My controversial theory on exactly why you either loved or hated the Barbie movie.

This post contains spoilers for the Barbie movie. 

The Barbie movie is everywhere. 

Even if you still scandalously haven’t seen the film, you’d have found it impossible to escape the endless activations, brand collaborations, displays of Barbie pink, interviews and red carpets dominating our algorithms and news feeds. 

The phrase 'marketing budget' has never been a more widely used phrase in the zeitgeist. Yet while it may be the biggest movie of 2023, the response to Barbie has been divided. In my opinion, you fall very firmly into one of two camps: those who loved the movie and would see it again in a heartbeat, or those who hated it, believing it didn't quite hit the mark. 

And I think whichever group you belong to says more about the type of person you are than you realise. 

Watch: Barbie Main Trailer. Story continues after video.

The Fans.

If you thought the film was a masterpiece in visual appeal, aesthetics, humour and sentimentality, you’re a first-class member of the Barbie fan club. The singing and dancing, the increasingly gorgeous costumes, and the painful beauty of Margot Robbie’s face and Ryan Gosling’s 12-pack left many believing they’d experienced a treat for their eyeballs. 

This group found the dialogue witty and charming, and walked away feeling like they’d spent two hours escaping reality and enjoying a trip to fantasyland. They were able to take the film at face value, embracing the chance to lean in and giving themselves permission to enjoy a light-hearted, fun, nostalgic take on what, for some, were once toys that made up an important part of their daily lives and identities.

Sure, there were plenty of things to love about the film. The humour was definitely there. Ryan Gosling’s Ken was undeniably the star of the show, delivering his lines with the perfect amount of nonchalance, obliviousness and sass rolled into one. His career title of 'Beach' earned a bunch of laughs throughout the film. The inclusion of Weird Barbie tugged on the heartstrings and memories of anyone who went a little overboard with their own dolls back in the day, cutting just a little too much hair off, or adding an extra layer of 'beautiful makeup' than she probably required.

The absence of water in Barbie Land, leaving Margot and the other Barbies showering in air, and pouring absolutely nothing into their cereal bowls, was genius. As was the acknowledgement of the fact that Barbie never walks down her house steps and climbs into her car, she simply appears in the car instantaneously. 

The portrayal of the way we grew up playing with these dolls, the daily actions we willingly and eagerly overlooked, the recognition of how shallow and aesthetic the entire world in which the dolls existed, it was unquestionably genius and funny.

You were rewarded if you were able to stay on the pro-Barbie train for the duration of the movie. Subtle nods and references throughout the film were everywhere for the taking, if you could just avoid falling into the trap of analysing the movie too deeply. Annie Mumolo, recognisable from her role as 'Nervous Woman on Plane' in Bridesmaids, wittily delivered a poignant line about anxiety, and the creator of Barbie’s real-life daughter herself was sat at the bus stop with Barbie, ready and willing to accept a compliment that she was beautiful.

Those who were truly able to get onboard with Barbie’s messaging managed to stay in this place for the entirety of the film. They saw the social commentary as humorous, a comment on society without the need to delve deeper. They were able to silence their scepticism, and giggle at the equation of patriarchy as 'men riding horses'. They were able to see past all of the flaws and lack of depth, and just sit back, relax… and enjoy. My best friend, who firmly fangirled the film, put it perfectly: "I loved it! It was silly and insightful and exactly what I expected. I think if I tried to look deeper, I might have been disappointed."

If you fell on the side of Barbie fanatics, you're definitely a 'glass half full' type of person. You entered the cinema expecting a light-hearted, fantastical film, and you weren’t disappointed. You appreciate aesthetics and beauty and the supremely unfair radiance of Margot Robbie - even when she’s 'ugly crying'. 

You exist in the world without succumbing to existential dread and daily fears about the future. You love a laugh, have an excellent sense of humour, and can muster enthusiasm about anything around you. You don’t take yourself, or life, too seriously, and can find the fun and the funny in every situation. I like to think of you as the eternal optimists.

Image: Getty

The Haters.

I walked into this film with no expectations, no spoilers, and no preconceived judgements. I’d gone out of my way to avoid hearing anything that may clue me in as to what kind of movie I was about to experience.

While the first half hour of the film was light-hearted and fun, though a little 'airy fairy' and slow, myself and many other soon-to-be haters were able to embrace the comedy, appreciate the acting and the beauty of it all, and enjoy the light-hearted dialogue and dynamics between all the Barbies and Kens - particularly Margot and Ryan.

