barbie movie reviews christian perspective

Reviewed by: Jim O'Neill CONTRIBUTOR

Story based on the Mattel toy doll

Woke messaging in films

A feminist critique of capitalism

Barbie having an existential crisis

Films that appear to be for youngsters, but are NOT

Transgenderism promotion by Hollywood

Hollywood leftist deconstruction of ‘gender roles’ and increasing man bashing in movies

Feminism’s sexist anti-man messaging—painting masculinity as toxic and predatory / males as idiots, bigots or pathetic losers

Is the FEMINIST MOVEMENT the right answer to the mistreatment that some women endure in this sinful world? Answer

Social satire

Films that attempt to contrast fantasy and dark reality

G reta Gerwig’s “Barbie” has a cotton candy wispiness that would be fine for a movie about a doll that comes to life, but behind the pink frosting facade, Gerwig has spun candy that is hard—and sour.

Gerwig, and her partner, Noah Baumbach , who co-wrote the script, might appear to be apt choices to make a film about the odd person out trying to catch a break on the inside while still maintaining the quirkiness of an appealing outsider. Gerwig’s performances as an actress in Whit Stillman’s “Damsels in Distress” and Baumbach’s “Frances Ha” were iconoclastic and daringly funny. Her insouciant embodiments of “innocent as doves” but secretly “wise as serpents” space-cadets in the mold of Zasu Pitts, Billie Burke and Judy Holliday, were a breath of fresh air.

As a director, however, Gerwig’s focus and tone have become stale, dour and accusatory. The wrathful “ Lady Bird ” and the unfaithful (literally and scripturally) “ Little Women ” were both successes, taking her from “low-budget indie” wannabe to well-healed Hollywood A-lister. As such, she not only abides by the rules of the realm, but has become one of its most reliable and outspoken voices.

With “Barbie,” Gerwig does everything bigger, bolder and louder. There is no soft underbelly to this doll. The film is pepper-sprayed with bursts such as: “either you’re brainwashed or you’re weird and ugly; there’s no in-between,” and my favorite, spoken to Barbie by a teenage student (a re-run of the “Lady Bird” speech shouted by that film’s title character to a conservative religious woman, a favorite Gerwig target): “You represent everything wrong with our culture… you destroyed the planet… you set feminism back,” and so on, concluding her “j’accuse” diatribe by calling Barbie “a fascist.” That kind of red-faced hectoring never lets up. Too often I felt as though I was sitting through a “Libs of TikTok” marathon .

The movie’s plot is a terse throw-away. The main doll, “Stereotypical Barbie” ( Margot Robbie ) lives in a fantasy world called Barbieland with all kinds of other Barbies who live in dream houses and drive dream cars. It is a feminist , but peculiarly unfeminine, environment in which the president is a woman, all nine Supreme Court justices are women, health care is provided by women, and businesses are run by women. The men, labeled “superfluous” citizens, are not even relegated to the sidelines; they have no place on the field at all.

A crack develops in Barbieland allowing Barbie to travel from fantasy land to the real world, a contrived plot device and a cheap “Matrix” rip-off, the first of many such “borrowings” from or references to earlier classic films, ironically ones made by decidedly non-feminist, macho filmmakers such as Stanley Kubrick, Francis Ford Coppola and, astonishingly, Robert Evans.

Each Barbie in Barbieland may have a plastic doll counterpart in the real world. Evidently, whatever happens to the doll and her owner in that realm has a concomitant effect on the Barbieland inhabitant. When the main Barbie starts developing human maladies such as flat feet and a bit of cellulite, she does not consult a Barbieland podiatrist or luposucionist (both of whom one would suspect in a perfect Barbie world would be crackerjack practitioners of their specialties), but instead travels to the real world (yes, in a pink Cadillac, pink motorboat, and pinkish rocket ship) to find the little girl whose dark thoughts has brought on her distress. Little does she know that her existential trip, for a doll, will lead her to fall into the clutches of the dark and male infested hands of the toy company that makes her, Mattel.

The Mattel conglomerate is located in Los Angeles, and traveling from one LaLa land to another could be fodder for some good jokes about how real and imaginary places may not be so different (remember the Star Trek movie scenario of the Enterprise landing in San Francisco, a place weirder than any extraterrestrial sphere could be?), but that nerve is never touched. Gerwig and Baumbach do know what side their bread is buttered on. There’s nothing new brought to this battlefield, even with Will Ferrell playing Will Ferrell playing a Ken-like dodo playing a past-his-prime jerk.

With each new performance, Ferrell is morphing into an A.I. version of himself, but in this case he sputters lines that an A.I. program, or even a Barbieland doll, would roll their eyes at.

In the real world, Stereotypical Barbie is absconded by secret service like Mattel minions while a befuddled Ken debates whether to rescue her or seek help. You may have already guessed that the film does not miss the opportunity to further emasculate Ken as he chooses to run back to Barbieland for help. Adding further insult to injury, he never returns for her either.

