What’s wrong is the disparity between the arcs of Barbie and Ken, a disparity that isn’t unique to this movie, but is especially stark. Barbie goes on a journey of self realization and actualization. Ken goes on a journey of becoming a huge dong so he can get put back in his place and schooled by Barbie. I would rather he have no agency at all and focus on Barbie than this heavy handed, exposition heavy, wet noodle of a delivery.
I was so ready for that payoff and then it turned out that Ken being defined by Barbie and having no purpose of his own except his looks was a shitty simile for how women are supposedly treated in the real world. Barbie literally exposits about it at least twice in case we missed it. I would be fully on board for a, “Be your own person.”, movie. This was a, "Men are universally, without exception, sexist to women and bad at everything and women shouldn’t put up with them except maybe a few lower court appointments. ', movie.
Except that one nod to Ken needing an education to get a job and saying men are bad at patriarchy, but the literal next line is about how they’re actually great at patriarchy and they’ve just gotten better at hiding it hahaha… ha… ha.
So whoosh back at ya. And what a shitty thing to say.
You got me. I totally missed the part where Kens trick Barbies into quitting their jobs and fetching beers, Barbies rescue Barbies from Kens, Barbies rescue Kens from Kens, then explain to the audience, “This whole time, you felt bad for Ken, but it was the most transparently veiled simile for how women are treated in society, so don’t feel bad for Ken having no purpose or agency in Barbieland. Feel guilty about women in the real world.”
Let’s put this together. What’s wrong with women? Men are unfair to women (Will Farrel) and the patriarchy (America Ferrera) and objectify women (construction workers) and set unfair expectations (by running the company making Barbie) etc and it’s literally all men. What’s wrong with men? Men. Men are the problem because they only care about beer and horses and suppressing women and can’t do anything right, especially running Barbieland. This movie is dumb. I mean, it’s either unimaginably sexist or dumb. I choose to believe it’s stupidity that caused the filmmakers to lack any type of self reflection.
There’s literal direct to frame exposition about expectations for appearance put on women by Barbie. Meanwhile, a fucking ripped and constantly flexing Ryan Gosling spends 90% of the movie shirtless. Yes, it’s completely ham fisted and spends most of its time justifying its existence and letting you know it understands itself when it clearly doesn’t.
Great, so how about we level the movie out with a Barbie with a huge rack, a low cut top, and a rocking ass just hanging out since her attractiveness and sexiness are major themes? Or how about not either one Barbie or Ken and just make them regular attractive people with clothes on please? And if we are going to have Ken be a significant character, give him the ability to not be a passive doofus jerk about every single thing, whose only self driven character progression is toward awfulness. Maybe he can learn anything without Barbie explaining it to him.
The movie is bad. It never heard of, “Show, don’t tell.” It’s also obviously sexist. It’s impossible to miss that there are many Barbies and Kens and all Barbies are great unless they’re somehow tricked into being oppressed and all Kens are fucking morons who, when left to their own devices, fuck everything up. These are pretty major plot points and I didn’t appreciate them.
Just a note, I have zero problems with horny movies, but if you’re trying make a point about people, “having”, to be sexy, be consistent.