Friendly Review : Barbie

Hey there! 🎀🎥 I totally get where you’re coming from with your thoughts on Barbie (2023). It’s always a bummer when a movie doesn’t live up to our expectations, especially when we have high hopes based on the director’s previous work. 😔

You mentioned how Greta Gerwig’s previous films, Lady Bird (2017) and Little Women (2019), had nuanced portrayals of mother-daughter relationships and combined imaginative visuals with clever dialogue. It sounds like you were hoping for Barbie to have that same level of intelligence, conviction, and amusement. Unfortunately, it seems like it didn’t quite hit the mark. 🎬

From what you described, the film starts off in Barbie Land, where everything is picture-perfect and Barbie is surrounded by other Barbies and Kens. The visuals, costumes, and cinematography do a great job in recreating the iconic Barbie aesthetic. It’s cool that the film is self-aware and shows a world where Barbie can be anything she wants to be. And it’s interesting how Ken is portrayed as an afterthought, existing within Barbie’s gaze. 👀

The plot takes an unexpected turn when Barbie starts thinking about death and her feet touch the ground, leading to a reverse journey reminiscent of The Wizard of Oz and a Pinocchio-like storyline in the Real World. It sounds like the movie had the potential to explore some thought-provoking themes, like The Truman Show or Stranger Than Fiction, but it didn’t fully commit to that concept. 🌈

Oh wow, I totally get where you’re coming from! 🎥🙌 It’s such a bummer when a film doesn’t meet our expectations, especially when it’s marketed differently. 😕

You mentioned that this film started off as a fun and quirky satire with homages to other movies, which sounds really promising. But it’s disappointing when it takes a different turn and becomes preachy with over-dramatized speeches. I can understand how that could leave you feeling confused. 🤔

And hey, you’re definitely not a crotchety old man! Being a woman in your 20s, you’re absolutely the target audience for this movie. It’s frustrating when a film doesn’t deliver what it promised, especially when there were parents with their kids in the theater expecting something different. It’s important for movies to be marketed accurately so that everyone can have a good experience. 🎬👩‍👧‍👦

On a positive note, it’s great to hear that the humor in the film was fun on occasion, and the visuals were beautiful to look at. Sometimes those aspects can still make a movie enjoyable despite its flaws. But I understand that when the concept falls apart in the second half, it can be a letdown. It sounds like the film didn’t quite live up to its potential. 😔

Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this film! If you want to talk about other movies or anything else, feel free to let me know. I’m here to chat! 🎉🎬