Meanwhile, Ferrell and his boardroom cohorts, all men in dark suits, prove to be easy, cookie-cutter targets. The strongest corporate retort to Barbie’s criticisms of their non-inclusiveness and all around non-niceness is a timid: “Some of my best friends are Jewish.”

This from Hollywood’s A-list original screenplay team?

Gerwig’s Barbie does not grow into a flesh and blood girl in the same way Pinocchio evolved into a boy through humility and self-sacrifice. She is inordinately cruel to Ken and seems to have a cold core, one that Margot Robbie sometimes brings to the surface, channeling the murderous character she played in the “ Suicide Squad ” movies, and giving her doll an edge that is sharp, if at times a bit rusty. Robbie has an inviting and generous smile which Quentin Tarantino used to enchanting effect in “ Once Upon a Time in Hollywood ,” but she can turn that smile to something sinister and deadly, as she did in the underrated “ Mary, Queen of Scots ,” in which she used her grin as a mask to soften, or conceal, the human monster, and political genius, that was Queen Elizabeth I. In “Barbie,” Robbie can’t seem to get the balance right. She holds onto the Mattel plastic while keeping the vulnerable humanity at bay.

The film begins with Barbie, standing as a tall bathing-suit clad monolith surrounded by a bevy of very young girls who defiantly smash and toss away their baby dolls. It’s not just a cheesy rendition of Kubrick’s “2001: A Space Odyssey” opening where the apes bang bones they learned to use as weapons, but a cold and cynical cry for emancipation from the binds of what motherhood, and traditional womanhood, represent to the modern Hollywood sensibility.

As the movie unfolds, its makers herald the positives of such liberation, but shy away from its downsides. Barbie nonetheless develops a crisis of confidence, and then one of existence itself. Her anxiety is deep, the result we’re told, of patriarchal oppression, leading Barbie to have “irrepressible thoughts of death.”

When a tale starts, not with life as the Genesis story does, but with death, and that is what the baby destroying scene represents, it is fated to come full circle. Barbie’s “irrepressible thoughts” are about more than chauvinism. Those thoughts cry out for redemption and rebirth.

Despite her eschatological concerns, this living doll has no spiritual dismay and no sense of what she was created for. Does she look to Someone who, before she was formed, knew her? Her self-reliance, cynically referred to as empowerment, blinds her to seeing that “all things in heaven and earth, the visible and the invisible…were created through Him and for Him.” Barbie jumps from battle to battle, emulating the Director’s own personal fight for the rights of marginalized women everywhere, but by never putting on “the shield of Christ ,” she is ultimately unequipped to “fight the good fight.” No wonder she and her real world counterpart have thoughts of despair and death.

Did I mention those thoughts are applauded by film’s end?

You know a movie’s script and production are weak when so much depends on a bevy of supporting and cameo appearances by underused, underwritten, or just miscast performers such as America Ferrera , Michael Cera , Issa Rae , Rhea Perlman , and John Cena who seem mostly befuddled by the polemic drivel they have to speak.

Helen Mirren is inexplicably and shamefully used as a narrator trying to elucidate the film’s mangled background story. Her commentary only makes this hapless doll world murkier and more punishing, declaring that playing with dolls might be fun, but ultimately harms little girls everywhere. Her voice, meant to be authoritative and instructive, is actually authoritarian and beguiling, like that of a matronly garden serpent.

Almost all the performances are amateurish and attention-seeking in the worst way, none more so than Kate McKinnon’s whose lack of comic skill is hidden behind by a tremendous well of self-regard. She plays “Weird Barbie”, not in a knowing and endearing sidekick-style in the vein of Eve Arden or Joan Cusack , but in a shrill and geyser-like fashion that is as jarring as her costume and inconsistent make-up.

There are several Kens, each different looking, but each behaving in basically the same way. Ryan Gosling plays the main Ken, and he almost brings it off. While watching him in all his tanned and bleached splendor, I wondered if his entire performance was nothing more than attempt to humor his director and co-star. He constantly tosses off his ridiculous costumes in the same style he throws away the beach taunts aimed at his co-Kens. Those exchanges, meant to be in-the-know jokes that would go over the heads of kids but tickle the ear of hip adults, are witless and sophomoric in their barely disguised homoeroticism .

Ken tags along uninvited on Barbie’s trip to the real world. She drives, of course, while he straddles the back seat. Unlike Barbie, Ken is captivated by the male energy of Los Angeles. He tries to bring that equine force back to Barbieland and build a society where men sport great biceps and abs, and have a great time drinking beer and dominating their female counterparts. There’s lots of male bonding in the new realm called Kendom, with men co-decorating their houses in horse motifs, exchanging outfits that include fancy furs, and doing bump, grind and male on male cheek-to-cheek kiss ala Busby Berkeley style dance routines on the beach and somewhere in the sky. This is presented as a patriarchy on steroids, a male world out of control.

