User reviews

Margot does the best with what she's given, but this film was very disappointing to me. It was marketed as a fun, quirky satire with homages to other movies. It started that way, but ended with over-dramatized speeches and an ending that clearly tried to make the audience feel something, but left everyone just feeling confused. And before you say I'm a crotchety old man, I'm a woman in my 20s, so I'm pretty sure I'm this movie's target audience. The saddest part is there were parents with their kids in the theater that were victims of the poor marketing, because this is not a kid's movie. Overall, the humor was fun on occasion and the film is beautiful to look at, but the whole concept falls apart in the second half of the film and becomes a pity party for the "strong" woman.

Way too obvious for my taste (or entertainment), Greta Gerwig's "Barbie" certainly makes her point about female empowerment, in sledgehammer fashion. Early on, all I could think of were those Captain Obvious TV commercials, amusing in spite of and because of their blatant self-parody.

Overproduced as a Hollywood blockbuster hurts a lot, right from the hundredth Kubrick "2001" parody to start and then the Busby Berkeley ripoff musical number. And for me, as well as thematically, Ken's character could have usefully been a cameo proportional in screen time to the dozens of supporting Barbie roles -his singing and production number belonged on the cutting room floor.

I don't care how many harmless jabs at Mattel were included in the final screenplay, the whole thing is still a marketing ploy.

Seeing a lot of reviews saying that this movie is preachy, the men are portrayed as idiots, etc. It's a SATIRE. It is meant to be over the top. And yes, it has a lot to say. But the fact that some people in the audience (and I'd wager some of the negative reviews are from people who didn't bother to watch the movie) don't want to hear it, doesn't make it any less valid.

In Barbieland, Ken is just an accessory to Barbie and is portrayed as nothing more than an object - something women in the real world deal with all the time. The fact that so many men are reacting so negatively to this movie tells me they don't like being treated the way that women are treated every day. And that is the point of the movie - yet it has much more to say than that. Ultimately, the message in Barbie isn't that "women rule and men drool" - it's that patriarchy ultimately harms both men and women. And that's true. So people who say this movie is anti-men are missing the entire point. Patriarchy may give men privilege but it ultimately hurts them, too - pressuring them to conform to a rigid idea of manhood and silencing their self-expression.

I am living for the fact that this movie is unapologetic about showing the absurdity of it all. I would have given it a 10 if it weren't for the cringe worthy Ken dance number. It was the only weak part of the movie. But otherwise, Bravo!

The quality, the humor, and the writing of the movie is fun for a while. It's quirky and it's unique. When they get into the weeds and try to explore deeper themes, the movie is a miss. The middle expositional phase of the movie, I must say, is a bore.

The movie was so close to being great, but it was incapable of delivering a message without having a character literally give a speech worth of dialogue.

What could have been a great satire and what began as a cleverly funny movie turned into a preachy and moralizing movie in the end. But I guess the charm of the first half of the movie made up for the shortcomings.

This is a movie that was way overhyped. Everyone kept saying it was so amazing, but when I finally go to watch it, it was not at all what I thought it was going to be. The storyline was not good. It was a basic and corny storyline, in my opinion.

I didn't care for how they portrayed Ken. Ryan Gosling is an amazing actor, but he is not a good representation of Ken when it comes to how he looks and how the actual Ken doll looks. The way he acted as Ken was not that good either, but he didn't get much help from the writers for the way they wrote his part. The movie had so much potential, but was definitely a let down. One positive is that it had some funny parts, but it could of been written much better and could of had a much better storyline!!

I walked out of the theatre thinking, "Yeah, I had a good time in that movie". But as the day went on I kind had that "Ok, that kebab probably wasn't a good idea."

The film is stunning in its production design and creativity, and Margot Robbie is perfectly cast as the Stereotypical Barbie. For the most part, the songs are catchy and performances are solid for the type of characters being portraying.

When we strip away the outside world and all the messaging, Barbie and Ken have a few poignant moments - Barbie realising she's not as perfect as she's been made to believe, or when Ken receives his first modicum of acknowledgement of being a sentient being he's ever had in his life. They also share a couple learning and growth moments which I thought would pay off at the end of the film.

I don't know why, but I was hoping for something that would actually enlighten its audience, to acknowledge that things are a mess and make intentional and meaningful steps to get us closer to understanding and equality. The Barbie brand, history, controversies are so engrained in our culture that this movie had a potential to change our perspective of the world, and what the future could be. That's a lot of pressure for one film, I know.

