Barbie Movie Review: The Good, The Bad & The Weird

Like the rest of the west, my teenage daughter and I have watched the hype surrounding the release of the new Barbie movie unfold over the last several months. While I’m not normally one to brave theatres on opening weekends just to see Hollywood’s latest ideals go big screen, our schedule happened to have an opening that aligned with the opening weekend of Barbie. A mother/daughter date ensued; the movie made for interesting conversation our whole ride home. Below is an (only slightly biased) review from the stance of a therapist who specializes in women’s issues, mother of both boys and girls, and follower of Christ.

Was Barbie a good movie? Yes. Was Barbie a bad movie? Yes. Do I suggest watching Barbie? Yes and no. And thus, I begin my review by introducing you to the power of and.

It’s so easy for us to view things as either all good, or all bad—but in a very gray world, things are seldom black and white. We could turn Barbie into a hero or demonize her, but the reality is that neither one would be completely accurate. Just as life is both hard and beautiful at the same time, Barbie, the movie, had terrible messages along with redeeming themes.

The Good

Parts of this movie had me pleasantly surprised, such as when Barbie traveled to the real world and found that her quest to “save women” had actually backfired. Instead, she had unknowingly magnified the pressures we face as women to “do it all and do it all with a smile.”  The movie did indeed call out the objectifying body-style and clothing choices of the Barbie creators. Additionally, as the movie attempted to mock men, it actually just magnified how unattractive ungodly manhood is. If Christians and the culture can agree that it’s unsavory for men to objectify women and live a life (self) centered on beer, sports, and material toys, well then, let culture and Christianity have a common enemy.  

The height of the movie’s value, for me, came as America Ferrara’s character gave a speech regarding her experience of the pressures we face as women. A woven theme throughout was that perfection isn’t real life and that, as the character Ruth states, “none of us look like Barbie, and that’s okay.” In one scene, as Barbie intently studies the face of an elderly woman, Barbie begins to realize what true beauty is. “You are beautiful.” she says to the woman, to which the white-haired wonder replies, “I know!”

Although Ken is a bit of a dummy in this movie (more on that in the bad), his character is undeniably endearing. There’s wonderful underlying content about the stages of the mother/daughter relationship, which in my book, makes this a perfect choice for a mother/daughter date with an older teen daughter (this movie is definitely not for kids).  SPOILER ALERT: Barbie ultimately chooses to be human and embrace all the frailty the human experience entails, including cellulite, heartache, and yes, OBGYN appointments.

 The Bad

Hollywood wouldn’t be Hollywood without overtly ungodly themes. This movie has poor language and too many sexual innuendos. Women wear objectifying outfits-- even after Barbie discovers that dressing in such a way didn’t help women in the real world to advance noble causes.

The most horrifying part of this movie is a 2-minute-long opening scene—a picture of little girls playing with baby dolls. The director portrays motherhood as “boring” in this scene and eventually the girls smash their babies for a “more exciting” way to play—a more exciting life, even-- when Barbie arrives. This clearly depicts the feminist view of devaluing the role of motherhood. Children, families, and child rearing are precious to God. Even as a therapist and business owner, there is no greater or selfless honor I personally have experienced than that of being a mother; this movie could have been a gem had it elevated family.  

The Kens in Barbie Land are portrayed as idiots. The men in the real world are portrayed as beer-drinking, womanizing idiots. God created His sons with dignity and this movie provides little to no example of that. The closest example is Sasha’s dad, who appears to love his family, but also is “an idiot” when it comes to learning a new language. Godly men are both wild at heart and able to respect and see worth in women aside from the physical. Ah, and here we have another and.

The Weird

I could not very well finish this review without mentioning my favorite character, Weird Barbie. Weird Barbie is that Barbie who has “been played with too hard” -- and we all had her. She has the wiry, choppy haircut from our early scissor experiments and is permanently stuck in the splits. Although the other Barbies call her weird “behind her back and to her face”, they ultimately learn that Weird Barbie’s less than ideal life experiences have brought her more wisdom than high heels ever could.

Summary

Do I recommend seeing Barbie? Yes. And No. But I do hope this honest review will help you to see that things in life can actually be both good and bad, often at the very same time, and that beauty is found not in perfection, but instead most readily in the raw human condition.

“I heard somewhere that challenges make you either bitter or beautiful (like Esther was, I suppose). Symbolically, with a face that was paralyzed on one side, I was choosing to be beautiful . . . gorgeous, in fact.” – Katherine Wolf