First off, how great is it to see packed movie theaters? It feels like we’re re-living the heyday of the theater experience.
My one big overarching thought: Barbie contains a lot of what other movies today are lacking.
Barbie was well paced and directed. The film was full of humor, nostalgia and wit. But I thought there were two main ingredients that made Barbie shine brighter than many of it’s contemporaries: heart and universal message.
Heart
Why do we love 80s and 90s movies so much? Because between the action, drama and hijinks, there’s a great big, sincere heart in the middle of it all. Barbie brings this tradition back. While movies today tend to settle for pessimism and snark, Barbie chooses heart and sincerity. The film includes a beautiful scene of Barbie chatting with an old woman on a park bench (I’m not crying, YOU’RE crying!)
Universal Message
I saw Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny the weekend before. While it was a perfectly entertaining trip to the theater, it was, much like my popcorn and large soda, empty calories. Barbie, conversely, is a movie with something to say. Here, Greta Gerwig handles the material masterfully. “Barbie has gone woke!” some are crying. Well, no. Taken at face value, you may very well draw that conclusion, but subtle undertones in the story and directing reveal a different message. I found the film had a wonderful message that should be for everyone. Isn’t that what Barbie’s all about anyway?