Review of Barbie 2

In my first article, Barbie-Part 1, I shared why I only gave the movie a 6 out of 10. But I also said that it had a lot going for it.

First, it has created a lot of cultural buzz and Oscar attention. It could win 10+ nominations. This hasn’t happened for a long time. I personally like it for Best Director, Supporting Actor for Ryan Gosling, Production Design and one of the songs. So even if I didn’t love it, 6 out of 10, Barbie has a heck of a lot going for it. Hey, let’s face it, for Barbie aficionados, the film was just feel-good-comfort-food-fun. But to disagree with Whoopie Goldberg, it really was more than just a movie.

The presentation of Barbieland was very impressive—academy worthy. A heck of a lot of pink. Also tip of the hat to Ryan Gosling’s spot-on endearing and funny Ken. He had the best lines by far. There was America Ferrera’s subtle authentic portrayal of a real-world frustrated ‘in-knots’ mother, Gloria (more on her in a minute). Lastly, what more can be said about Margot Robbie’s Barbie? She was Barbie. Amy Schumer almost got the role. That would have dramatically changed the movie. Just saying.

Second, director Greta Gerwig has proven once again that she is a powerhouse. She co-wrote Barbie with Noah Baumbach. She also wrote and directed the insightful, female coming-of-age films Lady Bird (2017) and Little Women (2019), both of which earned Oscar nominations for Best Picture. Gerwig was listed in the annual Time 100 list of the most influential people in the world (2018). Gerwig’s seems to be able to empathetically give voice to today’s women, old and young. Her work is on-spot and must be heard, wrestled with, and understood. She has helped so many, including me, better understand the struggles, the anxieties, the searching for worth and identity among frustrated women today in our largely patriarchal society. Never more important than today. The CDC says that 60% of teenaged girls experience persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness. Something must change.

Gerwig told NY Times that “My hope for the movie is that it’s an invitation for everybody to be part of the party and let go of the things that aren’t necessarily serving us as either women or men.” I love that. We will see her again soon. She is directing Netflix’s new Chronical of Narnia series.

Third, Barbie, like I said, has, in just a short time, become a cultural phenom. It’s the summer of pink to be sure. Here are some published testimonies.

• The New York Times said that the Barbie doll “perfectly encapsulates changing ideas about girls and women: our Barbies, ourselves.”

• Variety:
“‘Barbie’ is perfection.”

• America Magazine:
“Barbie is a 114-minute commercial for a doll.”

• NPR: “…a corporate propaganda piece.”

• Whoopie Goldberg, “Its a movie! It’s a movie about a doll.”

• Fox News: “The left has given Barbie a complete feminist makeover.”

• Movie Guide (Christian fundamentalism)
Barbie “promotes the idea that women and men should be independent, totally self-determining beings and has some strong politically correct leftist attacks on society, specifically the ‘patriarchy,’ and strong implied attacks against the biblical system of the family.”

• Senator Ted Cruz: “…Chinese propaganda.”

• Bill Maher said, related to the movie’s portrayal of ‘patriarchy’ that the movie was “preachy, man-hating and a ‘zombie lie’. The latter is “something that USED to be true but no longer is, but certain people pretend it’s still true.” Oh, yeah, he also said that the movie was fun and admitted that he enjoyed it.

In the next article I will dialogue with what I thought was the core moral of Barbie. Be sure to read that.

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.