Gosling’s god-like surface features seem particularly anti-feminist, the kind of physical specimen that you would not expect to find in a land ruled by powerful women, but the type you’d see on the covers of bodice-ripper novels or People’s Sexiest Man Alive issues, or perhaps in a Village People music video. But consistency is not a hallmark in the Gerwig-Baumbach universe. Discordancy is the point. The film’s liberation ethos, sexual and social, is a call, not for peace, forgiveness, and grace , or even enjoyment of what a world of toys can bring to a child, but a Progressive call to arms.

Or worse, it’s a gender studies lecture, where many Barbies and Kens are welcome, but only one voice, a very Feminist voice is allowed to speak, and be heard.

• Wokeism: Very Heavy
• Drugs/Alcohol: Moderate
• Violence: Mild
• Profane language: Minor
• Vulgar/Crude language: Minor
• Nudity: None
• Occult: None

Editor’s Notes

For the narrative arc, Writer/Director Gertwig was partially inspired by the 1994 non-fiction book Reviving Ophelia by Mary Pipher, which accounts the effects of societal pressures on American adolescent girls. The book has been described as a “call to arms” and highlights the increased levels of sexism and violence that affect young females. Pipher asserts that whilst the Feminist movement has aided adult women to become empowered, teenagers have been neglected and require intensive support due to their undeveloped maturity. Lead actress Margot Robbie stated that the film’s aim is to subvert expectations and give audiences “the thing you didn’t know you wanted.”

NOTE: In June 2023, a “Barbie” French poster went viral for including the tagline “Elle peut tout faire. Lui, c'est juste Ken.”, which literally translates to “She can do everything. He’s just Ken.” However, ken is the verlan slang term for the f-word in French, while c’est (“he is”) is a homophone for sait (“he knows how”), meaning the tagline could be read as “She can do everything. He just knows how to f***.” Analysts concluded that it was likely the pun was intentional, as the slang term is common knowledge among French speakers, though Warner Bros. would neither confirm nor deny whether this was the case.

See list of Relevant Issues—questions-and-answers .

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Barbie: A film that asks the questions only Christ can truly answer

2023-07-24T11:03:00+01:00

More than just a parade in pink, Barbie asks some deep questions about what it means to be human, with all its flaws and limitations. But where it lacks answers, Christ provides says Beth Card

Source: Warner Bros

Contains spoilers

It would be easy to watch Barbie and only take away the message that girls should be able to be whoever they want to be without judgment or obstacle. A 90-minute feminist romp with girl power speeches and a chance to see a land where women run the world. Job done.

More on that later if you want it.

But perhaps the film’s bigger message is that life is not perfect. Not the real world or Barbie Land. At the end of the movie, Barbie chooses to be a human, because she has experienced what it is like to cry, to want to make a difference; to have relationships that require effort. She chooses to leave behind a world of fakery and experience something more genuine, even though she knows it will be harder and that, one day, she will die.

We cannot make our world perfect. Whatever you do or don’t do with your life, the only thing that matters eternally is knowing Jesus

There are good aspects to this message. The film tells us that death is a reality and that the world isn’t perfect. It tells us to stop portraying our lives as faultless when we’re actually (frequently) upset about things. It teaches us that it’s OK to question why we’re here, whether we’re meeting our full potential or whether our relationships are good or going anywhere.

A plan and a purpose

But although Barbie accurately portrays the realities of a broken world, ultimately, it lacks biblical hope. As Christians, we know life can be tough, but heaven and perfection await us. We know suffering leads to our sanctification; we know Jesus understands our pain; and we know everything is happening for the glory of God.

The film also speaks to our human design as creators and workers, and our need for a purpose. In Barbie Land, everything is finished; there is no work to do. But Barbie leans towards a life in the real world, as she feels she has a purpose there.

We all need purpose. It’s good to have goals, but placing our ultimate hope in this is risky. You can spend your whole life trying to change society or reaching your dream and it can still be taken away. Only the return of Jesus can truly mend things. Placing our identity in anything apart from God can set us up for disappointment and failure.

Equal in power

The message of Barbie is that the real world is ruled by men. Women don’t hold senior roles at work, and are instead relegated to being pretty and perfect and serving men’s needs. There are obviously elements of truth in this portrayal – as well as elements of exaggeration and a considerable lack of nuance.

In terms of the exaggeration, I can’t help but think that a woman from the Middle Ages (or even the 1950s) would be amazed at the jobs and opportunities that women have today. The examples of inequality shown in the film - an all-male company board, women being ignored and men being respected more – do still happen. At the same time, it isn’t all bad news. The fact we’ve had three female prime ministers speaks to this. 

Inequality is bad for men too. Ken struggles to know his place in Barbie Land. He is defined solely by his relationship with Barbie, something that is acknowledged within the message of the film as unhealthy. 

