Barbie has become so popular that she has had over 40 movies created surrounding her story, friends, and life. On the other hand, of all the films and shows that have been created about Barbie, only one is a live action movie, “Barbie”.
“We sell dreams, imagination, and sparkle. And when you think of sparkle, what do you think of next? Female agency,” says the Mattel CEO in the Barbie Movie. Mattel has been around since 1945 creating toys for kids from all round the world. One of the most prominent toys, Barbie, an excellent career woman, was created to inspire young girls to be anything they aspire with hard work and dedication.
Barbie has had over 200 careers and has been changed to appeal more and more to kids. Since the creation of Barbie, Mattel has created a larger diversity of the doll, so that each girl can have a Barbie that looks like them. Barbies with darker skin, Barbies in wheelchairs, Barbies with curly hair, red hair, freckles, glasses, and tons of other defining characteristics.
Directed by Greta Gerwig, and starring Margo Robbie, the Barbie movie has received an 88% on the tomato scale. Many fans agree, getting an 83% on the Audience Score. While going onto the website and reading comments people have made, one can see a lot of people rate the Barbie movie as a 6/10 or a 3.5/5, and some people even rated it a four or five out of five.
Alexis Zelinsky, a Junior at BBH, puts this into perspective when being questioned about her thoughts on the Tomato Scale. “I feel like, if you take eight out of ten as an 80%, I agree with the 80 percentile it got.”
Overall it feels like the ratings all around the world even out to be around that 80% mark, giving the movie a B for Barbie as a grade.
As for the BBHHS community, some people like Gryffen Albainy, a Sophomore at the high school, agree with the Rotten Tomatoes score. “I agree, it’s definitely up there, especially with how many people went. I think it gave a good message. If I was younger, I might want to see my favorite person, Barbie, on a big screen. I liked the way [Margo Robbie] did it.”
But, there are others who completely disagree with this score. “It’s supposed to be lower, it’s just not that great, it’s mediocre,” says Adriana Tartara, a freshman at BBH.
There are many reasons why some people love the Barbie movie, and all are valid points for those who dislike it. For example, the community has a lot to say about one of the most controversial characters from the movie, Ken.
“My least favorite part was Ken, being a nasty and egotistical, toxic male,” says Zelinsky.
“My least favorite part of the movie is just Ken in general, because throughout the movie, I just wanted to slap him and I will stick to that statement,” says Albainy.
“I think [the Barbie movie] does show [the struggles of womanhood], because it shows how Ken took over Barbie world and Barbie apologized for the things she did wrong, but Ken never apologized,” says Julia Eterovich, BBH senior.
Many people agree with Eterovich: The Barbie movie does an excellent job depicting and portraying the struggles of being a woman in society. Grace Mihalik, who is also a Senior at BBH, says, “I think it depicted how hard motherhood can be and being a mom isn’t always easy. The struggles of being a mom were really brought out well in the movie”.
Overall, the Barbie Movie was a big hit throughout generations. “They [the directors of the Barbie Movie] showed and portrayed it really well in a way kids can still watch the movie, and yet, the adults and people who understand it, can also watch it,” comments Zelinsky.
Many people can enjoy the movie for different reasons. “I liked when Ken had his Mojo Dojo Casa House,” states Tartara.
Eterovich didn’t like some parts of the movie, she says,“In the beginning, they were throwing the baby doll heads. [I] didn’t understand it.”
Whether those appreciate the directors use of baby doll heads for projectiles or not, there is one thing the community can agree upon as a whole as summed up by Abigail Gomos, a senior. “I just know I am kenough”.
