Before talking about the movie, I want to make a premise that cannot be ignored in the evaluation of this film.
In a BBC news article from July 25, 2002, it is stated that Barbie must accept being parodied because it is part of the package, as decided by an American judge after Mattel took legal action against a pop song that made fun of her. The parties are invited to calm down, said Judge Kozinski. The Danish pop group Aqua topped the charts in 1997 with the song "Barbie Girl", in which a female singer representing Barbie calls herself a "bimbo girl". What does it mean? Bimbo in English is a derogatory adjective for women and means "an attractive but stupid young woman", a chick in short.
The Barbie producer, Mattel, in a lawsuit against MCA Records, argued that the song violated copyright and damaged Barbie's image. But Judge Alex Kozinski ruled that the song was protected by the right to freedom of speech of the US Constitution since it was a parody and a social commentary. "With Barbie, Mattel has created not only a game but a cultural icon," he said. "With fame often comes unwanted attention." Wise words.
Mattel had lost a lawsuit in court the previous year for compromising photos of some Barbies, photographs by Tom Forsythe that depicted the blonde in… daring positions. I've seen those photos and I would dare say they are tasteless photos, this kind of photography should be banned in general because it is unwatchable, those with no artistic veins do these trashy things. Even on that occasion the court (unfortunately) had established that Barbie parody was an acceptable activity. Apparently, Mattel had not given up and accused MCA Records for the same reason, losing two lawsuits… Obviously, they had money to waste.
Therefore, the court has established that an artist has the right to use Barbie dolls in his work.
21 years have passed since that newspaper article and 26 since Aqua's song, and many things have changed, probably even Mattel, which has produced this film. If I found those guy's photos horrible, I immediately liked Aqua's song and watched their video with wonder, and I think that Mattel itself has re-evaluated it because the film takes up many concepts that the video presented in a rudimentary but effective way, and there are many parallels between what is defined as Barbieland in the film and what happens in the video. The mentality has probably changed due to the rampant development of the Internet that took place between that video and this film, and people have had to soften up because nothing can be controlled as it was before, and one must know how to adapt and earn in different ways, and this concept is also developed in the plot of the film. Of course, Barbie's producers had to stop whining and appreciate what Aqua had come up with in a completely ingenious, unique, original, and artistic way. Of course, calling Barbie a bimbo girl was not a compliment, but are we really sure that deep down Mattel hadn't realized that Barbie was just like that? Do we really want to talk about the intelligence of dolls, being they plastic in all respects? Aqua said, life in plastic, it's fantastic, I live in a world of plastic, and it's fantastic, and we cannot criticize this sentence because it is true, Barbie lives in a fantastic world of plastic, and if they didn't like admitting it in '97, Mattel developed it into a film out of the ordinary in 2023.
The film is developed between the opposition of the real world and the world of Barbie, which are always considered what they are, that is, dolls, and it is not therefore a film like those that had been made of Barbie in which Barbie plays a character, here Barbie plays herself, the doll, and there is also the narrator who immediately clarifies the great particularity of Barbie. In the 1950s, when she was introduced to the market, she was innovative because up to that moment dolls represented babies and therefore assumed that the girls who played with them played at being mothers. Barbie, on the other hand, presented herself as an adult woman who represented everything the girl who played with her could become when she grew up. Obviously, this also sparked a big controversy. To begin with, Barbie wasn't ugly and there were too many useless criticisms on this point. Of course, Barbie is slender, beautiful, and talented, but do you really think that if Barbie had been ugly, fat, stupid, and horrible, she would have sold? It is difficult to understand why those ugly photos of that guy had a following among a certain audience, but generally, people like beautiful things, and Barbie was beautiful, blonde, charming, enterprising, and it was precisely this that allowed her to become so popular. I have never compared myself to her, so much so that as a child I only had five, but my collection has increased tremendously since the beginning of the 2000s, perhaps thanks to the Aqua song which, although it caused many headaches for Mattel, has nevertheless increased Barbie's popularity, so much so that even though I was considered too old, I bought many of them and still do.
