Barbie

[Stevicus]

If they had gone in this direction, it might have been interesting:

 

[fantome profane]

Conservative are mocked in every facet of pop culture!

Actually it is you mocking a conservative.

 

[sun rise]

That is why we need to show men and women working together.

You appear to want good old-fashioned "socialist realism".

 

[sun rise]

There are a lot of movies like that, even something like Shrek has some element of that.

Heck, most of the movies I watched in the 1980s were like that. When I watch them now I can't figure out how I missed it all when I was a kid.

I remember a Rocky & Bullwinkle episode where Peabody and Sherman went to see Edgar Allen Poe if my memory is accurate. He was much too jolly and not into writing what became famous. What changed that? He received a letter from the IRS that he was going to be audited. What 7 year old would understand the horror such a letter would engender.

So yes, I think it's good for kids to be exposed to more such themes that they can wonder about.

 

[sun rise]

If they had gone in this direction, it might have been interesting:

It's called Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

Good grief, it's a damn movie about dolls and it's clearly satirical. It's definitely not a movie for kids or even preteens of either sex. It's a chick movie and, yes, it has a feminist bent. I do wish that aspect wasn't as hamfisted as it was in some parts, but it's not as bad as the conservative critics are saying. For example, both the Kens and the Barbies are rather empty carticatures and stunted, lacking real individuality. It's not really the Ken's fault, and they're suffering, too. This is addressed to an extent in the film, and there's room to explore this more in future movies, which would be nice.

Really, the movie is about realizing that reality is complicated, often hard and painful and no one is just one thing, nor can they be - and that's what makes it worthwhile. Both the male and the female characters had to grow and make room for others. It also takes a critical view on crass materialism and capitalism, and says that material things shouldn't define us.

I didn't see any pro-abortion messaging in the movie. The opening scene was just about how Barbie supposedly offered girls a wider variation of ideals to look up to than the baby dolls of yore did. That's all.

i thought that Robbie and Gosling were both great, and I especially loved that Gosling was obviously not taking himself too seriously and having fun. The campiness was fun and I was laughing throughout the film. It's geared towards Zoomers and Millennials, and the humor follows suit. It's really a funny movie, and is a bit thought-provoking to boot. The visuals are great and the colors pop. Should win some awards for that.

 

[Brickjectivity]

If they had gone in this direction, it might have been interesting:

Yes, because the Klingons would have won.

 

[Stevicus]

Yes, because the Klingons would have won.

Klingon Barbie, perhaps?

 

[Father Heathen]

The Political Left is the lingering source of the Patriarchy, since the standards of Liberals are a dual standard, and these progressive principles do not apply to white Lefty males. If President Biden make a racist slip or touches children, this is swept under the rug. Big Daddy is exempt.

These Lefty Patriarchs are the ones leading the woman and minorities. Who do you think made this movie? These patriarchs are good at projection and misdirection. Most of predators against women are Lefty males, such as in Hollywood. But they successfully blame others; project, and then are allowed to hide in plain sight, pulling the strings of their puppets, who are clueless.

The political right and religion are classic patriarchies, but the men are doing this in plane sight and not in an underhanded misdirect way. This allows women to chose that life style and not be brainwashed by the misdirect. People on the right can have difference of opinion on say abortion. But the left has to walk lockstep, or you we be censored and kicked out; Big Daddy sets the rules. You do not have the right to disagree.

 

[sun rise]

Klingon Barbie, perhaps?

Qapla

 

[F1fan]

If they had gone in this direction, it might have been interesting:

Oh no, you know what happens to walk on characters on Star Trek, they get killed in the first ten minutes.

 

[Stevicus]

Oh no, you know what happens to walk on characters on Star Trek, they get killed in the first ten minutes.

It depends if they want to make them a recurring character. They might let them come back for a few episodes, and then kill them off. But Klingon Barbie would die with honor.

 

[Stevicus]

 

[Ella S.]

The Political Left is the lingering source of the Patriarchy, since the standards of Liberals are a dual standard, and these progressive principles do not apply to white Lefty males. If President Biden make a racist slip or touches children, this is swept under the rug. Big Daddy is exempt.

These Lefty Patriarchs are the ones leading the woman and minorities. Who do you think made this movie? These patriarchs are good at projection and misdirection. Most of predators against women are Lefty males, such as in Hollywood. But they successfully blame others; project, and then are allowed to hide in plain sight, pulling the strings of their puppets, who are clueless.

