Barbie: Movie Review

Controversy and expectations have surrounded the Barbie movie since the trailer first aired. The movie was banned from several countries, ranging from Lebanon to Kuwait and Vietnam. The movie has supposedly been banned from these variety of places for “violating religious and cultural beliefs”. Despite the controversy, I found it to be both whimsical and serious with a positive message and entertainment for all.
The Barbie movie has a lot to unpack. Barbie (Margot Robbie) struggles with the meaning of life and death. Fearful of being a “Weird Barbie,” she journeys to the real world for answers. Her initial delusions about how the real world would be are crushed when she realized that people hate her and objectify her, such as the construction workers who catcall her and the school girls who feel conditioned to live up to the Barbie image. This leads her to a journey of self-discovery where she finds herself in the Barbie directory board fully occupied by men, barely escaping with the woman who played with her as a child.
Barbie returns to Barbie Land with her new friends and she is shocked to see that everything has changed. Barbie Land is renamed Kendom, the city has transformed into a misogynistic place with a male hierarchy. The Barbies strategize and retake Barbie Land, while the Kens’ find the meaning without Barbies and struggle to be Kenough.
There are many messages in this hysterically sincere movie. Some of the most notable are that everyone is Barbie, change is inevitable, and that one insecurity (like in Barbie’s case a flat foot) can ruin a Barbie’s confidence. Some people may find this movie light-hearted and funny, while others and entire nations find it to be dangerous and worth banning. Barbie has something for everyone.