Movie Review of Barbie 1

Movie Review: Barbie- Part 1

Last weekend, very reluctantly (just being honest), I went with my wife to watch the latest Summer blockbuster, the Barbie movie. My two adult girls told me that I should go see it. I am learning to hear their voices more and more. Spoiler alert. I am going to assume that you’ve seen it, so I will be very specific where I can be.

Bottom line, it was not my favorite. I gave the movie a 6 out of 10, largely for cinematic reasons. A couple of negatives for me? Will Ferrell’s over the top and in my opinion out-of-sync portrayal as Mattel CEO. I believe that his antics were predictable and for me a distraction to the movie. Only a single blemish of poor casting among the so many other examples of great casting.

Also, at times the script seemed bloated and moving in conflicting and confusing directions. For me, it took the important monologue by America Ferrara to return to the important focus of the film. I should say, in my defense, I never had a Barbie, so I missed a lot of the inside jokes. Also, I didn’t have any pink clothes to wear. I was surrounded by a sea of ladies, old and young, wearing Barbie pink. It was special to see.

But I would be remiss not to say that it is a huge Summer blockbuster and so many people, particularly women love it. Life changing some say. I respect that. Hey, it grossed over $330 million in its opening weekend alone. As of Aug 6, it has grossed over a billion.

So, no mansplaining here. I will say more in the next article. I actually resonated more with the monologue from America Ferrera more than I did with comments from Kens in either Barbieland or the real world. There are some real authentic topics that are attention worthy in that monologue alone.

My role? I feel like I can layer the gospel on top of the dialogue in the film, not just as a man. The gospel of the love of God for those who feel unlovable, unloved, or unlovely, or who struggle to feel more lovable, more loved, and more lovely is not exclusively a male or a female issue.

In our culture, women struggle way more than men. Though, I think that is changing based upon recent studies with young males in particular. I will say more about that in an upcoming article. Still, the deck is stacked against women in general.

I think that the questions, “Who am I?” and to quote one of the songs that will definitely get an Oscar nod, “What was I made for?” are not limited to sex. Males and females both need external help in finding ourselves, in experiencing our value, worth, identity, appreciation, and relationships as we are—either Barbie or Ken. I believe that the field gets increasingly level as we all move into the measuring gaze of Christ a little or a lot.

In the next article I will share some of the positive things about the movie. There are a lot. You’ll see what I mean.

In the meantime, look for my shows at LifeStreamTV, including shows on the Lifestream Network, most of the Women’s Channels, Men’s, Church, and Drug Free channels. If you benefit from these shows, give me a shout out. Thanks ahead of time. I think you will find valuable resources on my website (www.gospel-app.com). Also, follow me on Facebook (/bill.senyard) and Instagram (/gospelapp).

Take heart, child of God.