The political right and religion are classic patriarchies, but the men are doing this in plane sight and not in an underhanded misdirect way. This allows women to chose that life style and not be brainwashed by the misdirect. People on the right can have difference of opinion on say abortion. But the left has to walk lockstep, or you we be censored and kicked out; Big Daddy sets the rules. You do not have the right to disagree.

I agree, at least as far as my experience with US politics goes.

There's a weird authoritarian undertone to liberal policies here and many of the "progressive" Democratic politicians are pretty far from anything I would consider progressive. Many of them have been openly sexist, racist, and queerphobic, and either continue to be or have never really gone back on their earlier comments. Biden is a decent example of that.

However, that's part of why liberals are not leftists. I have serious doubts that any leftist was involved in the making of the Barbie movie. More likely, it was made by liberal pink capitalists looking to market off of the nostalgia of my demographic. The inherent hypocrisy of the movie is certainly not lost on me.

The only part I would disagree with here is that most predators are leftist men. I don't even think most predators are liberals. The statistics I've seen fairly consistently show that serial sex offenders and serial violent offenders tend to harbor extreme right-wing views. I don't mean they're Christian conservatives, I mean they tend to hold outright ethno-nationalist, proto-fascist, and anarcho-capitalist sentiments, which honestly makes sense. These offenders are the kind of people that generally buy into the Social Darwinist concept of "might makes right," which ties very neatly into fascism and laissez-faire capitalism.

Obviously, liberals can be that way, too, but I think liberals tend to be more majoritarian and advocate for much greater authoritarianism than right-wingers do, which tends to be in contradiction with that Social Darwinist tendency. You yourself point this out in your post here, where you mention that liberals demand that people walk lockstep while conservatives tolerate a much wider variety of political philosophies, and I think that's absolutely true.

I even agree that liberals and Democrats continue to perpetuate the patriarchy, just in a more underhanded and deceitful way, and I think that's closely tied to their corrupt corporate agendas which mostly benefit wealthy white men. They don't care about the minorities they pay lip service to; all they care about is their personal profit.

It's rare for me to see a conservative critique of US liberal politics that I actually agree with, since I'm a radical leftist as an anarchist, but I think your points are very salient here.

 

[sun rise]

I agree, at least as far as my experience with US politics goes.

There's a weird authoritarian undertone to liberal policies here and many of the "progressive" Democratic politicians are pretty far from anything I would consider progressive. Many of them have been openly sexist, racist, and queerphobic, and either continue to be or have never really gone back on their earlier comments. Biden is a decent example of that.

However, that's part of why liberals are not leftists. I have serious doubts that any leftist was involved in the making of the Barbie movie. More likely, it was made by liberal pink capitalists looking to market off of the nostalgia of my demographic. The inherent hypocrisy of the movie is certainly not lost on me.

The only part I would disagree with here is that most predators are leftist men. I don't even think most predators are liberals. The statistics I've seen fairly consistently show that serial sex offenders and serial violent offenders tend to harbor extreme right-wing views. I don't mean they're Christian conservatives, I mean they tend to hold outright ethno-nationalist, proto-fascist, and anarcho-capitalist sentiments, which honestly makes sense. These offenders are the kind of people that generally buy into the Social Darwinist concept of "might makes right," which ties very neatly into fascism and laissez-faire capitalism.

Obviously, liberals can be that way, too, but I think liberals tend to be more majoritarian and advocate for much greater authoritarianism than right-wingers do, which tends to be in contradiction with that Social Darwinist tendency. You yourself point this out in your post here, where you mention that liberals demand that people walk lockstep while conservatives tolerate a much wider variety of political philosophies, and I think that's absolutely true.

I even agree that liberals and Democrats continue to perpetuate the patriarchy, just in a more underhanded and deceitful way, and I think that's closely tied to their corrupt corporate agendas which mostly benefit wealthy white men. They don't care about the minorities they pay lip service to; all they care about is their personal profit.

It's rare for me to see a conservative critique of US liberal politics that I actually agree with, since I'm a radical leftist as an anarchist, but I think your points are very salient here.

The Democratic party in the US would be considered a conservative party everywhere else. And the conservatives in places like the UK would be considered socialists here for their support of socialized medicine (NHS) etc.

