movie screen with blue sky white clouds and a shield with the letters WB

I finally got to see the Barbie movie and I have to say: what a letdown.

In my earlier post, I’ve Never Had a Barbie, But I Want to See the Barbie Movie, I admitted to hopping on the hot pink Barbie bandwagon. So, did I really have a right to expect anything?

I was sold a pink, sparkly package and got a beige, depressing thing inside. The Barbie movie had been heavily marketed for months as a feminist film that’s determined to mock the patriarchy. If so, why did Ken steal the show?

It annoyed me how the Kens (of course, not actors Ryan Gosling and Simu Liu) seem to outshine the Barbies, whether through deadpan one-liners, campy dance numbers, or cheesy power balladeering.

If Barbie could be anything, why be human? Where’s the fun in being flawed, vulnerable, and insecure? Don’t people play with dolls to play pretend or to escape from reality? The portrayal of Barbie in the film as a real person who is capable of having lucid thoughts, deep feelings, and strong emotions is antithetical to that.

I left the movie feeling sad. Thankfully, there’s plenty of hot pink to lift my spirits!

Have you seen the Barbie movie? Tell me your impressions in the comments below.