However... this film is absolutely not immune to the not-so-subtle messaging that has permeated all forms of media and entertainment recently. In fact, it embraces is. So much so that you have a scene where a man walks up behind Barbie and slaps her on the backside, in broad daylight, in a crowded space, in front of her boyfriend.... And this kind of portrayal of men in 2023 appears to be how the film views the world.

Maybe it was this kind of overt comical depiction of men and the world generally that allowed me to get through the movie and kind of enjoy it, but upon reflection, I realise now it's just kind of... yuck.

Barbie had the rare opportunity to be a film experience that not only highlighted issues in the real world, but offer and foster some ideas for change. Instead, we receive divisive and mean-spirited attack on half the human population as well as anyone who thinking having a family is an acceptable path in life. And also flat feet and cellulite.

If you kind of switch off your brain for an hour and a bit, and don't take this film too seriously, then maybe you'll have a lasting positive memory after seeing this movie.

But if you need to do that to enjoy something, then you need to ask yourself: why?

I do not usually write reviews, but this is beyond description. Last time I wrote a review it was for the absolutely horrible wrinkle in time. This is almost as bad. At least Gosling plays his part well, but the story is abysmal. If you can find anything else to do like watch paint dry, then yes please do. You will save your brain cells the agony of a painful slow ..... nearly two hours long this was mind-numbing storytelling at its mediocre worst. How many ways can I say do not go see it if you have a choice. See anything else but this exercise in horrendous cliches and exaggerated self-importance. If I could give it negative 10 stars I would.

It pains me to say it, but I enjoyed this movie so much more then I was expecting to, musical numbers, humour, there truly is something for the whole family yo enjoy.

Bright, garish and somewhat kitsch, those were my expectations, and sure it's a veritable cornucopia of glitter and rainbows, but what I wasn't expecting, was for the film to be so engaging, there's actually some real depth that I wasn't expecting. That opening introduction, that came as a major surprise, and pretty much set the tone.

Of course there are plenty of double entendres, laughs that adults will enjoy, kids will no doubt chuckle away too.

I'm pretty sure this film is going to win awards for its production, it's very well made, creative design and visuals, a lot of thought has gone into this. Greta Gerwig did a great job.

Margot Robbie is glorious as Barbie, Ryan Gosling was great I thought. The pair shared some terrific scenes, real chemistry, and plenty of cutting one liners.

Great use of music, everything fitted into the film so well.

8/10.

The film's universe and settings are fantastic. The casting is really good too, with Gosling excelling in the role of Ken.

Regrettably, however, the film completely misses the chance to appeal to people who grew up with Barbie. Instead, we're left with a film that almost divides and pits men against women, in an attempt to make it a feminist and political film.

Instead of seeing a light, fun film, I saw a rather heavy-handed movie whose storyline is centered around patriarchy.

It's a real shame, because the film's potential is pretty amazing. I came away disappointed, but not totally disgusted either.

Barbenheimer was such a unique experience for its time in 2023. I did end up seeing both movies and I have to say I feel like I didn't get enough out of either movie to be satisfied seeing it only one time. Barbie was the latter movie I watched last time, so this is the first one I chose on my Barbenheimer rewatch of 2025.

I thought it was fine, overhated on my first watch. But there is something very interesting about my second viewing and I just really felt like I got more out of it somehow. If you go into this movie with a certain mindset it is so easy to come out of it a different way. With a more blank slate going into this watch, something just clicked for me. This movie is actually very, very good. I'm not even a woman and I got kind of emotional at the end. I personally found it effective at what it was going for. It managed to become more than a movie about empowerment but about becoming more than what society expects of you, male or female. Expecting society to be favorable one way or the other is never a solution. It's what you expect of yourself. And expectations don't have to be unattainable. Sometimes normalcy is the goal and that's okay.