 

[SkepticThinker]

I remember a Rocky & Bullwinkle episode where Peabody and Sherman went to see Edgar Allen Poe if my memory is accurate. He was much too jolly and not into writing what became famous. What changed that? He received a letter from the IRS that he was going to be audited. What 7 year old would understand the horror such a letter would engender.

LOL Perfect example!

So yes, I think it's good for kids to be exposed to more such themes that they can wonder about.

Agreed.

 

[SkepticThinker]

Good grief, it's a damn movie about dolls and it's clearly satirical. It's definitely not a movie for kids or even preteens of either sex. It's a chick movie and, yes, it has a feminist bent. I do wish that aspect wasn't as hamfisted as it was in some parts, but it's not as bad as the conservative critics are saying. For example, both the Kens and the Barbies are rather empty carticatures and stunted, lacking real individuality. It's not really the Ken's fault, and they're suffering, too. This is addressed to an extent in the film, and there's room to explore this more in future movies, which would be nice.

Really, the movie is about realizing that reality is complicated, often hard and painful and no one is just one thing, nor can they be - and that's what makes it worthwhile. Both the male and the female characters had to grow and make room for others. It also takes a critical view on crass materialism and capitalism, and says that material things shouldn't define us.

I didn't see any pro-abortion messaging in the movie. The opening scene was just about how Barbie supposedly offered girls a wider variation of ideals to look up to than the baby dolls of yore did. That's all.

i thought that Robbie and Gosling were both great, and I especially loved that Gosling was obviously not taking himself too seriously and having fun. The campiness was fun and I was laughing throughout the film. It's geared towards Zoomers and Millennials, and the humor follows suit. It's really a funny movie, and is a bit thought-provoking to boot. The visuals are great and the colors pop. Should win some awards for that.

I have no idea why, but I kind of have an aversion to Ryan Gosling for some reason. But even I must admit, he was fantastic in the movie. I couldn't think of a more perfect Ken, and my niece and I definitely tried. My 12-year-old niece absolutely adores this movie, by the way, and has seen it twice. Both times she teared up at the end and I got the feeling the movie has affected her rather deeply, in a very positive way.

 

[Guitar's Cry]

Barbie was a relentless attack on men with pro abortion imagery showing all men to be patriarchal, misogynistic, low intelligence, easily manipulated, greedy and violent. I cannot tell you how relentless it was, you have to see it to understand. If I was not at the drive in I would have walked out. My wife was appalled as well. We both felt sick when we left.

I just watched the movie so I feel like I can respond to this. I didn't have the same reaction and had a very different interpretation of the movie. A lot of posters have previously come up with the same points, but I enjoy literary analysis, especially where it critiques modern culture, so bear with me if you've read some of these already.

1. First scene bashed motherhood and literally had little girls bashing baby dolls heads on strollers, cribs and rocks to destroy them

A couple of people have already mentioned this, but the allusion to 2001: A Space Odyssey does more than simply re-imagine an iconic scene. Consider that in 2001, the monolith inspires tool use in the apes, specifically weapon use. Using tools is extremely important for the growth of humanity into a technological species, but it has always had the specter of violence with it. In the case of Barbie, the "monolith" inspires growth in young girls who have only been taught a single role: motherhood. But this growth has the specter of a stereotyped image that also serves to typecast certain expectations for girls and women. Hence Barbie being the "monolith."

Consider that being a "mother" is a role that the protagonist female from "Reality" has and the positive theme of bonding with her daughter is clearly present.

2. Heard the word patriarchy at least 40 times.

You use it 5 or so times in this post. It is a clear theme.

3. All men acted like it was 1950.

Mm...the "Reality" world was pretty modern.

Still, it makes sense since the 1950s really typifies how Americans view "traditional gender roles."

4. The only "good" male in the movie was shown as meek and powerless.

Not really. I assume you are referring to Allan? You saw the scene with the construction workers, right?

One of the themes I read in the movie was specifically about men also breaking out of one-dimensional stereotypes in order to grow and be more realistically human. This isn't about being meek and powerless, it is about learning who you are, accepting yourself as human, and continuing on. Nothing meek or powerless there. Ken is weak only when he is accepting the limitations put on him. In the end, when he accepts he is "Kenough," and is able to break from the Ken-collective, realize that he is an individual, and accept Barbie's own realized wisdom, he gains power over himself.

5. Showed the Mattel board of directors as all misogynistic men when in actuality Mattel has 5 of the 11 board members as women.