The female-led Barbie Land shown at the beginning perpetuates the misconception that women are not just equal but  better.  An equal society is good. But frequently, what people actually want is domination in reverse. Although this isn’t how the film concludes, it may well be the message that viewers leave with. Feminism has no room for allowing men to be better at any point, allowing the right men to lead on merit or for women to ever submit. Of course some say this is simply correcting an over-dominance that has existed for centuries, but why correct when we could simply try to live out God’s plan of servant heartedness and putting others above ourselves?

Asking the big questions

Barbie is a film that rightly raises questions about our very existence, and helpfully asks us to really think about why we are here and what our purpose is. But ultimately, it provides only one solution: society, which is too male-dominated, must be changed. Not everything about this idea is wrong. Equality is a worthy goal, but while having a female US president would be a brilliant thing, only Jesus can really mend everything.

We cannot make our world perfect. Whatever you do or don’t do with your life, the only thing that matters eternally is knowing Jesus.

And while we’re comparing, heaven won’t be like Barbie Land – a boring place where everything is perfect. The Bible tells us that we will work, but our work will be fruitful and not laboursome. And it won’t be like Barbie Land because neither women nor men will rule it – Jesus will.

Doing Barbenheimer? Read our review of Christopher Nolan’s most political film to date here

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In the beginning, there was Barbie

Turns out Greta Gerwig’s Barbie movie is a Biblical metaphor after all.

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In a May feature in Vogue , Barbie director and co-writer Greta Gerwig cheekily compared Barbie and Ken to Adam and Eve. “Barbie was invented first,” she said. “Ken was invented after Barbie, to burnish Barbie’s position in our eyes and in the world. That kind of creation myth is the opposite of the creation myth in Genesis.”

The quote snagged some attention, in part because Gerwig has played with theological themes before in her work — most notably in Lady Bird , in which Sister Sarah Joan borrows the wisdom of philosopher and mystic Simone Weil to advise her titular charge. The Genesis comparison does sound a bit like a joke, though, at least when applied to plastic dolls. In the Bible, God makes the first man, Adam, from the dust of the ground, and then knocks him out, takes his rib, and fashions it into a companion for him: Eve, the first woman. They live in a perfect world, the Garden of Eden.

God has one command for his creations: They can eat the fruit of any tree in the Garden except one, the “Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.” Naturally, that’s what they do. (It’s humanity’s first failure in the “you had one job” department.) Immediately they realize they are naked, and they feel ashamed, and after receiving a series of curses having to do with labor (both of the agricultural and natal kind) they are sent out into the cold, hard, not-so-paradisiacal world.

And that’s the story of why life sucks.

While that’s not strictly the story of Barbie — a delightful and often gaspingly funny movie, by the way — it turns out Gerwig wasn’t just having a laugh when she brought up the creation myth in the Vogue interview. Barbie is thoroughly, and more or less textually, a surprisingly wise excavation of one interpretation of the text and its meaning, as well as the meaning of Barbies as products of culture, the gender wars, and feminism more broadly. You know, typical blockbuster stuff.

There’s a history of filmmakers talking a big game when it comes to taking existing intellectual properties (Marvel characters, say, or nostalgia sequels) and “saying something” with them. Occasionally it works (see Black Panther or Rogue One ). More often it is, at best, pretty shallow; consider Ocean’s Eight or Captain Marvel or, wondrously, Cats , which director Tom Hooper described as being about the “perils of tribalism.”

The Barbie movie, explained.

• Why is everyone so excited?
• What is the movie about?
• Why the marketing campaign has everyone talking.
• What is Barbieheimer?
• What does it mean to be Ken?
• Why did Vietnam ban Barbie?
• Why playing with Barbie gets so weird.

Barbie is not the kind of IP that naturally lends itself to cinematic and philosophical musings. But in Gerwig’s hands, along with her co-writer Noah Baumbach, it’s sly and just about as subversive as a movie can be while still being produced by one of its targets (toy manufacturer Mattel, which the movie relentlessly tweaks over discontinued Barbies and Kens) and distributed by another (Warner Bros. Discovery, which gets one expertly barbed zinger). Loaded with movie references from the ’60s beach party genre to the trippy dream ballets of midcentury musicals — and, uh, Stanley Kubrick’s 1968 masterpiece 2001: A Space Odyssey — it is cinephile wish-fulfillment rolled in nerdiness and covered in pink sprinkles. Should Barbie be a smash hit, Mattel may wish to replicate its success with other IP, but it’s hard to imagine any future films rising to Barbie ’s level of sheer cleverness, rather than pure corporate pandering.

