Barbie – Why the Controversy?
Article by Ray Schillaci
From the beginning, I had no interest in seeing Barbie. I thought the trailers looked dumb. They just did not appeal to me and I’m not always a fan of Will Ferrell’s humor, but my wife, who had not been in a movie theater since the lockdown, wanted to see it, along with her sister (who’d already seen it), our sons (ages 23 and 29) and our nephews in their late 20s. So, I relented and tagged along not expecting much. To my surprise, I was entertained and was even touched by the end. Sure, it had its moments of groaners (an unnecessary long chase sequence and a smattering of bad jokes), but it was nothing like what I was expecting.
In fact, even though Margot Robbie as Barbie is the star, it’s Ryan Gosling’s Ken that practically steals the show. Gosling has proved to have a unique comedic gift with Lars and the Real Girl and The Nice Guys. He holds nothing back with his sad sack Ken that longs for patriarchy as if it was some kind of superpower. In the world of Barbie, Ken is as he has always been, just another accessory.
That’s just one of the many clever ideas of Greta Gerwig’s fantasy movie about the most popular doll in the world. Now, that word “fantasy” is very important, because so many haters of this movie do not get it, especially the ones that have not seen it or refuse to see it. They declare it a man bashing affair. They are just going on rumors from others who have not seen it, conservative radio personalities (who have little if no personality), or far right news media that that has no explanation why, if it’s so bad, it’s come to make over a billion dollars worldwide in just seventeen days.
It’s like someone declaring a book dangerous for our youth, but never bothering to read it. That’s when the old adage applies so well, opinions are like a**holes, everybody has one. And, unless they’ve seen it, that opinion is meaningless. For those that did see it and it did not appeal to them, then the film was not meant for them, and that’s okay. No film is meant to appeal to everyone.
Some are going so far as to say that it is indoctrinating impressionable youth and brainwashing America. To this I say, “You should stop drinking the Kool-Aid and get a sense of humor.” My God people, it’s a fantasy about a doll(s) and a make believe world created by Mattel that is made up of a boardroom of men (in real life Mattel’s board actually has five women and six men). In Barbie’s world, feminism is taken to the extreme whereas in the real world chauvinism is slanted the other way. Barbie and Ken eventually manage to bring things to a compromise. In the real world it’s not that easy, but this is a fantasy.
Gerwig does point out in a funny and poignant way through Barbie how the world was supposed to be different once the Barbie doll changed the lives of women for the better. At least that was the intention, but this film was never intended to be the Gloria Steinem film to liberate women from bondage and put men in their place. Those propagating those rumors are fearing for their manhood and lack humor or perhaps they are too old, stuffy and stuck in their ways to admit they suffer from both.
Although Gerwig’s film takes liberties with some facts about women in the work place, the film overall succeeds as an all-inclusive acceptance of diversity without beating us over the head with the message. It is fun, joyous and even has a rousing message delivered by America Ferrera as Gloria, a frustrated single mom who is working on rekindling her love for the once beloved doll as she goes on searching for herself while trying to connect with her daughter.
That speech alone, whether it was written by Gerwig or co-writer Noah Baumbach (or both) is worth the price of admission. It is raw, emotionally charged, heartfelt and had many women in the audience crying. And, if you were one of the guys that just didn’t get it, then perhaps you checked your empathy at the door long ago. Maybe you need to listen a little more to become a more well-rounded person…if you are even interested.
There is nothing controversial about Barbie. It’s just under two hours of sheer fun with Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling and a wonderful cast dancing their way into your heart and making you laugh and possibly shedding a tear or two. No death defying stunts, child endangerment, heavy drama and no bar codes at the end of the film encouraging you to buy tickets to get other people to see the film. There’s really nothing manipulating about this film because it’s all in fun. Barbie doesn’t have to manipulate because it is what it is and does not purport to be anything else but a fluffy piece of entertainment with a nice message that supports us all.
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