Conciliator

Member
Oct 25, 2017
5,204
Just got back from seeing this...it was good, very creative in its gags and visuals and also one of the funniest movies i've seen in a while. Gosling is hysterical. In between the jokes and the satire and the feminist analysis and the branding, it tries to pack a lot into a very limited space, and I feel like some stuff could have maybe been explored more, but on the other hand it's already doing way more than anyone would have expected a Barbie movie to do a year ago.

The thing about all the Kendom gags(one of my favorite parts of the movie) is that they basically amount to gentle ribbing. "Boys like The Godfather" "Boys like explaining technology" like that stuff is so harmless, it's hard to imagine how...well, fragile, a man would have to be to really take offense at that stuff. They even got me, the dude that was talking about Stephen Malkmus and "post-punk influences", I was like uh-oh they're calling me out lol. And then the movie ultimately acknowledges the Kens' feelings and fears and desires and they're basically all sympathetic characters in the end. Like it's so gentle and playful
 

Astral

Member
Oct 27, 2017
29,076
I think one of my favorite lines in the movie is in the start is when Barbie tells Gosling Ken that one of the other Kens isn't cool and Gosling responds with a distressed "I think he's cool!" I kinda felt that.
 
Nov 6, 2017
1,949
I just watched it, hated it.

I think the idea behind it was good but the execution was terrible, awful "jokes", turning men into caritures, even those in the real world, i think diminishes what Barbies and human women accomolished, men are so stupid, out smarting then means nothing, and closing with THAT joke, terrible.

One of the worse movies i've seen in a theater in a long time.

In the end, my take is, women deserve better than this awful movie speaking for them.


It's like you missed the entire point of the movie lol. This reads like a standard Shapiro chud response to this movie
 

SunBroDave

"This guy are sick"
Member
Oct 25, 2017
13,508
For a character that comes pretty close to an incel tormentor, Gosling's Ken was treated with an awful lot of empathy. Like it would have been so easy to make him just a real piece of shit, but his emotions and grievances were never disregarded outright.
As the movie is smart to point out: patriarchy is bad not just for women, but for the average man as well. Patriarchy is just one means of the ruling class dividing and conquering the working class.
 
Oct 25, 2017
7,611
I went to see Haunted Mansion this morning (it's fine, exactly what you'd expect), and there were still so many people dressed in pink for Barbie. It's wild.
 

Bladelaw

Member
Oct 25, 2017
7,829
Just got back from seeing this...it was good, very creative in its gags and visuals and also one of the funniest movies i've seen in a while. Gosling is hysterical. In between the jokes and the satire and the feminist analysis and the branding, it tries to pack a lot into a very limited space, and I feel like some stuff could have maybe been explored more, but on the other hand it's already doing way more than anyone would have expected a Barbie movie to do a year ago.

The thing about all the Kendom gags(one of my favorite parts of the movie) is that they basically amount to gentle ribbing. "Boys like The Godfather" "Boys like explaining technology" like that stuff is so harmless, it's hard to imagine how...well, fragile, a man would have to be to really take offense at that stuff. They even got me, the dude that was talking about Stephen Malkmus and "post-punk influences", I was like uh-oh they're calling me out lol. And then the movie ultimately acknowledges the Kens' feelings and fears and desires and they're basically all sympathetic characters in the end. Like it's so gentle and playful
The "Here let me show you" bit had my wife glaring at me as I sunk into the chair lol. This was the first movie I've seen in a theater with my wife alone since...Black Panther 1 I think? and it was worth every penny. The Beach Off bit had me in tears.
 

chrominance

Sky Van Gogh
Member
Oct 25, 2017
14,177
Just got back from watching it. I wasn't expecting it to make me so emotional.

The movie is mostly great, with just a few weak spots that in hindsight I'm not even sure are that weak. What I'm referring to specifically are some of the Kendom bits and the Barbie plan to deprogram everyone. I definitely don't feel offended by any of it, more that a lot of it felt like low-hanging fruit and a little too on the nose maybe? Like the "lol men love to mansplain The Godfather" bit started to make me feel a bit like I was watching a stand-up comic do a "Women Are From Venus, Men Are From Mars" bit. Some of the more overtly political stuff felt a bit like SNL-level, pink-hat-activism political commentary, though I'm not really sure if that's just a personal reaction and perhaps not a particularly fair criticism.