On the 2001 point: The movie (like one of its trailers ) begins at the very beginning, with a scene ripped from Kubrick’s film. In his, a tribe of apes in a barren prehistoric landscape learn to make tools and then are suddenly confronted by a giant, mysterious, towering rectangular monolith. In Gerwig’s, a group of little girls equipped only with baby dolls and tea party accessories are suddenly confronted with a giant towering monolith of their own: a curvy Barbie, which inspires them to smash their boring baby dolls. In voiceover, Helen Mirren announces that, thanks to the creation of Barbie and then her many career-focused iterations (Doctor Barbie, Scientist Barbie, President Barbie, and so on), “all problems of feminism and equal rights have been solved” in the real world.

“At least,” she says, as the crowd snickers, “that’s what the Barbies think.”

The Barbies live in Barbieland, an analog for the Garden of Eden, where every day is a sunny and perfect day — especially for our heroine, Stereotypical Barbie (Margot Robbie). Her home is a Barbie Dream House in Barbieland, where the Barbies run all aspects of the world. She has a load of friends, all named Barbie, and a boyfriend named Ken (Ryan Gosling) who hangs out with the other Kens at the beach. He is not a lifeguard, nor is he a surfer; his job, he insists, is “beach.”

One day, in the middle of a party, Barbie suddenly starts thinking about death, for no reason at all (especially because she’s a plastic doll and one that is, as you probably know, virtually indestructible). When a tragedy strikes — I won’t ruin it — Barbie is forced to leave paradise and go to the real world, and Ken hitches a ride. When they get there, they discover that they’re suddenly self-conscious and aware of being looked at (this movie’s version of Eve and Adam discovering their nakedness). The plot soon thickens, because not only does Barbie realize that women do not have the same kind of standing in the real world as they do in hers, but men can leer and jeer and make crude comments and stupid decisions, and it’s just sort of what they do. Meanwhile Ken ... discovers patriarchy.

I should say at this juncture that while Robbie is a reliably excellent Barbie, it is Gosling who absolutely steals the show, in part because the character of Ken is terrific and in part because he’s committed so hard to the bit that just looking at him move his arms is somehow hysterical. Gosling’s face is just a little odd, a little asymmetrical, and he pulls off “big doofus with a big doofus face” and “vaguely sinister idiot” with equal aplomb.

Ken’s discovery of patriarchy (which seems to have a lot to do with the subjugation of women and with horses, as far as he can tell) is the means through which a sort of original sin leaks into Barbieland, though by the end of the film it’s clear that this isn’t a typically shallow Hollywood take on feminism. Sure, Barbies were created to teach girls that they could be anything, but what else did they do? (By the end, we learn that in a truly ideal world, the Barbies and the Kens would live in harmony and equality — and that won’t happen overnight.)

But the path the movie traces is more than a little theologically familiar: a paradise lost, destroyed by the “knowledge” of “good” and “evil,” and a path back to restoration (with some bonus reflections on being created for a purpose by a Creator). And there seems to be some built-in interrogation of the Genesis narrative, too. Would it be better, after all, for Barbie and Ken to have continued living naively in a paradise where Ken is just “and Ken” and everyone seems happy all the time? Or did gaining knowledge of the outside world actually make them aware of their free will and equip them to live better, more fulfilled lives? It’s a question some theologians have approached throughout history, and one that recurs when we think about history: Golden ages often appear that way because we were naive to what was “really” going on back then, not because they were actually better.

Let me not give you the wrong impression here: Barbie is an impressive achievement as a film and far, far funnier than any studio comedy I can remember in recent history. There are perfect jokes about everything from stilettos to boy bands to fascism and Matchbox Twenty; I’m still giggling at some of the gags. Barbie probably isn’t for very young children, though the spectacle could get them engaged, but tweens and up will find something to love.

Yet fun and thoughtfulness can go together; a blockbuster (or a doll) need not be brainless to be fun. Gerwig’s solo directing career thus far (which includes Lady Bird and Little Women ) is a triumph of reimagination, an exploration of what it means to find out who you are and not allow yourself to be shaped by nostalgia and sentimentality while also living with deep, real love. That she managed to infuse the same sensibilities into Barbie is something near a miracle. I can’t wait to go see it again.

Barbie opens in theaters on July 21.

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Barbie Movie Message: Empowerment, Identity, and Faith-Based Self-Discovery

After a year of major cinematic wins and critically acclaimed awards, the Barbie movie emerges not merely as a form of entertainment but as a profound narrative imbued with lessons of empowerment, identity, and self-discovery, resonating deeply within a Christian context. The Barbie movie message transcends its surface-level perceptions, offering not just a story but a journey that aligns with Christian values of inner beauty, strength, and purpose.

Barbie Movie Message: Inspiring Women through Faith and Virtue

The Barbie movie , while a tale spun from a well-known childhood figure, delves into themes far beyond mere aesthetics or playful adventures. It presents a narrative that aligns with the Christian belief in the inherent worth and strength of every individual, particularly women. The movie inspires by portraying Barbie not just as an icon of physical beauty but as a symbol of resilience, intelligence, and compassion — qualities highly valued in Christian teachings.

