I wasn't sure about seeing the Barbie movie. But an old friend, screenwriter and novelist Steve Barnes liked it, and his recommendation was enough for me. I went in expecting some sappy Barbie story for little girls. Not!! Well, it's great for girls of maybe eight or more, but it turned out to be an incredibly smart, incisive movie that digs into patriarchy, sexism, stereotypes and injustice.
It's funny, poignantly touching, inspiring tears and heart-warming moment, with great music and a fun plot.
So, why is it banned some some countries and panned as woke by right wingers? Because it questions and challenges patriarchy and sexist stereotypes, enough to make some countries ban the movie. Kuwait. banned it because it "promulgate ideas and beliefs that are alien to the Kuwaiti society and public order," and Lebanon banned the movie because it contradicts values of faith and morality" and "promotes homosexuality and sexual transformation." Actually, there are no clearly defined gay people in the movie.
So... by watching the Barbie movie I became a member of the Barbenheimer club. I watched Oppenheimer first and enjoyed it. It was also smart and entertainingly well done. But I definitely enjoyed the Barbie movie more. I kept almost pinching myself, thinking to myself, 'I can't believe how good this is.'
I could go into greater depth but I don't want to include spoilers in this review. I strongly encourage you to watch what is actually a brilliant commentary on the patriarchy that still exists in our culture. And I give kudos to Mattel for embracing the movie with its strong messages and taking the risk of being the next Disney for Anti-Woke right wing fascists and Trump-cult members to attack and sanction.
A Forbes article, The 'Barbie' Movie Isn't Feminist Propaganda, It's A Two-Hour Mattel Commercial, summarizes the right wing's response,
" If you listen to the rightwing echo chamber much, you'll hear the same tired line over and over again: Greta Gerwig's Barbie movie is man-hating feminist propaganda."
Actually, the movie highlights the way patriarchy and sexism hurts both men and women.
Another Forbes article,
"Right-wing culture warriors have long held the belief that media containing progressive values will be rejected by the masses, expressed by the mantra "go woke, go broke."
With Barbie's incredible success at the box office, it might be time to rethink that slogan.
The article included an update: "Great Gerwig (the movie's writer director) has responded to the right-wing backlash, telling the NYTimes that she did not anticipate the negative reaction, but hopes that the movie serves as "an invitation for everybody to be part of the party and let go of the things that aren't necessarily serving us as either women or men."
A Rolling Stone article,
"Ultimately, the Barbie backlash appears to stem from the same place most right-wing-driven backlashes to mainstream popular culture does: a rabid desire for attention at all costs, combined with a sense of righteous indignation over anything that bears even a whiff of empathy and inclusivity. The fact that Barbie is a beloved and traditionally heteronormative product, and the film helmed by a feminist director intent on updating the brand for the twenty-first century, makes it a fairly predictable target. But unfortunately for folks like Ginger Gaetz and Ted Cruz, this time around, it seems the number of people who are willing to shell out $20 to see Ryan Gosling in a studded leather cowboy vest is significantly larger than the number of people irate at a bunch of squiggles on a fake map."
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