OPINION

The opinions published by The Match are solely those of the author, and not of the entire publication, its staff, or Collegiate School. The Match welcomes thoughtful commentary and response to our content. You can respond in the comments below, but please do so respectfully. Letters to the Editors will be published, but they are subject to revision based on content or length. Letters can be sent to match@collegiate-va.org.

By Charlie Miller

Feeling anxious, former Collegiate student and current Virginia Episcopal School senior G Wyatt and I walked into the Showtimes at Movieland: Bow Tie-Cinema on a warm Saturday night this summer. As we walked in, we bought tickets at the machine, hoping for two decent seats next to each other. We walked into Theater 9 and saw the two middle-front seats, and we were filled with joy. We were excited to see the one and the only Barbie movie that had been talked about for days on social media. We had heard and read almost every review that was out there. We also knew that the main character, Barbie, is played by Margot Robbie, known for playing Jordan Belfort’s wife in The Wolf of Wall Street, among other roles.

Barbie movie poster. Image credit: Warner Bros.

Leaning back in our chairs, snacks in hand, we were ready to take on the most hyped and sought-after movie out there. Wyatt and I had extremely high expectations leading up to the movie as all the ads were playing. As we were munching down on our popcorn, we were wondering what the movie was going to start off like. I personally knew exactly what the movie was going to be like right as it started. It struck us with a playful and kiddy vibe. As Wyatt agrees, “I really thought I was watching a little kid movie and not supposed to be watching it.” We kept our comments aside and buckled down for a long movie ahead of us. 

Barbie features the popular and classic world-famous doll, Barbie, and we watch her go through her daily life with all the Kens and Barbies in Barbie Land. As Time’s Stephanie Zacharek says, “Barbieland is a world where all the Barbies love and support one another, like a playtime version of the old-fashioned women’s college, where the students thrive because there are no men to derail their self-esteem.” However, she gets a chance to go and be in the real world for the first time. Although there is jealousy in Barbie Land because all of the Kens are fighting for Barbie’s attention, Barbie ignores this and goes on about her own path. Barbie finds out that she has to go to the real world because her human that played with her caused her to have physical and emotional changes. Somehow, one of the Kens (Ryan Gosling) that is obsessed with Barbie, sneaks into her car as she is on the way to the real world.

As many reviewers would say, the feminist take on the film might have helped it make as much money as it did. On the opening weekend of the Barbie movie, the film gained around 162 million dollars in revenue. Health News‘ John Crimmins writes that, “this historic win proves just how far women have come in the entertainment industry. This feminist journey reaches beyond the movie screen.” The movie has ultimately shaped conversations about women’s roles and how they represent society.

At the beginning of the movie, Barbie wonders out loud if any of the other Barbies ever think about dying. The reaction from everyone else shows that nobody would ever think about that, then she pretends she was just joking. 

People dressed in pink ready to see Barbie. Photo credit: Shallon Lester via The New York Times.

The next day, Barbie’s “perfect” routine is not so perfect anymore. She wakes up with bad breath, showers with real water, and the waffles she eats are expired. Barbie then visits to Weird Barbie (Kate McKinnon) to tell her about these troubles and also to question why her feet are flat. This leads to her discovering the real world and how it differs from Barbie Land. 

Some reviewers will say that the Barbie movie is one of the most original, family-friendly movies out there today, and it is grabbing every single family’s attention. Even though I don’t agree, the movie best portrayed the mother-daughter relationships that were combined with open-hearted dialogue.

I personally think Barbie was a below-average film because of the basic plot and their over-exaggerated acting. They hit you too hard over the head with the moral, and in my opinion people shouldn’t be restricted by society’s standards. The film was just boring for me, because the acting and the style were so childish and too sarcastic. 

Other Upper School students had a variety of views. Warner Lewis (‘24) says it was “underwhelming for how hyped up it was” and it “wasn’t as funny as I thought it was going to be.” Giles Ferrell (‘24) adds on that “All the women Barbies acted dumb on purpose, even if it was on purpose. In my opinion, I thought it was a little too much,” and she thinks that “there should’ve been more of a redemption for Ken.” “From a plot and film standpoint, it was below average, and I wouldn’t see it again,” Ferrell added. 

Mary Wilkins (‘25) expressed that “It didn’t feel like Barbie, because it focused less on the adventures and what Barbie actually stood for” and “focused more on the societal problems rather than the entertainment, and in general didn’t give what Barbie usually gives.” Upper School math teacher Hallie Balcomb thought that “It was more about death than gender roles,” and “it was sympathetic towards Ken, even though people thought there was hate towards him. He was trying to figure out who he was, and it was tricky for him.” 

Read Chloe Miles’ alternate take on Barbie. 

Featured image credit: Warner Bros.