Orbi-Wan Techno

Me on the left at a Nerd event yesterday. I am General Ken-Obi from the Barbieland version of Star Wars. Instead of Tatooine, Ana-Ken came from Scarif because tropical beaches, and I still ended up spending 20 years looking over Lu-Ken. This story got a lot of laughs over this weekend.

I saw Barbie at an early Friday matinee, full sold out showing and lots of kids, and I thought it was weird, sweet and funny. And there is NOT a whole lot of stuff in it that I would consider inappropriate at all. I felt is was a rather mild PG-13, compared to other stuff I have seen in the theaters.

However, I have seen some conservatives sites calling it filth and trash, SMH. I think that is a shame.

Draven

If there is one thing sites like those hate, it’s being reminded of the patriarchy.

Decker

Did they mention the patriarchy in this film? I didn't notice.

Decker

This won't be a BP nominee, but I can easily see nods for Robbie, Gosling, Gerwig & Baumbach's screenplay, Dua Lipa's song as well as wins for Set Design and for Costumes.
Would the screenplay be considered Original or Adapted? I would guess Adapted since the main characters already existed in some form.

RichC2

Yeah it'd be adapted since it's listed as "based on the toy from Mattel"

Throwing Copper

I am shocked that Decker doesn’t think this will be a BP nominee.

if BARBIE isn’t a Best Picture nominee I will do a backflip off the roof of my house

Decker

Top Gun Maverick wasn't a BP nominee. It was better reviewed and certainly more serious than this. And how many true comedies (not dramadies like Annie Hall or Little Miss Sunshine or Juno) have been nominated for BP? The Full Monty, Four Weddings and a Funeral (a rom-com), JoJo Rabbit (a Nazi allegory), Heaven Can Wait (another Rom-com). It's exceedingly rare.
Acting and Screenplay nods are going to be the rewards the Academy gives this film.

CristonCole

It was.

Decker

Sorry, you’re right there. My mistake.
I still don’t think Barbie gets a nod though.

EEz28

I predict it will be Billie Eilish's song that gets a nod.

fujishig

I know Mattel has long wanted their own cinematic universe (they're still doing all those board game movies despite what happened to Battleship, right) and I wonder if this doing well shifts that. I'm sure they'll screw it up anyway. WB needs it considering how Blue Beetle is looking...

dex14

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2...-entire-toybox

RichC2

I keep seeing Blue Beetle mentioned in here and still have no idea what it is

fujishig

That is probably part of its problem...

DJariya

My niece is seeing Barbie on Wednesday. I tried to show her the "I'm just Ken" video and she screamed "Ok, No spoilers!!"

dex14

It can be yours (if it wasn't already sold out, there are other variations): https://creations.mattel.com/product...x-hoodie-hyn77

jpcamb

I felt this movie was kind of all over the place. It was fun and funny at moments and at times it was waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyy too political and somehow woke for a toy that is known to perpetuate gender stereotypes. It was really heavy-handed in how America Ferraira was going about activating the Barbies. I felt it would have been better if they had used the daughter to do some of that instead of having her endlessly rant about the system. I had low expectations and loved the set work and the on-the-nose aspects of the toy in the Toyland but it got pretty murky with the "Ken world stuff". Will Ferrill was actually funny for the first time for me and Kate Mckinnon was not as toxic to a movie as she has been in the past. I find them both terribly unfunny most of the time but that is my bias. I did enjoy the punny nature of Goslings tripple naming things and might watch this again some day at home as my seats were not great and it was somewhat funny when you get past the politicking...

Draven

Which is literally the central theme of the whole movie - how Barbie both helps and hurts women in the world.

As I said before, my wife got emotional during America Ferrera's speech about what it's like to be a woman in the world. She said it was 100% how she felt all the time and I've heard the same from other women in my life. I think it's not "political" - it's reality.

ntnon

That was literally both the story they were telling and is an accurate reflection of how ALL forms of bias and difference function - walking a fine and ill-defined line between undesirable extremes. Ferrara's speech was both charged, witty and heartbreaking because it was accurate and clearly going to take flak for being "political." It was not political. The only way anyone could see it that way is by drawing parallels between certain actions and beliefs that the film was rightly skewering as wrongheaded and misguided.

Moreover, the de-brainwashing of the Barbies wasn't about "awakening" them per se (have we forgotten what 'woke' actually means?) but making them think. Consider paradoxes and complexity, rather than leaning into the surface and shallowness of simplicity. Don't settle for passivity and handing out beer - think and have some agency. She didn't want the Barbies' agreement and acquiescence - she wanted them to embrace individuality again and be themselves. Hence also the Ken's liberation.

I have rarely enjoyed a Ferrell performance, but felt his turn in the LEGO Movie was excellent, and this a pale and dim retread.

Draven

In the LEGO movie, Ferrell was more of a bad guy. I thought they were going to do the same thing here and was pleasantly surprised that he’s not the same.

Decker

He's not?

Draven

Not really - IIRC they are going after her throughout the movie because they think she needs saving (in their misguided man ways, but still).

I just like that they weren’t just bad guys.

DJariya

I've never listened to anything by Lizzo. But, I kind of liked her song "Pink" which was played in the 1st scene we met Barbie as she was waking up in the morning. The scene was cute and the song was catchy.

Dan

Enjoyed this quite a bit. I do wonder how repeat viewings will go. I could see it improving in the sense of catching all sorts of little things that were missed the first time, or I could see it maybe getting a bit stale.

Overall, though, it was pretty great. Strong message that I didn’t feel was too heavy handed, even though I can picture how certain pundits will twist it for their rabid audiences that never planned to watch it anyway.

It was so silly but when Barbie is sitting on the ground depressed and just slowly tilts over and stretches out face down, all with the typical squeaky plastic sounds… hilarious

The movie was maybe a bit much for my 10-year-old in some parts (tons of jokes went over her head), but we knew what we were getting into with this. She still had a good time.

Opted out of seeing Oppenheimer the same night. Maybe I’ll go tonight or tomorrow.

jpcamb

I am well aware of the challenges women face with safety and being made to feel like objects as well as my white male cis privilege.

I guess I had the misfortune to go into this thinking it was a fun movie and not an attempt at changing the perspective on a toy that idealizes an impossible body type and reconciling the role that the toy has played since its inception in reinforcing body dysmorphism in impressionable girls by making me feel guilty about something I have actively tried not to reinforce.

I'm not angry if the tone implies this, just confused about a toy still actively marketing impossible ideals to impressionable kids and being in my face about it.