The film therefore speaks of Barbie who lives in her plastic world (just as Aqua said), goes to parties, and meets Ken. It is exactly what happened in Aqua's video and as if it were a kind of peace signal, in the film, there is a very long scene in which Barbie and Ken, the various Barbies and Kens, greet each other just as it happened at the beginning of the video with the now historic "hi Barbie, hi Ken". Those who have not seen the video should watch it before and after seeing the film, perhaps they should even include it at the end. The film has several interesting songs, some of which are a bit too modern, and Aqua's song has been put into a remix, diminished, a pity. This was the exact opposite of the peace sign that had been launched before: your song is there but ruined. Such a pathetic remix in which the song disappears and loses all its energy cannot be heard. It seems that now all songs have to be splashed, well, that's another matter.
If, watching the trailer, the film may seem suitable for children, in reality, it is not, it is an adult film. Young children can watch it without problems, there is nothing shocking, but on the one hand, they can watch it without problems, on the other, they will watch it without understanding anything because the film has a plot with a beautiful message that also takes up the age-old problem of Barbie, that is, how her figure could undermine young women who are compared to an unattainable figure. According to me, this is a load of nonsense because everyone has played with toys of all shapes and sizes, and no one compares themselves to a piece of plastic. Barbie inside an airplane is a pilot but she didn't go to university or take an aeronautics course, it's a game, a fantasy. If young children could have problems, it is the older ones who must watch over them and explain, if necessary. Do you really expect Mattel to write on every box: attention, even if this Barbie is tall and slender, it doesn't mean you will look like her when you grow up. But does it need to be said? For example, My Little Ponies are colorful flying ponies with wings, and yet we all manage to understand that it is difficult to find such a horse in reality, don't we? Sometimes women find problems where there aren't any to try to assert themselves over men. What I liked is that this issue is addressed in the best possible way in the film. Therefore, Mattel goes to fix all the messes that its doll has generated, but I still see some ridiculousness in comparing Barbie to a real woman, but the film did an excellent job of developing this social problem.
I'm not here to talk about the plot, but just to say that it was original, creative, imaginative, and ingenious. From the trailer, you can't understand anything, but watching the film, you are surprised by how the scenes, the characters, the real world, the plastic world, are all interconnected and combined in an unpredictable, fun (it's a hilarious film, really funny) way, and this combination also has a plot that makes sense, a logic, is interesting, and also wise. If I had elected "Indiana Jones" as the best film of 2023, this one follows closely, not surpassing "Indiana Jones" because I have great affection for Indy, but here we have finally managed to reach originality, a goal that no one else aims to touch, even if Barbie is historic, everyone knows what it is, it was presented in a unique way, okay based on Aqua's video, but with a whole plot that develops in a simple but ingenious and captivating way.
Finally, we cannot fail to mention the protagonist Margot Robbie. The success of a film is also defined by the actors chosen to interpret it, but it is not always easy to find the actor who knows how to enhance the character. In this case, they did it great, even with Ken. Margot's part is the main one and the choice of a good actor is crucial for the success of the film. Similarly, Ryan Gosling, who plays Ken, knows how to do his part impeccably and with a physique sculpted for the occasion. This does justice to Ken, who over the years has always remained in the background. It is interesting to note how the film also addresses the aspect of Ken, who only has to accompany Barbie, and here is the Ken doll who suffers from this marginality. Another noteworthy character is Weird Barbie, played by Kate McKinnon. Weird Barbie is the one who has undergone intensive use by some girls who are not very respectful of their toys.
Despite the fact that the plot development revolves around Barbie, the film does not seek to exalt her image, but rather to depict reality. The message is to accept one's flaws and be able to love oneself. The film addresses both the positive and negative aspects associated with Barbie, and it does so masterfully.
In conclusion, it is interesting to note how in Italy and perhaps in other parts of the world, people have chosen to go and see this film with a pink garment. Personally, I preferred to dress in black, as always, but bringing with me a Barbie from 1993 that was given to me in 2010. We went to see this film that talks about Barbie but also about those who love Barbie, and it seemed right to go there with her.
Nessun commento:
Posta un commento