Barbie
At a glance...
- Directed by Greta Gerwig
- Released in 2023
- Runtime 114 minutes
- Watched at The AMC Pacific Place 11
- Final feelings: white feminism super bowl ad
Fun, visually appealing, stylish. And yet, I don't think this movie can escape the gravitational pull of the corporate white feminism that it at least partially lampoons/spoofs in the beginning. From the product placement, which is sometimes relatively subtle (the Birkenstock as a representation of enlightened femininity) and other times as loud as a car horn (Hello Chevrolet I see you have a new electric SUV to advertise) (seriously that car chase ended with a pull up that was only missing a giant "0% APR Financing" text on the screen), to the incoherent mess that is Will Ferrell's character and the executive board as a whole, I don't think Barbie has anything particularly revolutionary to say about womanhood or femininity that hasn't already been said in a few well-made, inclusive, modern TV commercials. In particular, I am pretty tired of white feminism's obsession with "voting" as the locus for all radical political engagement.
BUT, for a billion dollar summer blockbuster type film, it is definitely weirder than most, which makes it novel, which meant I had a fun time watching it.