The Barbie film was a giant success during its opening weekend. Considering that Christopher Nolan‘s Oppenheimer is scheduled for the same weekend, it’s astounding that the Greta Gerwig film made over $100 million. What is even more astounding is that the film made over a billion dollars
Barbie was introduced in 1959. Since then, the billion-dollar company has grown and evolved into a global sensation for young girls everywhere. The Greta Gerwig feature isn’t particularly a biography of how the popular doll got started. It’s more of a subject that focuses on the character itself and its impact on the world from its humble beginnings. With a talented cast and crew onboard, it’s not a surprise that Barbie turned out to be something special. These are the things that the film should’ve avoided.
The Mature Themes
When you think of Barbie, the brand itself is catered to children. Sure, there are adults who either collect or play with plastic dolls, but the demographic is young girls around the world. It’s a brand that has a bubblegum and an optimistic circle around it. Barbie shouldn’t have been geared towards adults. Thankfully, it had a cheery and light tone. However, the sexual innuendo and political themes made the film skew towards the older generation.
Of course, the film itself should have adversity being life is not perfect. The hero needs to go through trials and tribulations so audiences can connect with the film overall. But those obstacles didn’t particularly have to be rooted in a manner that mostly adults can understand. This isn’t to say that Barbie needs to be a kiddie film.
Pixar has mastered the art of telling compelling themes within the subject matter weighing down the story into a dark and grim state. Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach are a talented duo. They will surely be able to know their demographic and balance the delicate subject with a fun vibe overall. Though the film made over a billion dollars, there was certainly some money left on the table because of its mature themes.
The Politics Dominated The Film
Every film or television show has a message. Some are more important than others, but every film has some type of message attached to it. There’s nothing wrong with having politics in entertainment, though that can be risky for plenty of reasons. It surely divided the audience when it was revealed just how political the film was.
Oftentimes, the message gets in the way of a good story. In this case, it did for Barbie. Character motivations and plot logic were pushed to the side in favor of making sure that the message was clear and present. Going back to Pixar, the studio is a master of cleverly interweaving social commentary within its films. Zootopia is an entertaining film through and through. But that movie has a powerful message about racism and prejudice.
Barbie is a feminist icon. So it’s no surprise that feminist themes were explored. But that didn’t necessarily mean that men had to be looked down upon to get its message across.
Focus On The Older Generation
This is a tricky one. Naturally, Barbie should cater to its young female audience. However, the product was first released in 1959. That means Gerwig had to cater to both the new and old generations. Barbie shouldn’t have been a film that’s littered with modern culture. The story should’ve been straightforward in a way that the core demographic can enjoy.
Not everyone was going to love this film. Entertainment is subjective so that’s just the nature of the beast. A good majority of the audience loved Barbie, but it’s by no means a perfect film. It was the huge sensation of the summer so clearly these issues didn’t damper Barbie’s performance, though it did turn off many watching it on repeat.
Follow Us