This cinematic piece serves as a mirror reflecting the multifaceted nature of women, crafted in the image of God, capable of overcoming obstacles, embodying virtues of kindness, and achieving their God-given potential. Young girls and women are encouraged to see themselves as valued and powerful individuals, who can lead by example, live out their faith, and make a difference in the world, much like the Proverbs 31 woman who is praised for her strength, wisdom, and fear of the Lord.

Main Message: Embracing God-given Uniqueness and Rejecting Worldly Conformity

Central to the Barbie movie is a message deeply rooted in Christian principles: the celebration of one’s God-given uniqueness and the rejection of worldly conformity. Romans 12:2 advises not to conform to the pattern of this world but to be transformed by the renewing of the mind, a theme that resonates throughout the film. It encourages viewers, especially young women, to embrace their unique gifts and callings, steering away from societal pressures and superficial judgments.

The narrative champions the idea that true fulfillment and happiness come from understanding and accepting one’s identity in Christ, rather than adhering to fleeting worldly standards. This powerful message encourages a deeper self-reflection and alignment with God’s purpose for individual lives.

Lessons of Faith, Courage, and Self-Discovery

Echoing the journeys of biblical figures such as Esther and Ruth, the Barbie movie portrays a path of courage, faith, and self-discovery. It encourages viewers to step out in faith, embrace their God-given roles, and persevere through challenges with grace and determination. The film becomes a vehicle for teaching valuable life lessons aligned with Christian values — the importance of trust in God, the beauty of God’s timing, and the strength found in faith-driven resilience.

By presenting a story where challenges are overcome through faith and integrity, the movie becomes a source of inspiration, illustrating how one’s journey, when aligned with God’s will, leads to true empowerment and fulfillment.

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Christians Should Welcome the Conversations ‘Barbie’ Sparks

More By Jen Oshman

I grew up playing with Barbie. Like many women reading this, I had scores of them, as well as the Barbie Dreamhouse, the convertible, the swimming pool, and one Ken doll (Mattel sells seven Barbies for every one Ken). Generations of us gathered in each other’s bedrooms to create stories for our Barbies and act them out. We changed their clothes a lot and made-believe the good life for our plastic collections. Through them, we imagined our own futures. Barbie served the aspirational purpose that her creator, Ruth Handler, envisioned for girls.

But as we came of age, our relationship with Barbie grew increasingly distant and even cold. At first, it was just that we outgrew pretend doll play. But then we became preteens and teens and—parallel to what the Barbies in Greta Gerwig’s Barbie movie experience—we emerged from our playtime paradise where everything was made according to our own ideals and dreams. We had to face the real world.

We gained unpleasant knowledge. Our eyes were opened. Barbie’s aspirational qualities were countered by something sinister. As the moody teen Sasha (Ariana Greenblatt) says to Barbie (Margot Robbie) when she first meets her, “You’ve been making women feel bad about themselves since you were invented. . . . You destroy girls’ innate sense of worth.”

Sizing Up Barbie

Are Barbie dolls good or bad? This is one of many philosophical questions the new film asks. And while you may assume audiences don’t want to think about weighty questions in a Barbie movie, consider that Barbie had the highest-earning opening weekend for all films so far in 2023, as well as the highest-earning one ever for a female-directed film. Greta Gerwig ( Lady Bird and Little Women ) has clearly struck a chord, fueling immense social media chatter and launching countless hot takes.

In the movie, newfound knowledge requires Barbie to leave Barbieland for the Real World. Ken (Ryan Gosling) joins her but returns early to establish the Kendom while she’s still away. The result is a power struggle between the two genders as all the Barbies and Kens try to determine their purpose and place in the world. The film may have a minor plot, but it asks major questions. Barbie is creating plenty of community and controversy, both online and in real life. It’s forcing a conversation that’s relevant for the church—but I’m not sure we’re ready to have it.

It’s Complicated

The answer to the question of whether Barbie dolls are good or bad is this: it’s complicated. The same is true of the movie and all the themes it brings to the surface. Gerwig is unwilling to present obvious conclusions throughout, highlighting the complex ways men and women relate to themselves and to one another in this cultural moment.

Gerwig’s refusal to be simply “pro” or “con” is the film’s greatest strength (other than, admittedly, Ryan Gosling’s over-the-top hilarious performance as Beach Ken). Consider just a few of the major topics Gerwig’s film explores.

Barbie is forcing a conversation that’s relevant for the church.

Barbie, herself an icon for feminism, was created in the 1950s so little girls might imagine their own grown-up lives when they play with Author Barbie, Doctor Barbie, Physicist Barbie, and more. The movie, though, causes the audience to ask, “Is feminism good or bad?” It doesn’t offer a neat and tidy answer. The film seems to say that if feminism helps little girls grow up to be all they can be and fulfill a diversity of roles, it’s good. But if feminism says men aren’t needed, it’s bad. As with all tough topics in the movie, it’s multilayered.