BUT a friend of mine I went with didn't seem bothered by any of this. There are parts of this movie that seem laser-focused on a particular experience, like Depression Barbie watching the BBC production of Pride & Prejudice (which she absolutely died laughing at) or all the Kens singing Matchbox 20's "Push," and part of the appeal of those things is not that they're subtle--because they're absolutely not--but that the movie referencing those things makes people like my friend feel seen, because those are real things they've had to deal with and movies don't talk about those things normally. And I think at that point stuff like The Godfather gag stopped bothering me so much; it wasn't too on the nose or a tired trope, it just didn't land for me specifically and that's fine because it landed real hard for someone else.

Regarding the old lady at the bus shelter, I cannot imagine them taking that moment out of the movie. I'm not even entirely sure I understand the full significance of that scene, but it's beautiful and I'm glad it's still there.

Rhea Perlman was fantastic and I know some people found her parts overly sentimental or cringey or whatever but I ate all of it up. I think the core idea of Barbie herself awakening to become something beyond a concept is great. Having faced the messiness of the real world and understanding how it almost destroyed her own, and then fixing Barbieland and realizing it's no longer enough for her, deciding that she wants to be an active participant in the real world instead of just an emblem to inspire others, feels affirming in a way I was wholly unprepared for when I originally decided to see "that weird Barbie movie."

Speaking of wholly unprepared, I did not expect that last joke and my god it's genius.

The biggest concern I have with the movie now is that I felt pulled out of the movie occasionally because I'd wonder about meta stuff, like "what's Mattel's angle for signing off on this specific bit of absurdity." I won't lie, I also spent a great deal of time trying to figure out where the nine-dash map in the movie was supposed to be. (I'm still confused about this one, to be honest.) Other times I'd find myself questioning, is this the right message the movie should be sending? (ex. the lower-court judge joke) But for the most part, I was able to stop second-guessing the movie and let it tell whatever story it was going to tell.

I'm going to see Oppenheimer tomorrow, and honestly, I'm not sure how that could top this. After all, Oppenheimer is just going to be a movie. Barbie was so much weirder and heartfelt than I expected, and I don't know how Oppenheimer could surprise me.

Oh, one last thing:

Did I remember correctly? Does Margot Robbie's joke about not being a fascist because she doesn't control the railroads or the flow of commerce have a follow-up later? I thought I heard her say when she's showing America Ferrera and her daughter around Barbieland that Barbies run everything there, including "the flow of commerce." Which would, again, put a little twist on the idea that Barbieland was supposed to be some kind of utopia.
 

Solo

Avenger
Oct 25, 2017
15,995
Yeah, so many people wearing pink, dudes decked out in Barbie shirts, etc at my showing. Great stuff.
 

Astral

Member
Oct 27, 2017
29,076
I sadly don't own anything pink and couldn't rock it. I used to but it didn't fit me anymore.
 

Nacho

Member
Oct 25, 2017
8,183
NYC
Wow that bad take last page is something else. YES, the kens are caricatures, that's the fucking point. they're dolls and they do a poor job of representing people because they're designed to tell you to be a certain way. Tho that message gets muddled imo a bit with the whole 'you were created to be anybody!' weird ghost of the creator stuff that to me fell a little flat.


To me it's Lego Movie/Toy Story good.
Very close imo. Just saw it, and the actual story I thought felt maybe a little flat and predictable, but everything around is was such top notch quality I don't really care? I just think if I'm being overly analytical it just keeps it from being like truly top of the top.
 

John Harker

Knows things...
Member
Oct 27, 2017
4,509
Santa Destroy
Woa, I watched no trailers and went back in with an adult group on hype alone. So I had no idea really what the movie was about. And it was…. Fantastic! Imagine sitting down to write this film? I can't imagine the challenge and inspiration, it was so… clever, so we'll excited, and so much heart.

The cast was phenomenal too.
That speech by America Ferrar is award worthy. Margot was perfect, Gosling played Ken annoyingly at first but it really worked well by the end and he was great. I want Goslijg and Simu to have more dance battles plz.
 

