Last Night my wife and I, along with some friends, went to see Barbie. I can honestly say that it was the best movie we’ve gone to in years. I can also honestly say it was the worst move we’ve gone to in years, since it was the first movie we’ve gone to in years.
My primary reason for going was to “own the whackjobs”, since bashing the movie has been a thing among the right. I considered it a sacred obligation to help it amass its numbers to get them further riled up.
I believe this is the first time I’ve ever tried to critique a movie, so bear with me. It’s not easy to do so while also not giving away too much of the plot.
The movie got me laughing right from the start, as the opening is a takeoff on the opening of a certain movie that came out in 1968. As I was laughing I was also wondering how many in the audience got the reference. Primarily us geezers I guess.
But it wasn’t all laughter. There were some serious downers inflicted on we of the male gender, like when Ken’s attempt to pull off a coup in Barbieland and establish a “patriarchy” was foiled. By Barbie no less! Likely one of the reasons the movie has drawn the wrath of the right. Whoops, I gave away part of the plot.
Anyway, the people who made the film seemed to have this strange idea that women should be treated with the same respect as men. How woke can you get?
I was somewhat impressed by Mattel’s willingness to be the butt of some of the humor. Just casting Will Ferrell as the Mattel CEO did the job along those lines, but that wasn’t the whole of it. The all male boardroom, each dressed in an identical suit, was a great visual joke. Of course, Mattel will make millions off the movie, and I suppose most people would be willing to be the butt of some jokes if they got a few hundred million for it.
All in all, the movie is well worth seeing. It’s a great mix of comedy and serious commentary on our society. I have to admit I came away a bit mystified by some of it. I’m still puzzling over exactly what was meant by Barbie’s last line. There’s enough hidden away in some of the dialog to justify a second viewing. So I urge you to go see it, if only to get the folks on Fox a bit more riled.
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