The movie Barbie is the latest “hit” and topic of discussion since it came out in July. 

Barbie and Ken are living in their perfect, pink world of Barbie Land. Barbie starts to feel off, and begins to get human characteristics. She decided to take an adventure with Ken to the human world, and discover what is happening to her. Barbie has to find her own identity and realize that a perfect world might not be what she actually wants. 

There has been some controversy surrounding this movie with how Barbie has this unrealistic body and beauty that she presents to young girls and women, and how that creates insecurities. But as the movie progresses, we see how Barbie becomes overwhelmed with the stereotypical person she has to be and the life she has to live. She ends up finding her own path, which is a really good message of female empowerment. 

Margot Robbie portrays the doll-like figure and bubbly personality of Barbie as we all know her. And Ryan Gosling as Ken was a great fit because of his popular face in many other successful movies and his humor. Ken couldn’t have been played by anyone else. Don’t even get me started on Alan, played by Michael Cera, who is known for his comedic roles. He added humor to the plot of the movie and in every scene he was in. While the other male barbies had more swagger, Alan was just… Alan. Many other popular faces showed up in this movie, such as Will Ferrel, who adds even more humor even for the shorter role he had. He is also known for his roles in comedic films. 

Not only were there big names in the movie, but also some big names in the soundtrack. With songs varying from “Pink” by Lizzo and “What was I made for?” by Billie Eilish. And of course the “Barbie World,” by Ice Piece, Nikki Minaje, and Aqua. These big names were another reason why Barbie became so popular. The music choice was very important and memorable in this film because it went with each scene whether it was dramatic, happy, or sad, they found music that fit.

I think that this movie can apply to any audience, no matter the age. This movie is packed with humor to intrigue the older audience and unique, almost childlike and playful visuals to intrigue the younger audience. Plus, relatable and powerful themes. 

One thing that caught my attention and many other viewers, was the cringy, unnecessary lines that the directors threw in that added no value to the plot. Another thing was the style of acting. Some of the actors who played Barbies went above and beyond and really portrayed what we would think a Barbie would act like, or walk like. And others just acted like normal human beings, so it kind of threw off the dynamic of certain scenes.

Barbie has been popular for the longest time for kids who love to play with the dolls and dress them up. Many people have forgotten about Barbies, so I think this movie did a great job of bringing them back. I gave it a 4 out of 5 because of the controversy of the standard beauty, but the memorable impact that that had on people.