Production design and costumes still really shine, and the acting is really well done here for the most part. It's rather funny and the first 20 minutes or so of the movie is close to perfect, which may be part of the point if you're familiar with the story. To be honest, I'm not a huge fan of the Ken song but I can respect people who do like it. What was I made for was my personal favorite of the two. The first hour was really good but towards the second half the pacing slowed down and I wasn't really as invested in lots of what was happening. I still find this to be a pretty good watch overall and I have higher respect for movies that really try a lot of risks. And boy are there lots of risks. While many of them do work, there are a couple things that don't, and that's alright. It's honestly really funny how media focused on meta-commentary end up being handled well these days compared to movies that take itself too seriously. As years go by, I think movies will lean more towards this kind of style, and I'm all for it. Good job to Greta and Noah and Maggie and Ryan and the Barbie/Ken crew. And please Warner Bros do not make a sequel even though everybody makes sequels on successful movies. Don't do it.

So yeah, now on to Oppenheimer rewatch. Let's see how it is.

Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling are really great in their roles of Barbie and Kent. Gosling is specially hilarious. I expected a funny, cool, deep and entertaining movie, but I was highly disappointed. The movie is so terribly preachy that ends being an embarrassment. We (the audience) have brains, so, please, preach somewhere else. Furthermore, this is a movie to divide, not to unite. And I'm a woman. The script of the movie is horrendous and the direction is plain bad. There are some great actresses that have too little to say, like Emma Mackey, and that's a pity. Overall: a huge disappointment and a missed opportunity. 3/10 (1 point for Margot Robbie, 1 point for Ryan Gosling, and 1 point for the art direction (super tacky and pinky, as Barbie's world).

Wow. I did not see this masterpiece coming. And that's not a joke. Somehow, Greta Gerwig took Barbie, and made a movie that tackles some really tough social issues....well? It's crazy. But wow, does it work. The story is very mature, thinker of a plot. Once you're done laughing your butt off, you'll get really emotional. The production design is so on point. The whole movie is pink everything, but it's never polarizing. All the shades melt together in a very pleasing way. And of course the cast! Margot Robbie was born to play Barbie, and she hits a home run, but Ryan Gosling. This dude rocks as Ken. He knocked it all the way around the world and hit himself in the back of the head. He steals every scene he's in, and I would be so on board with a Ken spin-off. America Ferrara and Simu Liu are also great in their respective roles, but the cast overall is just perfect. Overall, Barbie is probably the best movie based off a toy (sorry LEGO Movies) and an overall fantastic time at the movies.

While the production value, cinematography and acting were what you would expect from Margo Robbie and the supporting cast. I felt the movie fell short of not preaching to me and spreading a message of division rather than unity. Men and women cannot survive without each other but you'd never know it watching this movie. And me having my 13 year old daughter with me almost caused me to walk out of the theater. I kept on waiting for the writers to hit the direction of unity but it never came. After the movie my daughter brought up the message to me saying how she even noticed the weird agenda they're trying to push and said that is not a movie for the easily impressionable. Come to find out my daughter is better suited to take on the world that I thought she was. Proud day for me as a father.

Margot Robbie's performance is perfect, and no other actor could've embodied the character as well as she does. However, Ryan Gosling is the film-stealer. I often forget his comedic talent, and he's given a lot of room to flex it in this. A cleverly executed Matchbox Twenty joke is particularly memorable.

While cynics and perhaps realists will argue that the film is primarily a marketing vehicle to sell Barbie dolls, it does attempt to carry a moral message. However, the commercial aspect of the movie undercuts the credibility of this message somewhat.

The movie starts off well, being smartly self-aware and offering a tongue-in-cheek critique of itself with many winks to the audience. However, as it progresses, the commentary on feminism and the patriarchy becomes heavy-handed, especially in the dialogue-heavy third act, which weighs down the overall narrative.

The set and wardrobe designs are a standout. I think kids will love this part alone, even if some of the humor and social commentary will go over their heads.

Overall, it's a fun film but not without its flaws. It's likely to spark discussion due to its blunt societal commentary. If you're looking for a visually impressive movie to entertain the kids, and you're willing to enjoy it without analyzing its message too deeply, then it's an enjoyable watch.

This is very much a movie that will get devided opinions on it, my cousin said well this is two hours of my life i will never get back, and me? I left the theatre in such a good mood. It was the sense of humor for me, laughed so hard. Specially Ryan Gossling was sooooo good and funny, many familiar faces to spot also. And margot robbie come on... the perfect casting for Barbie. I also have to say, the way they created Barbie land was so amazing, it just makes you just want to there. I don't really have anything bad to say about this movie. I can understand not everyone will love it. But i am sure it is a iconic film already.