Greta Gerwig's Barbie movie

Before Barbie wasn’t it mainly baby dolls for little girls? I may have already drunk the barbie kool-aid, but I thought there was something progressive about it right off the bat. And the different body types and whatnot that they come in now are also great, as far as selling plastic to kids goes.

i'm not wondering if it'll try (it very obviously is), i'm wondering if it will succeed, or if it's even possible for it to truly succeed at that goal given barbie's messy relationship to feminism?

i don't think barbie is a feminist symbol or that she's really tried to be? there's been an effort to make her more diverse and feminist-friendly (although in a fairly shallow girlboss sort of way) for sure, but is she really seen as a feminist symbol by anyone? i don't think many people would really say she's the worst thing ever these days, but i also don't think many would argue that she's the most progressive there is wrt gender? the broader issue is just how heavily gendered children's toys are, of course

I'm not expecting Barbie to be any kind of statement movie by Gerwig, just like The Lego Movie wasn't one by Lord & Miller. We know they're capable of more, but here they're just elevating mainstream properties.

idk i think the lego movie did manage to do both? meta-commentary with detached semi-ironic pop culture tributes, but also sincerely celebrating lego? but lego is both beloved & enough of a blank slate to have been able to thread that needle

so far this is just shaping up to be pretty similar to the lego movie in tone, which is such an obvious move (though not really a bad one - i think you can only expect so much from a barbie movie even if gerwig was given a lot of freedom with it), which makes me wonder how it will actually try to subvert expectations?

i can't imagine pratt working as ken at all. the wrong sort of normal, not camp

― ufo, Friday, May 26, 2023 8:40 AM (four hours ago) bookmarkflaglink

i haven't seen lego movie so i can't really compare (i haven't seen most movies, my opinions can be ignored) but i don't necessarily think that the script itself offering a 'sincere' celebration of the property is on the opposite end of what i'm talking about. that's part of "treating it like a monument." the most obvious offender i can think of is this horrible trailer for the recent ghostbusters reboot that had the kids from stranger things sifting through a Planet Hollywood prop display curated to increasingly tickle the nostalgia center of nerd brains until they explode. the celebration is certainly there but it's sort of presented through a hall of mirrors, right? and that approach to the property had to be (at least in part) a reaction to the culture war surrounding the previous all-female reboot - a movie i'd argue actually did engage the property with sincerity simply by casting comedians and striving to hit (a modernized version of) the same tone as the originals, rather than building it around third-person property worship.

no comparison there really to the barbie movie, but i'm not sure there is really a way to create a barbie movie on the opposite end of the pole aside from the ones they've been making for years, marketed towards children (though i'm sure some of them include a lot of adult-facing meta humor in their own right, because everything does)

i don't mean to turn this into a crappy culture thinkpiece, would really just prefer if hollywood wasn't built around leveraging established IPs but whatever!!

sweating now that the barbie movie might not end capitalism fuck lads what will we do in that hellosh scenario

― Ár an broc a mhic (darraghmac), Friday, 26 May 2023 bookmarkflaglink

You joke but by Barbie thinking thoughts about "dying" it will lead to much harm. This stuff is powerful.

i’m encouraged by how thoughtful and pretentious (good) gerwig’s comments in that interview are

Robbie reveals the biggest reason this movie was made:

"The word {Barbie} itself is more globally recognized than practically everything else other than Coca-Cola."

I for one can't wait for an unironically titled The Coke Movie.

I assume it will be the sequel to Scarface

the barbie movie looks fun and cute! (crowd cheers) but it's based on intellectual property (crowd boos) but it might be feminist! (crowd cheers) but it is a movie based on toys (crowd boos) but there might be queer subtext! (crowd cheers) but dolls are for children (crowd boos)

— lauren (@NotABigJerk) May 26, 2023

Does it come with frozen yogurt

yes but

not directed at anyone specific
but can i just say it drives me fucking nuts the way ~the culture in general~ gets so insanely granular over **a goddamn trailer**

my thoughts:
it looks like it might be fun!
i might see this movie!
THE END

^^^

also I keep cracking up at the exchange in the earlier trailer where Ken says he wants to come over and Barbie says "and do what?" and he says "I'm... not exactly sure"

I think an obvious comparison would be to GI Joe, which started as an action figure toy and then led to 3 feature films.

Having a thread for a movie before we have a movie to discuss naturally leads to discussions not informed by watching the movie. A long series of posts all saying "looks fun, might see" would be not much fun. At least this way we'll remember where to discuss the movie when it's released.

xpost I will see your GI Joe and raise you a Transformers (with 7+ feature films).

Good one, I'm out. I probably won't "see" any of those but the Barbie movie ;)

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_films_based_on_toys#Live-action_films_based_on_toys

damn is really this mattel’s first live action feature film since masters of the universe bombed

Would take you a while to get back in the game after a failure like that.

theres a reason theyre not called mattew

also I keep cracking up at the exchange in the earlier trailer where Ken says he wants to come over and Barbie says "and do what?" and he says "I'm... not exactly sure"

― broken breakbeat (sleeve), Friday, May 26, 2023 3:58 PM (three hours ago) bookmarkflaglink

This moment in the trailer was the moment when I was sure I need to watch the movie, tbrr

for real

indigo girls did it for me

damn is really this mattel’s first live action feature film since masters of the universe bombed

can't believe you're forgetting max steel

The bit I laughed at most is Ken mugging behind his mug shot (and his mug shot saying 'AND KEN'), but I really have some hopes for Kate McKinnon as weird Barbie with the pen marks and the chopped hair.

feel like i've seen more references to this movie, which is not out yet, than any in years and years

i mean i'm not gonna go see it, but the marketing, even accidentally, has been impressive

really hope it's awful

"Why do people say they like things? We may never know."

Allegedly Barbie's advanced ticket sales signal an $80-100M opening weekend, compared to $50M for Oppenheimer

First reactions?

...would be expect in about a week, when it opens

*expected

we call barbs from mookie "barbies"

The usual dubiously ott reactions are out. Lotta talk of costumes, sets and Gosling.

when will they issue their warning about the onscreen colors and dance scenes being so flashy that people prone to seizures should be cautious about attending?

Initially I couldn't really give two shits about this movie, but after seeing how big mad it makes some people I hope this makes a gazillion dollars.

I hope it makes 100x as much money as Oppenheimer

otm

lol both screenings are on the same night

how big mad it makes some people

Barbie purists?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahNWoa0f9x0

i had one of the cassettes! and the Barbie & The Rockers Barbie!

:D

I'm a Barbie girl
In a Barbie world
Report your last known
You're in the blast zone

You have to see Oppenheimer first. This is because Barbie lives in the world that Oppenheimer built.

— Lynda Carter (@RealLyndaCarter) July 10, 2023

It's a good line and I hope her social media manager gets a bonus

The second season of the L.A. Made podcast is about the history of Barbie, as told by those who were there. It's fascinating.

https://letterboxd.com/journal/the-official-barbie-watchlist-greta-gerwig/

She has great taste!

Well, screening's on Monday. Good luck, America.