I saw the board of directors as mostly yes-men being led by an eccentric leader, symbolic of industry attempting to "box" identities for profit. But even then, the leader also comes to the conclusion that being a leader without a separate identity from the role is boring and sometimes just wants to tickle his coworkers. It is an interesting dynamic; they are clearly not necessarily positive characters, but seeing them as just representatives of misogyny doesn't seem quite right. I read a little bit in this of how corporations can make attempts to be inclusive for the sake of maintaining profit, which leads to soulless displays of allyship, but still serves an important role with providing representation of and mainstreaming support for marginalized or underrepresented groups.

There is some irony in this, since the movie is likely to be a boon for merchandising. ;-)

6. All men were shown to be dumb.

Only when they simply accept the roles they are supposed to play according to other people. Ken shows some genuine insight.

7. The white Ken was shown to be a moron and the leader of the rebellion that brainwashed the Barbies into complying with an oppressive patriarchal society.

No, he was shown to be a human being who, because he was treated without respect and simply as a caricature without any meaningful role in society, he was driven to excessively imitate another role that gave him a power he was never allowed to feel. Barbie understands that in the end and apologizes. In fact, in the end, this is realized as the town begins to include the Kens in Barbieland in meaningful ways. "This is Barbie...and Ken" becomes "This is Barbie and this is Ken."

8. Long monologues of how women are oppressed and how hard it is to be a woman in a patriarchal society with no talk at all of any real issues men have.

Again, the struggle that men also have in a patriarchy are certainly themes. Men aren't just beer-swilling, guitar-playing (I did feel called out since I actually did attempt to woo my partner by playing guitar to her by a fire back before we were dating!), violent jerks. We are humans capable of feelings and need validation. The Barbies weren't the only ones being forced into roles that damaged their humanity. I think a good part of the movie was meant to show the danger of extremism in both a patriarchy and a matriarchy, and how both lead to dehumanizing everyone.

9. Ken was "reformed" at the end of the movie depicting him as meek, submissive and powerless.

As I stated, I disagree; I think the ending empowered and strengthened Ken. He was no longer an ornamental male in a collective: he has worth beyond what people expect of him.

 

[Lotus Jewel]

men and women are different

Men and women are not so different as rigid traditionalists like to play up. We share most of the same desires, fears, impulses, cravings, aversions, and all the like.

There are plenty of movies and comics that are basically intended to appeal to 'male heroism' fantasies. Far-right conservatives never seem to make much noise about that.

 

[SkepticThinker]

The political Left likes to pander to its base, using alternate reality. I have not seen the movie, but the Barbie movie appears to be part of the continuing programing effort for the lucrative transgender industries. The line between male and female is deliberately blurred, for the young children; Barbie and Ken, making it easier to create free future lab rats for medical experiments.

What I would like to see a movie about women being women, instead of women made to copy men, while employing a role reversal for men, to create a mirror world of alternate reality. Why doesn't Liberal Hollywood think women are not proud to be women? Why do they think they need to mimic men? Why place men in a hole, to create the illusion of rising above? The math does not add up to reality, but appears like social engineering propaganda.

One can see this template in US commercials, where the female, and minorities play the role of 1950's style men, and the white male is the now the 1950's dingbat wife. I think it is funny, but it is more like brain washing than the soil for healthy child development for reality. This could explain adolescent confusion issues and vulnerability to fake news.

It would be like having commercials about basketball shoes, where in that alternate reality, white boys are winning the games with their new shoes, while the black boys are all thumbs and feet and can't dance. I would prefer what is real, instead of pandering to a social engineering brain wash for marketing purposes.

Left wing Fake News does the same thing, in terms of building up crooked leaders as honest, while putting the honest leader in a hole, so the other can appear to rise above. Biden won on that, but now we have a reality check which is not like the movie.

This social engineering pattern of the Left could explain something else. Say you pander to minorities in commercials and movies, but fail to change reality in Democrat run cities, will the movies and commercial illusion be enough to add cover to an illusion of change, than never really happens as sold? On the one hand, minorities can see ideal social change on TV commercials, but nothing have changed in their own hard reality. This sudden awareness may be where the blame game comes in; add smoke to the mirrors.

Yeah, you definitely haven't seen it and it shows. In fact, it's pretty much the opposite of what you seem to think.
Why do people review movies they've never actually seen? It's weird.