What If the Barbie Movie Is Just … a Movie?
A couple nights ago I managed to sneak out with only my 15-year-old daughter to catch the Barbie movie in the theater. Since it had already been out for four or five days, I’d seen all the outrage and/or praise for it plastered on socials.
I know you’ll be shocked to discover that as a woman born in 1983 who went on to have five daughters of her own — I’ve long been a Barbie fan. Over the years we’ve had countless dolls, sets, a Dream House, and hundreds (thousands?) of clothes and accessories. My older girls even had one of those Power Wheel Barbie Jeeps to drive around in the driveway.
So I was excited to see the Barbie movie. Especially since good movies have been very few and far between the past three-plus years.
The reviews started coming in before I had the chance, and while the tone from both sides of the aisle was wildly different, the central message seemed to be the same: Barbie was decidedly a liberal, feminist movie.
My left-wing female friends were singing the praises about how liberating it is, and part of me wonders if it finally gave them *permission* to like Barbie. My right-wing male friends thought it was a misandrist diatribe. My right-wing female friends thought it was fine, with most liking it and basically shrugging at any liberal aspects and saying, “It’s Hollywood, what did you expect?”
I don’t have any left-wing male friends. (Not for lack of trying I feel like I need to clarify, I just … don’t for some reason.)
The male friends I have in the middle found something better to do with their time than spend two hours and $20 watching a movie made for and marketed towards women. The ones who saw Oppenheimer really enjoyed it!
Anyway, I saw the movie and thought it was hilarious and about what I expected from the previews and marketing. It’s total eye candy, very fun, and actually makes reference to the complexities of being a woman, especially in today’s have-it-all-do-it-all society.
I won’t add any spoilers, and maybe I missed a point that flew right over my head (always a possibility), but now I can’t stop thinking about how some people are trying to use Barbie to further this massive divide that’s already happening in our culture. And I DO see it happening on both sides.
The liberals are trying to own the Barbie movie like they’re the only ones who care about women and the issues surrounding being female in the Real World (and hooboy, yes there are still issues), and the conservatives calling it trash.
I honestly thought there might be some abortion stuff in it for how hard these casual reviewers were going after it, but thank God there wasn’t. And there shouldn’t be, because it’s supposed to be entertainment.
The fact that people can’t just be entertained by a visual masterpiece with a poignant story and tons of heart is the reason we can’t have nice things.
Not everything has to be liberal or conservative or republican or democrat.
Sometimes a movie is just … a movie.
And I thoroughly enjoyed it! Highly recommend, especially going with friends or teenage daughters. Leave the littles at home — they won’t get it.
P.S. Long live Weird Barbie!
ALL movies ARE; in fact.....MOVIES. But what exactly does that MEAN? That there IS NO 'message', and if so; then what are we watching; and why? If there IS no message; good or bad; right or wrong; then it's all mindless drivel. There is ALWAYS SOMETHING in ANY movie. OR book. OR....ANYTHING; or else they would all be worthless and no one would FEEL bothered to spend time/money on them.
Of COURSE there IS a 'message' in the Barbie MOVIE; there's no two ways about it. It's sort of like the "Rorschach test", everyone sees in a movie what their minds/hearts are already inclined towards. If you are a liberal; your liberal heart and mind will either squeeze every drop of liberalism from it; OR you will LOATHE it if it has NO liberalism in it; and the same is true for conservative hearts and minds.
We will latch onto what we personally like; despise what we personally hate.
For me; when I hear from what I find to be reputable sources saying something about a book or movie and they explain in detail why they believe it's propaganda (And what isn't, these days?), then I'm seriously inclined to avoid it; I 'vote' with my wallet; or lack thereof. I don't want to 'feed the beast' and make it grow stronger. In THOSE cases; it's NOT ever 'just a movie' or book; it's an attempt at manipulating the masses into believing whatever they are pushing. If it's not an ideology I approve of; I don't partake of it. If it is; I will.
So Barbie MAY be 'only a movie', but unless there was ZERO influence towards the right or the left; then it was ALSO much MORE than 'JUST a movie'.
If we want to partake of something; even if we are told 'it has 'this' and 'this' and 'this' in it; and all of those 'it's' mean nothing to us; then YES; we can sit back, relax, and enjoy it as 'just a movie'.
And that's fine; nothing wrong with that. But it's also perfectly fine to/for all of the others that do see all of the 'it's' in it; are bothered by them; and don't want to buy into any of it. Both sides can be 'right'.
Since when is a movie “just a movie”? They all have a message, and with this type of budget you can bet the message isn’t a pretty one