Rod and Karen review the summer comedy, “Barbie.” We also discuss your comments on our latest reviews.
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SMR 461: Barbie
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I only saw one trailer for this movie and was like Meh. I’m so glad that I ended up checking it out. I believe that I had fell for the hate for Greta Gerwig on Twitter (another reason I’m so glad to have TBGWT Nation to deliver me from that filth). This movie was beyond my expectation, I had so much fun and it was so intelligent. The cast was fire too.
I only had time to attend a showing that all the mama’s and their babies were at with strollers parked at the front of the theater and I was regretting buying the ticket. Even the babies paid attention to the movie or I was so into it that I didn’t notice them. There’s too much to write about, but I’ll end with this. One of the veteran groups that I volunteer with usually has a movie night for families where we watch the biggest release around then, and I asked the person in charge why there wasn’t one for Barbie? He responded with he’s a man and there aren’t enough women interested. I told right on DeSantis, I thought your job was using movie night to promote your organization as welcoming to all but you clearly picked a side and I’ll let your CEO know next time I see her. They have been struggling to get more women and LGBTQIA veterans lately to events and I wonder why.
Great movie!
Greta Gerwig done did it again. Barbie’s deep, poignant, heartfelt & a wonderful time at the theaters. America Ferrera, for me, put this movie over, centering it on the very themes that Gerwig & even her husband, Noah Baumbach are pretty well known for for the a decade, at least. Ryan Gosling, aside from Ferrera & a textbook Margot Robbie performance, was cooking with fucking gas. I pretty much liked everyone here. Hari Nef, Issa Rae, Kate McKinnon & even Alexandra Shipp were notable standouts. Will Ferrell, likewise, playing the typically aloof CEO of real-life aloof Mattel. Probably had no business being this good, but with Greta manning this ship of Barbies & Kens, I don’t think anyone else could’ve done this as well as she did.
Good Morning Rod & Karen, just wanted to chime in on a couple other things that made this movie so freakin’ brilliant.
I absolutely loved how the film made the point that y’all make regularly about how much the performance of masculinity is actually about pleasing other men/peers, not appealing to women. And how much the super-masculine things men do always end up looking ridiculous and often-times veer into homo-eroticism. Also, the acoustic guitar…I fucking died! And the use of music with Indigo Girls being the Barbie’s obsessive song and that shitty “Well I will” tune from the early 2000’s being the dude anthem…fucking Chef’s Kiss. So good! And it also had such a great message for boys/men about how Patriarchy and Gender Norms box US in, but delivered it in a really fun way.
I also really loved the fact that the movie didn’t go as overtly-political as it could have. Aside from the Supreme Court jokes and Patriarchy Ken swinging the flag on the steps like an Insurrectionist (which was brilliant) it mostly steered away from being a Liberal vs. Conservative framing that it could have very easily slipped into. When the story moved towards a Constitutional Amendment Vote I really feared “oh no this is gonna turn into some 2016 Election heart-break joke” but it didn’t even need to go there, which I think is a good thing.
But it did do some things that obviously are gonna make Misogynist heads explode, and I’m here for it. Having Ken look at the Doctor Barbie (played by Transgender actress, Hari Nef) and tell her how pretty she is, not only played on the ridiculous movie trope of the girl being ugly with glasses on but suddenly gorgeous when she takes them off, but it was also a really touching moment. Especially when you consider, as Zinnia Jones, a Trans woman I follow just noted on Twitter, the implication that somewhere a little trans girl is playing with Barbie dreaming of being a doctor…sorry I think I got some dust in my eye…Anyways, I think shit like that must have been intentional and it’s really impressive how many levels there are to this movie.
My only gripe about it was that Emma Mackey, who is really funny on Sex Education could’ve been used a bit more, but honestly that is nit-picking. The movie was so jam-packed with talent and I think it mostly let almost everyone get a chance to shine.
Cheers and stay safe– John