But suddenly, midway through a dancing scene with an upbeat backing track from our very own Dua Lipa, the tone shifted… dramatically. Before we knew it, we were watching a film which attempted to address many of the most complex political and societal issues we collectively face today. It didn’t stop at critiquing the patriarchy. Instead, Barbie dove in head-first, commenting on: the patriarchy, objectification of women, existentialism and fear of death, the disempowerment of women, expectations placed on mothers, unrealistic beauty standards, capitalism, sentience, the meaning of life and true happiness, diversity and inclusion, the inevitability of change, corporate control, struggling with self-identity and -worth… shall I go on? The point is, in attempting to address all these complex political issues within its two-hour duration, the film minimised each of them. In my opinion, it tried too hard to touch on every problem facing the world, instead of tackling one or two in depth. 

The perspective on feminism was shallow at times, making light of a reality so pervasive that many of us remain unaware of the subtle ways in which it affects us. In having Ken bring 'patriarchy' back to Barbie Land, the Kens became d*ckheads, taking over all the possessions and homes of the Barbies and attempting to control them. It completely missed the point of what patriarchy really is, and how it affects us all. In having a well-intentioned speech by America Ferrara be enough to “de-program” the female Barbies, allowing them to reclaim control of the Supreme Court and the entirety of Barbie Land, again the film flattened the complexity of overcoming the patriarchy. It minimised the efforts, dedication and commitment of generations of women who have worked tirelessly and devotedly to allow us to live the lives we do today. 

Sure, call me cynical. Say I’m looking too deeply into a film which labels itself a 'comedy' and is intended to be entertaining and light-hearted. But I disagree. There are some problems we’re facing which aren’t easily leveraged for a laugh. 

And this is what the Barbie movie revealed about those of us who fall on the haters side of the coin. We’re the overthinkers, the analysers, the anxious or analytical brains. We want to have a laugh, but can’t quite manage to quieten our moral compass or strong sense of right and wrong. We dive too deep, expect too much from the world around us, and we’re constantly planning for the worst-case scenario. We’re anxious and pessimistic, sure, but we’re also inquisitive, deep thinkers, determined to advocate for change and progress.

Another of the issues the film failed to adequately address was the idea that women can never be good enough. That the unrealistic beauty standards and expectations of how we should live our lives are impossible to achieve, setting us up for failure and misery. This is such a profound, deep truth - and one that so many of us grapple with on a daily basis. With the rise of eating disorders, mental illness, and social disconnection, this movie had the opportunity to present a powerful stance on this pandemic of low self-worth. But instead, it reduced the issue to America Ferrera’s speech, and claimed that the creation of Barbies in different, powerful careers should be enough to make women believe they can do and be anything. Which is to say, it reduced complex issues to one-liners, and then moved on to the next 'big thing'. 

Listen to The Spill, We’re throwing out our normal episode structure in order to discuss a movie and pop culture moment that has derailed our lives recently. The Barbie movie is here and we have some pretty extreme thoughts about it. Post continues below.

If you still think me, and the rest of the Barbie haters, are grumpy cynics looking for a reason to be disgruntled, I’ll direct you to a comment Margot Robbie made in a Vogue Australia interview. When asked about how she found it difficult to get into her character of Stereotypical Barbie, Robbie revealed director Greta Gerwig sent her a podcast about a woman who didn’t introspect. “You know how you have a voice in your head all the time? 

This woman, she doesn’t have that voice in her head,” she said. Isn’t it telling, the thing which helped Margot get into character was embodying a vapid, hollow state of mind.

The final line, despite being the subject of outrage and anger for many, was the part I found the least offensive of all. Barbie’s trip to the gynaecologist, while unexpected given the many references to the absence of genitals in both Barbie and Ken, was bang on the amusing, sarcastic tone the movie had been trying (and failing) to hit all along. It exemplified how we in the Haters camp thought of the movie: instead of empowering women and portraying Barbie as a successful career woman, or mother, or even an emotional and sentient friend - really a capable woman of any kind - it reduced Barbie, and therefore all women, to a laughable, mockable concept. So I had no problem with the ending at all - it was one of the most honest lines throughout the entire movie.

If you can watch the Barbie film without overanalysing its content or expecting strong, feminist messaging, you’d have found the movie to be a masterpiece in visual appeal, aesthetics, humour and sentimentality. You’re an eternal optimist, with an exceptional sense of humour and a strong ability to enjoy yourself and make the most of any situation. But if, like me, your brain doesn't have an 'off switch', you’d likely agree it was a little contrived and tried to make too many political points, without quite hitting the mark on any of them. 

Feature Image: Getty