Summary: This isn't the fun, light-hearted fantasy the marketing would have you believe. It is instead a clunky film that is nearly all social commentary. In fact, the plot and protagonist of the film is the patriarchy and more specifically men. The result is a sexist film that can be good at times but frustrating for many viewers. The movie may even be damaging to woman (explanation below).

Full Review:

I will justify my summary above but I want to first share that the film has a tremendous amount of potential and that I will be looking forward to a sequel should it come out. The cast is excellent. Gosling absolutely steals the show and is clearly having a ton of fun. Robbie is also a gem and is the quintessential Barbie. They could not have picked a better cast. The set design was fun and probably exactly what you would hope for in a Barbie film. The tempo was great, the cameos were fun, the movie was appropriately self-aware, the humor generally landed well. It's probably not a kids movie and I think that I wouldn't want my kids to attend it do to the adult humor and the social commentary bit. I think that for the right audiences the social commentary might elicit some good discussions and may be interesting to some.

I don't mind social commentary but I'd prefer to know that its in the film before I go. If I do go see a movie with social commentary its not generally as clunky as the movie Barbie is. For example, after the movie I asked several people what they thought was the message of the movie and no one person had the same answer. Surely the message centers around feminism or woman's empowerment. These are themes that generally everyone can get behind but the movie isn't clear on specifics. Does the movie intend to convey that Barbie is problematic as a doll or symbol? Is the movie suggesting the patriarchy is a problem? Is it that woman can do anything they put their mind to it? Is it saying the diversity is important? Basically... the movie fails to pinpoint what exactly it is trying to comment on.

Generally if you go see a movie that is intended to be social commentary then you should come out of it with thought provoking questions and ideas. It should be a movie that "flips the script" so that if you are on the opposite side of an issue you become more aware/informed after watching the movie. Unfortunately Barbie doesn't do this. Barbie lives in a fantasy world but the real world n the film is also a fantasy. She doesn't face any real world or realistic dilemma causing us to evaluate the gender systems we have in place. Even the times Barbie is subjected to discrimination or sexism (which is fairly constant) these times are not realistic or believable. Thus the commentary comes off as preachy and anecdotal.

Barbie is also not a role model or a hero in the movie. It's weird watching a movie that is written to empower woman while also featuring a weak and sexist female lead. The film begins with Barbie dismissing men and being biased towards woman. I don't want to leave any spoilers but.... SEMI-SPOILER... the movie ends with things being unequal between the sexes. As a result the film almost suggests that the sexes shouldn't be treated equally. In other words, its clear Barbie and Barbie the movie believes females are the superior gender.

Moreover, Barbie is not a strong and powerful woman. We are told in the movie that Barbie is an inspiration to woman fairly constantly. Normally I would agree. But the Barbie in this movie is depicted as uncapable and weak. She is egocentric and motivated by a desire to be beautiful. In fact, the entire plot kicks off because she finds cellulite on her legs and it later revolves around her self-centered interests to maintain power in her community. Its hard to relate or feel sympathetic under these circumstances and if anything the plot is an indictment on woman's (and societies) overuse of beauty and sexuality. As Barbie trots along her path she doesn't overcome anything on her own and she doesn't change as a person. In fact, everything she "accomplishes" is because someone told her what to do or because someone else did something for her. Not one time can I recall did Barbie accomplish something on her own or reevaluate her positions. By the end of the movie she is still the same problematic Barbie we were first introduced to. This is an interesting problem because it means that Ken, the movie's antagonist is actually the hero of the film. He is the only one in the film that overcomes adversity and is the only one in the film who grows and changes. We don't root for Ken, of course, but if you spend a few minutes thinking about his character arch you will realize he is actually the victim and the hero of the movie. This is what I meant by saying it is a clunky film - it has too many mixed messages, unexplored and unrealistic themes, and watered down but constant social commentary. Then add the fact that the social commentary expressed in the film is of a serious issue but is juxtaposed with a lighthearted comedic tone.

Then there is the problem with the movie's portrayal of men and specifically Ken. First, lets acknowledge how woman have been poorly portrayed in past by depicting them as weak and needing men. We can agree its inappropriate - so its confusing as to why the film does the same thing, except to men. Ken is portrayed as inferior to Barbie in every way when the appropriate thing to do would be highlight the strengths in both genders. A counter argument people may make is, "Dude, its just a movie about a doll and its a fantasy land." I get it, its not real. But the problem is the movie depicts men as inferior and stupid in both the fantasy and real world. In fact, there is little distinction between the men in both worlds. On the other hand, the woman in the real world are depicted more genuinely and certainly more intelligently. This leads me to conclude that the writers likely do have a problem with men even if they were trying to be humorous. In fact, there is a whole subplot with an all male corporate board that seems to be a non-sequitur. It seems its only purpose in the film was to dump on men or, in the alternative, the whole subplot was intended to be something intelligent but ended up being too poorly conceived to be meaningful in any way.

So, I have to say the film is disappointing and problematic in so many ways. But the potential is huge. I would look forward to a sequel but they have to drop the social commentary or, in the alternative, make a more cohesive movie with less mixed signals. Barbie should demonstrate why she is so amazing and earn her place at the top. We don't see why she is special or see her become the hero in her own movie. I expected to see a movie about a powerful woman who also likes to have fun. What I got instead was a bait and switch.