Some viewers have claimed the film is antimotherhood. There may be some truth in that claim. Pregnant Barbie is sidelined and called weird. The opening scene doesn’t want little girls to envision themselves as only the mothers of babies.

On the other hand, the human mother-daughter relationship (America Ferrera and Ariana Greenblatt) develops sweetly. Most mothers and daughters can see themselves, at least a little bit, in their dynamic. And the way they come together to cheer for one another and all women is good . There’s a photo montage near the end of the film that brings many viewers to tears. It conveys the message “Growing up as a girl is hard, but it’s very good.” Many walk away from the movie appreciating motherhood even more. Barbie’s maker says to her, “We mothers stand still so that our daughters can look back and see how far they’ve come.”

One of the most polarizing aspects of Barbie is its portrayal of men. It’s true, there are no genuinely good or smart male characters present (except maybe Allan). As with the toys, Ken is an accessory to Barbie. The Kens in the movie portray what it’s like to be identifiable only by one’s connection to another person.

But to say the film is bad because it makes men look bad is to miss the point of Ken and his Kendom altogether. Gerwig wants us to consider what it’s like to live in another’s shadow, something many women regularly feel—even in 2023. It would be simplistic to say the Barbie movie disses the patriarchy and exalts the matriarchy. It’s clear in the movie that neither is good for anyone.

There are a dozen more themes worthy of dissection, and absolute proclamations about any of them short-circuit the film’s invitation to reflect on these issues from multiple angles. Prematurely proclaiming “It’s good!” or “It’s bad!” shuts down important conversations about identity and gender and how men and women can live in harmony and even advocate for each other. These conversations are certainly needed in culture. As Christians, we should admit they’re also needed in the church.

Why ‘Barbie’ Matters for the Church

Of the 40 million people who’ve stopped going to church over the last 25 years, 10 percent say they left specifically because of misogyny . More than one leading Christian denomination in the U.S. is currently embroiled in a scandal of widespread sexism and sexual abuse. Anecdotally, women in ministry across the nation will tell you they struggle to know how to function in the church because they’ve been discipled (inadvertently or not) to see themselves as threats, temptresses, or less than their male counterparts. We feel at once too much and not enough. (It may be therapeutic for one of us to write and share a replica of America Ferrera’s fiery monologue but for women in ministry.)

The Barbie movie invites a conversation about our identities both as individuals and as men and women together. We Christians have the tools to engage this conversation, both inside the church and out there in the world, but will we? Are we willing to think deeply, listen patiently, and share honestly?

There’s a significant thread throughout the Barbie movie that ponders creation and Creator, the relationship between Adam and Eve, and the question of all questions: What are we made for? Spiritual and anthropological questions abound in the film, but answers are hard to come by.

Perhaps it’s a testament to our “all over the place” cultural confusion on these topics that Barbie has sparked such a multitude of (sometimes contradictory) interpretations. In a culture grappling for solid handles to approach the slippery questions of identity, it’s no wonder the meaning of Barbie —like the toys we used to play make-believe with—is essentially whatever the viewer wants it to be. Without God and Scripture guiding the way, questions of human identity (including gender) and purpose default to subjectivity.

But whereas the movie falls short in giving clear answers to massive questions about life and gender, Christians should not. We know the God who made us and died to save us. We know what humans are made for. We know both men and women are very good and both men and women need each other. We have God’s Spirit and God’s Word to enable us to be on mission together.

Whereas the movie falls short in answering massive questions about life and gender, we should not.

Rather than slipping into the sex segregation and suspicion that comes so easily in the flesh, let’s stand side by side, eager to honor and advocate for one another. Let’s resist church versions of Barbieland and Kendom, where men and women are pitted against each other. Let’s resist too-fast and too-easy answers to complicated questions. Let’s listen to one another. Let’s behave as the siblings we’re meant to be.

Is there enough evidence for us to believe the Gospels?

Jen Oshman has been in women’s ministry for over two decades on three continents. She’s the author of Enough About Me , Cultural Counterfeits , and Welcome . She hosts a weekly podcast about cultural events and trends called All Things , and she’s the mother of four daughters. The family currently resides in Colorado and they planted Redemption Parker , where Jen is the director of women’s ministry.

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Barbie and Ken Go East of Eden

Questions about gender and sexuality plague the evangelical church, from the SBC to the PCA . Books on the topic are proliferating. In that context, it’s understandable that some folks see the new Barbie film as another volley in the gender wars. But Greta Gerwig’s latest project is far too layered to be read through a literalist hermeneutic.

