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Are You Going to See Barbie? Do You Even Like Barbie? What Are You Going to Wear? MY REVIEW

Commentary



Now that I've seen the Barbie movie here are some thoughts:


Margot Robbie and the cast were fantastic at bringing the tongue and cheek comedy to life. While being dazzled by the over the top set design it made me laugh and question some of our societal norms. I heard a few movie goers say this should be shown in schools as a teaching tool. Some of the thought provoking elements were: gender roles/norms, representation, marketing, capitalism, politics, beauty, aging, reality vs fiction, and emotional wellness. I have a strong feeling Barbie Pink is going to be on trend for a long time.



Are You Going to See the Barbie Movie?


I will be going to see the Barbie Movie because the trailer and press interviews have done a great job of selling a fun story. These days we can all use a little bit of that.


Barbie


Do You Even Like Barbie?


As a kid in the 80s, I was not a huge Barbie fan. But, I did play with my friends' dolls on occasion. Mainly I would comb their hair, which always turned that beautiful plastic mane into a completely unmanageable mess, and sometimes leaving me with no choice but to cut all those snarled lochs off. And sometimes I had to make her legs over extend in the cool way they did. Pop, pop, pop. Because, really, who had legs that did that?


I never felt an affinity toward these dolls or the need to strive for the perfection of the Barbie body that became the talk of many mommy groups. When I was a kid Barbie didn't look like me, (as a little brown girl) until much later, so I didn't much care.





Black Barbie and Much More


When I finally came across a black Barbie it was the coolest, but it was beyond my time of playing with dolls. Barbie represents a wide swath of people now including very famous celebrities and people with differing abilities. The line is very inclusive.




The Actors


Fast-forward to today. I love the idea of Margot Robbie playing Barbie and I can't wait for the hilarity of Ryan Gosling's performance as Ken. I am sure the script will address Barbie being able to accomplish anything, while acknowledging the unrealistic perfection of the iconic doll woven into the storyline with lots of over the top comedy. Helen Mirren, Issa Rae, Simu Liu, Will Ferrell, Kate McKinnon, America Ferrera, Alexandra Shipp, are also in the cast, which begs for good time.




AND - What are we going to wear?


Everyone is talking about their "Barbie Movie Outfits" and at least wearing PINK to the theatre. I think it sounds like fun and why not make the movie going experience a but of an EVENT instead of just going to see another movie.


Let's hope the show is as good as the hype. I'll let you know.


Movies - By Michele Gerber


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