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I Never Played With Barbies But I Went To See The Film. [1]

['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']

Date: 2023-08-08

I wasn't into dolls. It's not like I had some aversion to them; I just found other things more interesting. When I was about five or six, my maternal grandmother gave me a beautiful Madame Alexander doll. Along with a stern admonition that the doll was not for playing with, but only for looking at. It was maybe a week before I took a pair of scissors to the doll's glossy hairdo trying to make her look a little more like myself. (I had rather short hair owing to the godawful tangles that drove my mom nuts). When Mom saw what I'd done she had kittens. The doll disappeared and I was never to mention it again. Especially not to Grandma Betty.

That was the end of my being given dolls.

My kids had already seen the film with a group of friends and co-workers; they were convinced that I would also like it. I was less certain of that, but I have found that these two humans I raised and love tend to have a pretty good idea of what I'd enjoy. So we went to the Harkins Theater in Sedona last Sunday. And once again, they were right. I liked it more than I thought I would. I liked it a lot.

This isn't a kids movie that's sprinkled with a little adult humor, like, say, Cars or The Little Mermaid. But it's not just for grownups either. There's plenty to keep children entertained. Bright colorful costumes and backgrounds, jazzy music, silly slapstick humor. On the day we went to see it, my kids- ages 25 and 22- were the youngest people there. The audience were mostly women, including a cheerful group of middle aged women who were all flaunting bright pink feather boas.

Lots of people there, including my kids, were stylishly turned out in various shades of pink. Apart from a heavy Turkish bathrobe, I have no pink clothes. I did however let my daughter give me a bright pink manicure. Going to this movie is an event after all.

My favorite character is so popular that Mattel is going to sell Weird Barbie dolls.

There's plenty of spoilers out there but I don't want to add to them. I will mention that the buzz about how this film tackles sexism and patriarchy is well deserved. It takes a dive into the very real harm done to women and men alike without losing it's sense of humor. It's not mean spirited. It's not man bashing or hateful. I honestly can't understand why some people (and by people I mean right wing talking heads) are so up in arms over it.

I saw something about how Ben Shapiro bought a bunch of Barbie dolls just so he could record himself burning them. Yeah, Ben, give them your money! That'll show 'em! Given his apparent ability to make things dry I'd imagine they were quickly reduced to ashes.

What I didn't know about ahead of time, but found delightful, was Kate McKinnon as Weird Barbie, Rhea Perlman as the ghost of Mattel co-founder Ruth Handler, Will Ferrell as the CEO of Mattel, and Helen Mirren, that absolute goddess, as the film's narrator. America Ferrera's speech about the difficulties of modern womanhood will resonate with many of us. I think this film was well directed, well cast, and well acted.

There are movie "Easter eggs" and cultural references which most adults will get right away. Dolls which had short runs before being discontinued (Ken's buddy Allan, Barbie's pregnant friend Midge, and others) have their places in the story. And because Barbie has always been a fashionista, favorite outfits from her very first appearance in 1959 to the present are prominent. I might not have played with Barbie dolls but I had friends who did, and even I recognized a lot of the clothes.

This film made me laugh a lot; parts of it had me almost in tears. For all that it celebrates a children's plaything turned pop culture icon, it's pretty deep in parts. It's an exploration of what it means to be male, what it means to be female, of relationships between men and women, between mothers and daughters, and what it really means to be human. And it manages to be a lot of fun, too.

See you at the movies!

Thank you for reading, it's always appreciated. This is an open thread, all topics are welcome.

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/8/8/2185708/-I-Never-Played-With-Barbies-But-I-Went-To-See-The-Film

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