Spoilers ahead!
Dressed in pink, my mom and I made our way to the theater to watch the first showing of Barbie. As we stood in line, two older women joined behind us in their full-pink outfits. The theater was alive with anticipation for this long awaited movie as women of all ages gathered to relive their childhood memories.
I was transported to Barbie Land as pink flooded the screen.This historic opening eclipsed records in its first 24 hours, earning an initial 70.5 million dollars–and in total–a record 1.3 billion. It was the biggest opening of a 2023 movie and the largest opening for a female director.
Fun fact: A global shortage of a specific pink paint resulted from the movie designers mega use of fluorescent fuchsia pink.
The film opens showing a perfect day in Barbie Land with the Stereotypical Barbie (Margot Robbie) and all the other Barbies. Everyday is ideal until strange things start to happen to Stereotypical Barbie after she embarks on an adventure with Ken (Ryan Gosling) to the real world in search of the girl who is in possession of her doll to set things right.
Barbie soon loses her joy as she faces the real world. She struggles to find her way until she finds Sasha,the young girl who owns her doll. Though her Barbie doll brought Sasha joy when she was a child, she has grown out of her childhood toys and leaves thembehind–in the same way most Barbie dolls after forgotten. Because of this, a journey to restore everything in Barbie Land ensues.
Barbie first appears to be a lighthearted children’s movie, yet its subtleties show how “it is literally impossible to be a woman” when trying to fit into the standards of society. In the end, Barbie learns that we all are beautiful, and there is no one box that we need to fit inside of. Each individual is perfect.
Barbie questions herself about what she was made for. She no longer wants to be a manufactured doll- which leads her to pave her own path. In the end, Barbie stays in the real world where she wants to experience its joys and pain.
Barbie was a win in my book. Included in the soundtrack are Billie Eilish, Lizzo, and Charlie XCX. The total run time is 1 hour and 54 minutes and is rated PG-13.
