The Barbie movie opened in Australia on July 20 to rave reviews with thousands flocking to the cinemas nation-wide. We headed to the movies to see what all the fuss was about.
My heels are on the ground!
Rated PG, the movie centres, obviously, around Barbie and all the other Barbies (and Kens) that live in Barbie Land. We see a colourful Barbie Dream House world full of glamour and, as expected, a whole range of Barbie outfits and recognisable Barbie characters and accessories.
The movie sees Barbie suffer a crisis that leads her to question everything about her existence. She sets off to the real world, with Ken in tow, to make everything right again.
You have to want to know
My 13-year-old saw the movie with friends the day before I took my 9-year-old and came home saying “It was the best movie ever! You have to see it”. She got it – the fun and kitsch-ness of Barbie Land as well as the adult humour that underlies most of the dialogue throughout the movie. She also understood the plot and overall theme of patriarchy (if you’re not sure what that word means, you’ll know by the end of the movie!).
My 9-year-old on the other hand enjoyed it just as much but for the fun and colour and music (provided by her favourites: Lizzo and Dua Lipa) and at nearly 2-hours long, was able to be entertained the majority of the time.
Be the 10 behind the Ken
And me? Well….the plot may be a little “hmmm” and the end a little bit wishy-washy, but I actually really loved it as well. There were many laugh-out-loud moments for the adults along with a few cringey (but totally essential for the character) moments provided by Ryan Gosling – at his comedic best and, to me, the stand-out of the movie. My 9-year-old asked me at one point “Who is that man??”.
Overall, this movie is a winner for all ages. It was fun and cheesy and colourful and the cast were great……..especially “that man”!
Important Classification Information
- Rated: PG
- Running time: 114 minutes
- Genre: Comedy
- Consumer advice: Mild crude humour, innuendo, coarse language and slapstick violence
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