Moppeh

Member
Oct 28, 2017
3,556
Looks great and I had some laughs but I actually don't think the film is anywhere near as socially progressive as it appears on the surface. Often feels hollow in its best moments and actually rather reactionary at its worst. Rhea Perlman has a line near the end that downplays patriarchy in a way I found incredibly insulting given how badly the film wants to be committed to feminist messaging.

Due to the talent behind this, I had pretty high expectations and it didn't meet them at all. It came across as a two hour marketing ploy to utilize social justice rhetoric in order to sell more Barbie dolls. In my mind it feels like a great example of how capitalism subsumes critique.

I know a couple folks who really, really loved it but most of my friends and family disliked it. We're obviously outliers tho lol
 

Chindogg

Member
Oct 25, 2017
7,246
East Lansing, MI
I just got out and really enjoyed the film.

My only real issue with it is how they kind of establish Barbie as a fascist and then drop the whole thing. That and the established character of Ken and everything around him gets needlessly cruel sometimes.

Overall I loved everything but felt the ending somewhat undermined what was established. Great last joke though.

Side note: Anyone else think that the Mattel boardroom were just escaped Kens that now run things because of the patriarchy?
 
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Toriko

Member
Dec 29, 2017
7,820
A very ordinary movie. I guess I got hyped a bit but the messaging in this movie is so inorganically presented. Nothing in this movie feels earned. A big step down from Gretas other work. Also the ending completely undermines the message of the movie.

Honestly I don't think it deserves any award for anything other than maybe costume..
 

carlsojo

Shinra Employee
Member
Oct 28, 2017
34,469
San Francisco
I just got out and really enjoyed the film.

My only real issue with it is how they kind of establish Barbie as a fascist and then drop the whole thing. That and the established character of Ken and everything around him gets needlessly cruel sometimes.

Overall I loved everything but felt the ending somewhat undermined what was established. Great last joke though.

Side note: Anyone else think that the Mattel boardroom were just escaped Kens that now run things because of the patriarchy?

I was surprised there wasn't an ending reveal that they were all Kens lol yeah.
 

Star-Lord

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
7,091
Just saw it and really liked it on first viewing but I do worry on multiple watches it won't hold up. I really don't understand the whole mattel side plot and why it was needed at all. Like why did they want to put Barbie in the box? They just wanted to trap her and leave her.
But Ryan Gosling is amazing he's the star, i would gladly take a spin off movie about him figuring what is just Ken xD
Also I feel like this movie throws a lot of ideas at the audience and most work but some just feel like they are left behind quickly: Regardless I'm glad really happy I saw it
 

Mariolee

Avenger
Oct 25, 2017
10,393
Fiancée and I watched the movie and even though we had a ton of fun we felt disappointed. It felt like it didn't really bite its teeth fully into all the topics it wanted to and was all over the place never really fulfilling one idea to its fullest. Like, we were both kinda unclear on why Barbie even wants to be a human, I know its because she wants to be the one imagining and her creator endorses that ideas live forever, but I feel like I explicitly needed her to say she wants to make that change in the real world but I'm not sure she actually does?
 

Nepenthe

When the music hits, you feel no pain.
Administrator
Oct 25, 2017
21,607
Ok the kid calls her a fascist then the next scene Barbie is talking about how she doesn't control the rail or the economy, despite the fact that in Barbieland they straight up say that Barbie controls the economy. It's a fascist state.
A planned economy is not a telltale symptom of fascism considering fascism is decidedly an invention of capitalist countries. Fascism is a specific type of authoritarianism marked by strict class hierarchies predicated on nostalgic and/or religious justifications, extreme crackdowns on human rights and education, and a high degree of militarism.

In that regard, Kendom is far more fascist than Barbieland.
 

SolidSnakex

Member
Oct 25, 2017
24,188
Ok the kid calls her a fascist then the next scene Barbie is talking about how she doesn't control the rail or the economy, despite the fact that in Barbieland they straight up say that Barbie controls the economy. It's a fascist state.

My guess is that it was a throwaway joke but my wife and I did find it amusing.

