Barbie delivers a modern empowerment message for women

I finally got out to see Barbie, and see if it lived up to the hype. For the most part, it does. It’s exceedingly funny and does give a good story about women empowerment, and the challenges women still face in today’s society.

Stereotypical Barbie (Margot Robbie) is the original Barbie, living in Barbieland with all the other barbies (Doctor Barbie, Space Barbie, etc). Life is pretty perfect for the life-like dolls, but Barbie suddenly starts having problems. She starts worrying about death, her normally-arched feet go flat, and she finds cellulite on her legs (oh the shame!). For answers, Barbie visits Weird Barbie (the doll that gets played with a little too harshly by girls, and has the scars to show for it). Weird Barbie says that in the Real World, Barbie’s owner must be having some bad thoughts, which have worked their way into Barbieland. Barbie must go to the Real World and see if she can resolve those issues.

Barbie expects that she and her fellow barbies have empowered girls to become strong women who pursue their goals and always achieve success, but obviously Barbie finds a much different world than what she expected. Men rule the world, even at Barbie HQ Mattel, where not a single woman sits on the board. While she is discovering frustration for the first time, Ken, who tagged along, is finding power. In Barbieland, the kens are just an afterthought, but in the Real World, men seem to have the power. He takes those ideas back to Barbieland before Barbie herself gets back, so that when she returns, her world has been turned upside down, and men now rule the roost. Thankfully, Barbie has brought back a couple real people, who can help save the dolls from the kens.

There are plenty of laughs, poking fun at Barbie herself with all the stereotypes, as well as the “failed” barbies over the years that were discontinued. It is definitely deserving of its PG-13 rating, with some adult jokes that, while they may be over the heads of some kids, parents should know what they are taking their kids to. Really the only problem I had with the movie is, rather than try to create balance between Barbie and Ken, it suggests that the world can only survive if Barbie is at the head; her happiness is much more important than Ken’s. The movie did drag at times, but overall it is a lot of fun, and, for my tastes, one of those rare comedies that can be viewed multiple times and repeatedly enjoyed. ★★★½