Life is plastic, but is it fantastic?

Over the weekend I was scrawling through Instagram seeing so many people say they have gone to see Barbie the Movie. Having major FOMO I knew I had to go see this film. Here’s my experience…

I never grew up with Barbie, she was someone I didn’t feel like was me, she was skinny, blonde, with white teeth. The only connection I have with Barbie as an adult is I have boobs. I never gravitated to owning a Barbie.

When I was 19, I went to New York City with my mum and sister. We walked into the giant Toys R Us on Time Square and saw the floor dedicated to Barbie. It had its own Dreamhouse, all the different styles of Barbie you could buy. I remember spotting the only Barbie I would ever buy, the Jolly Holiday edition of Mary Poppins. Little did I know that I would work for Toys R Us and have to put a Barbie pagination together in their catalog…

Fast forward to over the weekend and I was scrawling through Instagram seeing people I follow say they have gone to see the movie. The movie is advertised as not a children’s film, as it’s a movie about what Barbie represents to women and society. After seeing the film, I agree, it’s very much aimed at grown women and younger kids really won’t get most of the film. Seeing people’s reviews made me want to see this film even more. 

Luckily a group of friends wanted to see it on Monday evening. We got together and went to an extremely busy Vue Cinema in Staines, where we ended up seeing a later showing due to its popularity. We missed the adverts, as the queue to get the tickets, popcorn, and drinks was long! The queue had lots of people dressed up in Barbie merchandise, in pink including the men! We eventually took our seats and the movie started. 

The film opens up with Helen Mirren narrating, it is brightly colored, it’s set in Barbie Land you recongise the sets and props. You then realise why it’s not for children as Barbie has thoughts of death and how it is making her feel. It’s a result of the person who plays with them. As a result, Barbie has to make a journey to the real world, she’s introduced to new characters but due to an incident, she has to return to fix Barbieland and take control.

Throughout the film, you see different Barbies, the president, the chef, the doctor, the vet even the Barbie who is in a wheelchair, and curvy Barbie. This stood out to me as everyone was represented in the films. When the Barbies get together they have Girl Power, come together as a group, and stand up for Feminism and what they believe in. As a woman, you can not love this message which they portray.

What made the movie for me, was the clever scriptwriting and the adult humor it had. Also how they made jokes about Midge the pregnant Barbie who made headlines, but also about Alan. There were quite a few innuendos that made me laugh out loud and the rest of the cinema. The biggest surprise was spotting Rob Brydon in the film.

Since coming out and seeing the film, I have been reading more reviews and finding out the information. The four girls in the school, are named after the rival Bratz dolls. The daughter of the creator Barbara Handler makes a cameo as well as Dua Lipa.

The ending made sense for Barbie, but it made me question what had happened to the person who thought of death. How her story was not completed? Is it because her relationship changed or from visiting Barbie Land?

After the film finished, my friends were surprised at how funny it was, and the message it came away with. One of the lads said, he didn’t know there were so many versions of Barbie and didn’t think Midge was real! On coming home, my partner asked me how it was and I exploded with adrenaline and said I cannot wait to see this film again.

Let me know what you thought of the movie?