Margot's Barbie doesn't actually control any of that. It's what she talks about later when she brings up how she's just Stereotypical Barbie. So, she's not a doctor, a Supreme Court Justice, a President etc.
 

Chindogg

Member
Oct 25, 2017
7,246
East Lansing, MI
A planned economy is not a telltale symptom of fascism considering fascism is decidedly an invention of capitalist countries. Fascism is a specific type of authoritarianism marked by strict class hierarchies predicated on nostalgic and/or religious justifications, extreme crackdowns on human rights and education, and a high degree of militarism.

In that regard, Kendom is far more fascist than Barbieland.

So a society created by a capitalist company that had a strict class hierarchy between sexes isn't a fascist state. Gotcha.

The movie's not that serious, but let's not bullshit here and say that the whole jokes about Kens not having any place to stay, exist just to appeal to Barbie, and eventually possibly getting a lower court appointment (and ultimately being in the role that women have in the real world) isn't something worth pointing out. And yes that implies and addresses that the real world has fascist aspects.

Margot's Barbie doesn't actually control any of that. It's what she talks about later when she brings up how she's just Stereotypical Barbie. So, she's not a doctor, a Supreme Court Justice, a President etc.

That's a fair point. I guess it depends on the kid's intention of ranting on Stereotypical Barbie in particular, or the idea of Barbie (which my wife and I thought was her argument.)
 

Princess Bubblegum

I'll be the one who puts you in the ground.
On Break
Oct 25, 2017
10,361
A Cavern Shaped Like Home
A planned economy is not a telltale symptom of fascism considering fascism is decidedly an invention of capitalist countries. Fascism is a specific type of authoritarianism marked by strict class hierarchies predicated on nostalgic and/or religious justifications, extreme crackdowns on human rights and education, and a high degree of militarism.

In that regard, Kendom is far more fascist than Barbieland.
This.

The whole joke is gen z and honestly everyone *points to social media* that throws around "fascist" without knowing what it actually means.
 

Rosebud

Two Pieces
Member
Apr 16, 2018
45,065
So a society created by a capitalist company that had a strict class hierarchy between sexes isn't a fascist state. Gotcha.

The movie's not that serious, but let's not bullshit here and say that the whole jokes about Kens not having any place to stay, exist just to appeal to Barbie, and eventually possibly getting a lower court appointment (and ultimately being in the role that women have in the real world) isn't something worth pointing out. And yes that implies and addresses that the real world has fascist aspects.

They literally spend the days on the beach and the night partying again and again
 

Nepenthe

When the music hits, you feel no pain.
Administrator
Oct 25, 2017
21,607
So a society created by a capitalist company that had a strict class hierarchy between sexes isn't a fascist state. Gotcha.
Fascism has specific markers to it beyond "class hierarchies exist in a capitalist economical system." Because if that were the case you'd have to call basically the entire world fascist, which is dumb.

The movie's not that serious, but let's not bullshit here and say that the whole jokes about Kens not having any place to stay, exist just to appeal to Barbie, and eventually possibly getting a lower court appointment (and ultimately being in the role that women have in the real world) isn't something worth pointing out. And yes that implies and addresses that the real world has fascist aspects.
Of course it's worth pointing out. One of the points of the movie is to examine Western notions of femininity and masculinity in part through the juxtaposition of the three social systems that exist within it. Barbieland has a matriarchal system but it does not actually practice any meaningful facets of fascism beyond just merely having a class structure in place.

Indeed, Barbieland before Stereotypical Barbie's awakening is so vapid, childish, and devoid of any meaningful sociopolitical praxis that they literally have no immune response to actually deal with patriarchal and fascistic elements when Ken comes back, hence why the place is immediately taken over despite the power differential.

Indeed, it amazes me that anyone could come to the conclusion watching this that the real lost potential was not detouring into an explanation about how Kens secretly live in concentration camps or something.
 

Chindogg

Member
Oct 25, 2017
7,246
East Lansing, MI
Fascism has specific markers to it beyond "class hierarchies exist in a capitalist economical system." Because if that were the case you'd have to call basically the entire world fascist, which is dumb.

Ok fair point.

