Greta Gerwig's Barbie

Why do I keep thinking Made You Look was used in this movie? AHHHHHH

Surprised there's very little talk about how stereotypical "school leftist" the daughter was.

I mean there is but it's mostly how everyone was annoyed by her 180 on Barbie.

"school leftist"

That's a new one to me

, Hmm. Maybe that's what I am. Haha. I'm kidding. I'm pretty strong in the Left though probably (though not really political either though).

All three songs (Dance the Night, I'm Just Ken and What Was I Made For?) were nominated at the Globes and they're all eligible for the Song category too at the Academy Awards. With the Oscars though only two can get nominated, so I'm hoping Dance the Night is one of them (the other is bound to be I'm Just Ken).

Two Golden Globe wins for the movie, the newly-minted "Best Box Office Performance" and "Best Original Song" for Billy Ellish and "What I Was Made For"

Edited by Zarius on Jan 8th 2024 at 4:20:41 AM

If you ask me, I hope Dance the Night gets the Academy Award nomination over I'm Just Ken. That'll even things out. While Billie Eilish already won, she deservingly will probably win again at this point.

Just found out that Ryan Gosling got an Oscar nomination but not Greta Gerwig or Margo Robbie.

This is literally the plot of the movie.

Edited by Spirit on Jan 23rd 2024 at 7:11:14 AM

To be fair, when was the last time you heard a Ken win anything in Barbieland?

(Yes, I'm being sarcastic)

Edited by CharlesPhipps on Jan 23rd 2024 at 4:16:50 AM

Congrats to everyone who did get nominated—especially America Ferrera!—and to those who didn't who should've been, you were robbed.

Margot Robbie getting overlooked because of how stacked the Actress race is is one thing, Greta Gerwig missing out on a Director nom—when so many were mad when she wasn't nominated for Little Women 2019–is inexcusable. This is gonna haunt them for a while.

Bummed Dance the Night didn't get nominated for Song. Congrats to the other two songs regardless though.

Was watching the car chase scene again earlier today. Still really funny. Hope Margot and America get nominated for Best Duo soon.

I saw barbie and I have to said it was impresive.

Like on the good thing the movie IS funny and manage to use a lot of black comedy and does not shy away for jokes everyone have use before like lack of genitalia, it also very self aware of how barbie is perceive as ideal it cant never be reach, how she is good and everything and yet stereotypically good at nothing(someties deride by feminist and girl it try to market), it was way more reflexing it have the right to be and I quite like that.

The weakness for me is kinda jump between metaphors rather quickly, Ken move to a funny sidekick who the movie make fun for how he try to catch barbie atention to becoming a funny antagonist who the movie use to mock bro behavior like manexplaing and gaslighting to finally becoming sort of pitable at the end, also his crush on Barbie become quite existencialist as he said "I exist only as sun in your eye"(more or less) so it become clear Ken love with barbie is not just love but a men telling the reason of his existence why it does reject him(Which in turn is what promp Barbie to get she wants more to be barbie and become human). My gf said it didnt like how Ken didnt get out with the idea of being kenough but barbie have to more or less expell it for him to get.

I will said the weakest part of the movie is actually meeting the real world, while it does have some good jokes, Matell feel very much like filler and the suit are so cartoonish for I moment I thought they were toys who create toys in a matrix-wtih-matrix esque scenario, also I really didnt like Gloria daughter who is kinda forgettable as she feel very much a kind straw feminist who only complain, the fact her relationship just sorta pad up didnt help but this usually is the issue with "Fictional chararter stand with real life people".

That is probably the point: that the movie follows the generic, regular Barbie specifically rather than any of the other ones with the special gimmicks or characteristics. Interesting also how all the Barbie Land characters are supposed to be toys and made of plastic like the world they live in and yet they look like regular people for the most part. It's a way of showing how thing the line between both fantasy and reality can actually be at times.

That Ken points out he's made for the purpose of only being with her, her being the one to explain to him that he has to exist now for himself also makes sense. Also, while he does take over, he himself is not made the credible threat. The ideals he brought that changed everything would be the threats and thus why Gloria's words/speech do sway the Barbies to get out from under the influence of the ideals that the Kens are blindly following without them truly realizing what they meant—especially when the Kens were marginalized before and they and the Barbies all live in a society that either way was so idealized because it was so simple.

Sasha while she's mature for her age is also still a teen girl wanting independence from her mother. The point being made is that she doesn't actually know everything and that her being able to reestablish that connection with her mother while also seeing how the idealism Sasha was fighting against could actually be a good thing because it's the promise of both a better world and better future—which aside from Gloria wanting a better future for women in general, would definitely want that for her daughter too. That this idealized world would actually make the real world cartoonish or hyperbolic by comparison—or by association—does feel like the point being made.

Definitely not trying to mansplain. I analyze film of course since I got a degree in English and have always been passionate about movies. With this film, even if it's not what was expected, the choices all do definitely make sense by the end of the day.

Edited by futuremoviewriter on Jan 30th 2024 at 6:28:53 AM

I mentioned earlier the problem of the movie is that a lot of the metaphors can also be applied to other things than what they're going for. Ken having to find himself and not be defined by Barbie is the movie's intent but a very real intent is also not to become obsessed with an overly romanticized relationship as well as get stuck on one person when you should find someone who has similar relationship goals as you.

Which sounds like compatible messages but would require very different character development.

I would agree. Just because she wasn't right for him, doesn't mean someone else wouldn't be either. For the time being, he should just be happy with himself though.

I think the issue here is that the way ken was made as toy means that....yeah, he exist just to be with barbie. It not just a men saying "why we cant be a thing" is a creation ask the reason their existence "why?" this is poingant because not much later Barbie ask ruth if she can be human.

That is why the idea the movie is sociological or psychological are kinda missing the point because it go more for a philosophical stand point.

Edited by unknowing on Feb 1st 2024 at 8:50:24 AM

I mean Ken is a living toy in a relationship that isn't working so...

(Which is to say that it relates a lot to many ideas)

Edited by CharlesPhipps on Feb 1st 2024 at 6:49:13 AM

Technically he isn't even in a relationship as Barbie just sees him as a friends.

Edited by Bullman on Feb 1st 2024 at 8:54:06 AM

Yeah, Barbie dosent even act like he is a friend just rather someone he see now and them and he took him for granted.

Like this movie if full of people wanting the other to see their issue: Gloria and her daughter, Ken to Barbie, the kens to barbieland and Finally Barbie to god(aka, ruth).

Oh there's definitely Philosophy in it too, to the point that while "What Was I Made For?" is written specifically to Barbie's plight—as well as written from the perspective of a woman, it's an extremely identifiable concept for anyone feeling lost and uncertain about who they are in life.

So do you think they'll make a sequel to this or not? I mean, the film ends on a pretty definite note, but you know that WB and Mattel will probably want to keep this thing going.

I mean there's other stories that could be told with Barbie as a legit human being in the Real World. I don't see why not.

An Evil Barbie that usurps the current rulers of Barbie World to get back at the Kens could also be a thing as a Take That to any strain of Radical Feminism, including TERFS due to the presence of a Transgender Barbie.

I have a fan theory I must share. From the Funny page:

This was the Beach Off teased in the start of the movie. Two Ken giving off so much Kenergy on a beach it pulls everyone into a pocket dimension for a dance battle.