My Barbie and Skipper dolls somehow found out that the movie Barbie is now shown on Netflix, and managed to persuade me to watch it with them this afternoon...
I was a bit sceptical, but have to confess I got hooked along the way, and quite enjoyed it.
Barbieland is a matriarchal society populated chiefly by different versions of Barbie and Ken (plus a few other dolls made by the same company, but they are pretty much ignored by the dominant Barbies and Kens). The Kens all spend their days playing on the beach, while all top jobs are held by Barbies.
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| Alan (Ken's buddy) tries to make his voice heard now and then but no one really listens to him... |
One day "Stereotypical Barbie" starts to feel some worrying changes - like, when she steps out of her shoes, she suddenly (oh horror!) finds her feet turning flat...
She seeks advice from "Weird Barbie" - a doll severely disfigured from having been played with too violently by her human. She tells Barbie that to get cured, she has to find the child playing with her in the Real World. Barbie then sets off on a journey to the Real World - and finds herself joined by Ken, who hid in her car to follow her.
In the Real World they meet with various adventures, and get split up. They both end up returning to Barbieland, but separately - and with rather different ideas in their heads about what needs to be changed back there.
I'll refrain from revealing more, I think - in case you want to watch it yourself...
Happy Third Advent Sunday :)
It was a wonderful feminist film, I think. I just was irked that it didn't come up for any Oscar awards while Ken won and even got to sing his song at the program.
ReplyDeleteBarbara, I've not been keeping up with the Oscar awards at all lately.
DeleteIt was too synthetic for my liking as a movie
ReplyDeleteRo, I know what you mean, but it kind of grew on me along the way.
DeleteI had no idea this movie is so philosophical! I LOVE how your Barbies made you watch it! Maybe it will convince them to stay in Barbieland.
ReplyDeleteGinny, I'm not sure I'd go quite as far as calling the movie philosophical... As for my own two Barbies I suspect they're at least half-humanized by now!
DeleteI watched the movie on Netflix some time ago and quite enjoyed it, too - not only because I have loved Barbie for almost as long as I can remember :-)
ReplyDeleteMeike, my main objection was that it was so overwhelmingly pink :) My dolls asked me afterwards why there is no pink in their wardrobes. I think the answer is that my mother (who made nearly all their clothes) was not a fan of pink! I can't recall that she ever sewed anything pink for neither me nor herself either...
DeleteI haven't been tempted to watch the film, but having read your review, I might try it now.
ReplyDeleteJabblog, if watching it on a streaming service you're already paying for, you always have the option not to finish it... (lol)
DeleteI've resisted having Netflix as I might be tempted to binge watch. I have a lot of catching up to do, and I'm sure Barbie will be somewhere on the list. The girls look enthralled.
ReplyDeleteCarol, for a number of years I had Netflix for free, courtesy of my brother - until they changed their sharing policies. By then I had got used to having it so signed up for it myself. With some kinds of series I prefer binge watching to having to wait a week for the next episode!
DeleteI love love love your Barbies watching The Barbie! I would try it but bob would not like that at all and he has control of the Netflix TV..
ReplyDeleteSandra, no, the Barbie movie is probably not Bob's "cup of tea" - and perhaps not really yours either ;-) ... (Visually, Bob might have fit in quite well among the "beach boy Kens" back in his youth, though! - haha)
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