Of course it's worth pointing out. One of the points of the movie is to examine Western notions of femininity and masculinity in part through the juxtaposition of the three social systems that exist within it. Barbieland has a matriarchal system but it does not actually practice any meaningful facets of fascism beyond just merely having a class structure in place.

Indeed, Barbieland before Stereotypical Barbie's awakening is so vapid, childish, and devoid of any meaningful sociopolitical praxis that they literally have no immune response to actually deal with patriarchal and fascistic elements when Ken comes back, hence why the place is immediately taken over despite the power differential.

Indeed, it amazes me that anyone could come to the conclusion watching this that the real lost potential was not detouring into an explanation about how Kens secretly live in concentration camps or something.

I feel there's a slight difference between "hey constantly pointing out how useless Kens are is a bit much" and "Kens are secretly live in concentration camps." No one was asking for it to be deeply explored, rather than wonder "hey maybe this wasn't ok in the first place."
 

Kyuuji

The Favonius Fox
Member
Nov 8, 2017
33,147
I appreciated the way Gerwig confronts the fact that self worth for so many men is measured in their relationships with women (whether they're noticed, given the most attention, have a girlfriend, have sex etc.), and how that often leads them to have a controlling, distorted and abusive view of women when they don't find it.

It was approached in a way that's sympathetic but also made clear that while Barbieland having all the Kens be beachbodies (itself a comment on the above) had issues, it wasn't close to the vindictiveness of Kendom under patriarchy. Fundamentally closing with men needing to find themselves, their own self worth and who they are in the world, separate from their interactions with women. For the benefit of both.

Third viewing booked for this afternoon 😌🩷
 

Nepenthe

When the music hits, you feel no pain.
Administrator
Oct 25, 2017
21,607
I feel there's a slight difference between "hey constantly pointing out how useless Kens are is a bit much" and "Kens are secretly live in concentration camps." No one was asking for it to be deeply explored, rather than wonder "hey maybe this wasn't ok in the first place."
I mean they constantly point out everything. This movie is as subtle as a freight train crashing through your living room. Specifically the Kens just being there just to be there is necessary to the themes of the film for two major reasons.

1.) It blatantly holds a mirror up to how useless women can be written in fiction a lot of times, and thus is meta commentary on the awful state of female character writing under a patriarchal lens.

2.) It allows Ken to have his own existential crisis in a way that directly parallels the current masculinity crisis in real life. Ken has always been a side character in the Barbie product universe; in the film, this is taken to the extreme to examine how men feel they lack worth unless a woman validates them in some way.

Ken isn't actually useless because of any inherent lack of capability, or even any overt oppression from the Barbies. He's useless because he doesn't possess the self confidence to pursue a meaningful identity. He never imagines that he is "Kenough" as he is, nor thinks to strive to be anything more than "beach," such as a life guard. He defines himself only through the way he sees his place within the context of power: whether or not he has it and is wielding it viciously, or whether those with the power are giving him what he feels he's owed simply for being a man regardless of how they feel (hence why Barbie doesn't end up with him at the end.)

Stereotypical Ken is just a huge walking billboard for the masculinity crisis of today. That's why he's the way he is.
 

ShutterMunster

Art Manager
Verified
Oct 27, 2017
2,592
I mean they constantly point out everything. This movie is as subtle as a freight train crashing through your living room. Specifically the Kens just being there just to be there is necessary to the themes of the film for two major reasons.

1.) It blatantly holds a mirror up to how useless women can be written in fiction a lot of times, and thus is meta commentary on the awful state of female character writing under a patriarchal lens.

2.) It allows Ken to have his own existential crisis in a way that directly parallels the current masculinity crisis in real life. Ken has always been a side character in the Barbie product universe; in the film, this is taken to the extreme to examine how men feel they lack worth unless a woman validates them in some way.

Ken isn't actually useless because of any inherent lack of capability, or even any overt oppression from the Barbies. He's useless because he doesn't possess the self confidence to pursue a meaningful identity. He never imagines that he is "Kenough" as he is, nor thinks to strive to be anything more than "beach," such as a life guard. He defines himself only through the way he sees his place within the context of power: whether or not he has it and is wielding it viciously, or whether those with the power are giving him what he feels he's owed simply for being a man regardless of how they feel (hence why Barbie doesn't end up with him at the end.)

