Barbie

Did you grow up playing with Barbie's? If so, you probably know that not everyone likes the idea of Barbie. Some people think Barbie's are harmful to children. Other people love Barbie. This new movie called, Barbie, explores why Barbie could be problematic. Greta Gerwig is the director, previously she directed Little Women. It stars Margot Robbie from Birds of Prey and Suicide Squad, Ryan Gosling from The Notebook and La La Land, Michael Cera from Arrested Development, Helen Mirren, and Rhea Perlman.

In 1959, Ruth Handler, the co-founder of the Mattel toy company, created Barbie. She wanted this doll to inspire little girls to dream and know they can be whatever they want. This thought process seems sexist, it leaves out little boys, who also can be whatever they want. The movie will show you that Handler's idea that Barbie will make society better, hasn't worked out as she probably wanted. Barbie (Margot Robbie) and Ken (Ryan Gosling) live in Barbie land, where women are in charge. Barbie needs to travel to the real world, where she discovers men are in charge and she isn't the inspiration she thought she was.

Robbie plays two sides of the same character, at first Barbie is very carefree in Barbie land, and oblivious to all societies' problems. When she gets to the real world however, she discovers things seem to be the opposite from where she came from. Not only is Gosling nice to look at but he also will make the audience laugh. Ken has always felt left out of Barbie land, until he travels to the real world with Barbie. Unfortunately, he learns the wrong lesson from capitalism. He finds out men are in charge, and wants that for Barbie land. What his take away should have been however, is that men and women can both hold equal power. Alan (Michael Cera) doesn't have a duplicate, therefore he knew who he was from the beginning. He has good morals and values, which gives him confidence to be the best version of himself. Meanwhile, Ken and Barbie are struggling to figure out who they are, and want to be.

The dancing, choreography, and facial expressions were all done spectacularly well. The cast, including the supporting characters did a wonderful job. Gosling does an excellent job, portraying a more submissive Ken in the beginning, then more dominant, when he wants to take charge of Barbie land. Robbie's role as Barbie was much different than when she played Harley Quinn. Barbie is nice, kind, and not evil, while Harley Quinn is a criminal, who could be good from time to time. These roles show she is good at playing different parts, which will help her in the future.

Not only does this movie have some funny moments, but it also has themes that are relevant to what's happening in life today. Capitalism, equality for all, female empowerment, and self-acceptance, are all things people need to know about.

There is a lot of pressure on women to be perfect. Women have to go to work, which usually means getting payed less than men, taking care of the house and kids, all while looking their best, which is difficult to do all the time. Mattel hoped that Barbie would be an inspiration for women. Unfortunately, she doesn't even look like most people, Barbie is extremely skinny, which is an unrealistic standard for anyone to live up to. Along with that, the company, Mattel, and its founders aren't exactly honest people. Years after Barbie was made, Handler was found guilty of tax evasion.

Barbie shows one of the reasons the WGA (Writers Guild of America) and SAG (Screen Actors Guild) are striking. They all want better pay, meanwhile the top CEO's of company's make millions a year. However, the way it should be is more equal, meet somewhere in the middle. Don't pay people so little they need multiple jobs to support their family, but also no one is asking to become a millionaire. Barbie is a good movie that happened to come out at the perfect time. I would encourage everyone to go see this movie. It was well cast and has multiple messages surrounding issues our society faces today.