missing. For my taste, it was a movie somewhere between average and good (3 to 4 stars). It’s not the film I was expecting. Just like it’s not the film you were expecting, nor anyone else.
People’s expectations about the movie were completely different. Many people, fans of Barbie animations, expected the live-action to be similar. A film where they would see their beloved Barbie characters from the animations come to life. On the other hand, others, aware that the movie would be feminist, still expected a light and enjoyable film like “Legally Blonde”. To our surprise, the film was a direct critique of patriarchy, not aiming to be a deep and reflective film, but rather a sharp, acid, and vinegar-like one.
The movie grabs our attention because it’s a no-holds-barred comedy. It’s evident that the film doesn’t try to please the audience, but to make them uncomfortable. The Barbie movie doesn’t aim to be a light and enjoyable comedy like “Legally Blonde”. It intends to portray the harshest and rawest reality, to impact us, to break expectations, and to leave us uncomfortable to make us understand how patriarchy, especially, brings so much harm to our society.
Recalling my feelings during the movie, I can say that as a woman, I’ve felt these discomforts before. That’s how patriarchy makes us feel. Vulnerable, weak, and in a disadvantaged position, making us always vigilant to avoid something bad happening to us. Men aren’t familiar with these feelings. Provoking these feelings is one of Barbie’s objectives, and the film achieved it strongly and obviously. So, finally, men could also experience what we feel. Through identifying with the protagonist, Barbie, men could experience the vulnerability that patriarchy inflicts upon us. And that’s why so many men didn’t like the movie “Barbie”.
“Barbie” breaks stereotypes. And that’s another reason why so many men didn’t like the film. Frequently, in any cinematographic work, there’s always at least one man in the hero’s position. They could be the protagonist, co-protagonist, or the mentor of the protagonist. In the movie “Barbie”, there are no good men among the main characters. There’s no male feminist supporting the protagonist. Only secondary and unimportant men, irrelevant to the plot. And we all know how much men hate being in the “friend zone,” in other words, being in the background. This means that Barbie’s achievements were her own. She didn’t need any man to solve the film’s problems. Only the help and encouragement of other women.
There’s no doubt it was an excellent feminist film. However, my expectation for the film was that it would bring us reflection because that’s what I like — to stop, think, reflect, and philosophize. Instead, the movie brought us discussions. It didn’t meet my expectation, but it did something more clever. Because a reflection would have lasted only a few days and ended there. But discussions keep the debate open, heated, and keep us thinking about the film for more days.
What was missing in the film? To emphasize more that there are no problems with imperfections, like naturally flexed feet or cellulite. And, most importantly, the story of the true owner of the doll, Gloria (the teenager’s mother in the film). Thoughts of death are very serious, and as they intensify, they can lead a person to suicide. In other words, from my perspective as a psychologist, I saw the doll’s owner as someone with latent depression. However, we don’t know anything about her. The little things she mentioned, like problems with her daughter, don’t seem to be enough to provoke thoughts of death. Something happened to the mother that was not revealed during the film. She just momentarily forgot her own problems and went to help Barbie. But my question is: Who will help Gloria?