Stereotypical Ken is just a huge walking billboard for the masculinity crisis of today. That's why he's the way he is.
ding ding ding! Spot on.

I can't wait to see BARBIE again. I thought Greta threaded the needle as best one could.
 

HotComputer

Member
Mar 19, 2021
46
The Ken-splaining montage was embarrassingly on point for me, I've had the Photoshop, Godfather & Malkmus conversations IRL, and my partner was dying in the cinema next to me.

When the montage finished with 'would you like to hear me play guitar' their spirit left their body and left me alone in the cinema with my shame…
 

Grazzt

Prophet of Truth
Member
Oct 25, 2017
2,561
Brisbane, Australia
Haven't seen so many people in the cinema since before COVID, not even avatar 2, and it's freaking week 2, had to book the tickets 2 days in advance.

Really enjoyed the movie, lots of jokes that landed. And Kens dance battle scene is beautiful lol.
 

Idde

Member
Oct 27, 2017
3,797
Well, that was just amazing in so many ways. Watched Oppenheimer and Dead Reckoning first, when this was a much more interesting movie.

Only thing I didn't really like was how Kensling turned Barbieland into patriarchyland (with all the harm that cause Barbie) because he felt insufficiently validated by Barbie. Basically putting the cause of the introduced patriarchy solely at Barbie's feet. And while I wholeheartedly agree with Nepenthe's post above, I'm preeeetty sure men are capable of toxic masculine shit of their own, caused by other insecurities and power trips, that aren't directly tied to lack of female validation. But, it tied into the general framework of the movie, and veeery large parts of that theme worked very well.

And some of the movie might be a bit on the nose for some, but I'm pretty sure getting such an empowering message for women in such clear wording isn't necessarily a bad thing, and for plenty of men it doesn't hurt to have all this stuff pretty much spelled out.

Glad that a movie with basically a perfect message has so big of an audience. Probably can't hurt.
 
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Astral

Member
Oct 27, 2017
29,076
I'm preeeetty sure men are capable of toxic masculine shit of their own, caused by other insecurities and power trips, that aren't directly tied to lack of female acceptance
Yeah I think the movie goes a bit into how men compare themselves to other men and use them as standards instead of being themselves, unless I'm mistaken. Like Ken seeing Ken as a threat because he thinks he's so cool despite Barbie not thinking so.
 

Idde

Member
Oct 27, 2017
3,797
Yeah I think the movie goes a bit into how men compare themselves to other men and use them as standards instead of being themselves, unless I'm mistaken. Like Ken seeing Ken as a threat because he thinks he's so cool despite Barbie not thinking so.

Sorry, I don't think I worded my post properly. The main conflict of the movie is Ken turning Barbieland into the most patriarchal of societies (brainwashing the Barbies, robbing them of identities, you know, pretty bad shit). And the main/sole motivator we see for that is that Barbie didn't give him enough validation. So, she sort of 'brought it on herself.'

Which came across to me as a causality I'm not really comfortable with.

Of course Ken's reaction is just waaay too big of an overreaction. And it is something that happens in real life, lack of validation of healthier aspects of masculinity/male identity leading to patriarchy/toxic masculinity.

But patriarchy isn't just caused by lack of female validation. Plenty of other factors for that. And the way the movie presented/oversimplified this (because it just fits well in the story narrative) didn't sit completely right with me.

But perhaps I missed other factors the movie mentioned.
 

KingM

Member
Oct 28, 2017
4,547
Ken also embraced patriarchy because it allowed him success without effort. When he's looking for a job during his montage he's constantly asked "do you have a degree?" Later on he even says, more or less, "If I had an MD I'd run that hospital." A very common modern complaint among men is that way back when you could just walk into a factory and earn a living whereas now you have to do more.
Even early on in the movie Gosling just have a job of Beach is contrasted with nearly every Barbie have a defined career. He, and the other Kens, are aimless and don't pursue anything. Even when they take over you don't see Dr. Ken or Prime Minister of Australia Ken. Which gets into a lot of stuff today where a ton of male spaces just reinforce the belief that the world is wrong and men don't need to change.