msbecca00

I have seen the tv-series from the 70's when I was little, so I was familiar with the story but I don't remember enough to be able to compare it to the film.

Therefore I went to the cinema with fairly fresh eyes and an open mind. And I was not disappointed! Amanda Jansson does a beautiful portrayal of Maja. She's raw, free, strong and Jansson's talent truly shines through in her interpretation of Maja. Jansson is the heart of this beautiful movie.

The love story is gripping and even though the run time of this movie is quite long at almost 3 hours, I kept my eyes glued to the screen at the beautiful scenery from the Åland islands and the captivating story. It's simply charming and I was very moved by this film. It paints a gripping picture of the harshness of life in the archipelago in the 1800's, letting us follow the lovable Maja, her husband Janne and their family.

The story and editing was a bit choppy in the beginning but once Maja and Janne start their life together, the movie finds its pace. I was moved to tears at multiple parts of the film and I almost didn't want it to end. Looking forward to rewatching it soon.

I went into the film having high expectations, the marketing for Barbie has been really effective, I have to give them that. I had also heard good things about the movie from friends and co-workers. So I went to the cinema with my friend, dressed in pink.

I was expecting a funny, girly movie with some clever commentary on patriarchy and existentialism. Instead, I found it to be campy and over the top. Campy can be fun, and there were one or two chuckle-worthy moments. But I wouldn't describe it as a funny comedy. Maybe it's because we're from Northern Europe, but the audience certainly wasn't laughing at many moments. I recall Ryan Gosling causing a few chuckles here and there though, he's got great comedic timing.

The social commentary wasn't very subtle, the message was overly clear. It was so exaggerated that I found myself cringing at the lines and scenes. It could've been done much more elegantly, but it's clear that they didn't have high expectations of their audiences' intelligence.

But there were some highlights too, of course: Barbieland looked amazing and I loved the costume design. Ryan Gosling was lovable and funny, even as a loser Ken. Margot Robbie was convincing as Barbie. The music fit well.

Lastly, I wish I had gone into the movie without any expectations. I probably would've enjoyed it more then. It was relatively entertaining but I don't think that I'll be rewatching it. As a feminist I was disappointed in how on the nose the social commentary was. It could've been done with so much more grace and respect for the audience's intelligence. I also didn't like the way the dialogue was written over all, it was very "wannabe-intellectual" which I didn't find to be very funny at all. Maybe it's just the American humor that doesn't suit me.