Rather than offering a blind affirmation of feminism or a critique of patriarchy, the movie explores how we use ideology to bypass the messier work of growing as humans. The gender wars are not the plot so much as the setting. They shape the world in which Barbie and Ken pursue maturity. Consider Ken’s character arc. Forever condemned to be “just Ken,” Barbie’s beau finds his identity through relationship to her. He “ simps ,” or fawningly submits to her, by following her into the Real World. Once there, however, he catches a vision for a different life—one where men rule but more importantly feel seen and valued . Crediting this to The Patriarchy™, Ken carries the idea of male superiority back to Barbie Land as a shortcut to his own growth. The movie tracks with Christine Emba’s recent observations that modern men are in “a widespread identity crisis—as if they didn’t know how to be.” This loss of self, she argues, is what fuels the popularity of right-wing masculinity gurus from Jordan Peterson to Andrew Tate . Those voices seem to offer young men a path forward. That it so often trends toward misogyny, as Ken’s own journey does, is only part of the point.

Eventually, Ken reckons with the roots of his discontent, which are less about social order and more about an abdication of self through posturing and performative identity.

Barbie’s journey, too, is directed away from gender stereotypes and toward mature personhood. But unlike Ken, who learns his own value, she learns to embrace her own imperfection. When Barbie is inexplicably struck with thoughts of death and her heels drop to the floor, she seeks help from Weird Barbie, a guru-like outcast. In a scene that parallels The Matrix , Weird Barbie offers her a choice: She can either go back to non-reality, or she can move toward knowledge by taking on a quest in the Real World.

Instead of a blue pill or a red pill, however, she offers Barbie a pink high heel or a Birkenstock sandal (one that will accommodate her now-flat feet). Even though Barbie wants to pick the high heel and return to a state of ignorance, various questions and challenges force her to leave Barbie Land in search of answers. Both Barbie and Ken venture beyond plastic tropes to discover their full (and sexed) humanity. While these existential questions are refreshing in a mainstream movie, the real magic is found in how they move toward maturity: through imperfection and mistake.

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As Vox critic (and former CT columnist) Alissa Wilkinson notes , the movie is a kind of retelling of the Fall. In both Genesis and Barbie , a prototypical woman reaches for forbidden knowledge and then offers it to her male companion. Both are met by a loss of innocence and exiled from perfection. For evangelicals, framing maturation in light of original sin can be deeply unsettling, especially because Gerwig seems to suggest that experiential knowledge is necessary to human development. By contrast, we understand the Genesis narrative as a story of rebellion. In choosing what was forbidden, the woman and man disobey and come under a curse that will plague their entire existence—from the earth under their (flat) feet to their own bodies. Even more, much of evangelical theology and practice is aimed at reversing this curse. We understand Jesus as the Second Adam, come to redeem and restore what was lost (Rom. 5:12–20). We look forward to the day when we are perfect once again.

And yet, within this frame, we sometimes overlook the process by which God sanctifies us. As we confess our sinfulness, we then convince ourselves that life with Christ will be an upward trending line of increasingly good performance that eventually results in perfection. Having begun by the Spirit, we’re pretty convinced we can continue in our own strength. But insofar as this approach to discipleship denies our humanity, we will struggle to live with our imperfection. As a counselor told me recently, “You’re not an angel, Hannah. You’re a human being.” Here, theology can help us. While rightly understanding the Fall as a loss, theologians from Ambrose to Augustine to Aquinas to Wycliffe have also named it a “fortunate fall”—one that reveals God’s goodness in a way that human perfection cannot. As John Milton renders the idea in Paradise Lost ,

O Goodness infinite, Goodness immense! That all this good of evil shall produce, And evil turn to good; more wonderful Than that which creation first brought forth Light out of darkness!

We do not sin that grace may abound (Rom. 6:1); and yet, grace abounds. Somehow God can take our failures and bring from them a richer, deeper understanding of both ourselves and his grace. In a divine irony, we only understand grace when we have need of it. Or as Jesus puts it in Luke 7:47, the one who has been forgiven little, loves little, while the one who is forgiven much, loves much. In this way, sanctification requires that we leave behind plastic ways of being and embrace our God-given humanity, flawed as it is. It requires that we move from idealized forms to the complexity of embodied lives. It requires that we leave Barbie Land. For Christians, this process is undergirded by Christ’s own incarnation, which affirmed the goodness of human existence even in a cursed world. And it’s secured by Christ’s death and resurrection, which offer both forgiveness and hope in the face of our failures. As we embrace the imperfection of our lives, and as we accept a world marked by doubt, sin, and death, we do so confident in the reality of God’s love for us. In the end, it’s not our mistakes that make us whole but God who redeems our mistakes. It is God who, despite knowing our every weakness and disobedience, calls us to rest in his perfect obedience.

Or as a friend of mine put it recently, it is God who through Christ says to his faltering children, “I know exactly why you are where you are even more than you do. The reasons are even deeper than you know. And I am personally going to vouch for you. Just be.” In this way, the love of God makes us real.

Hannah Anderson is the author of Made for More , All That’s Good , and Humble Roots: How Humility Grounds and Nourishes Your Soul .

[ This article is also available in español ,  Português ,  한국어 , and Indonesian . ]

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The Barbie movie and Christian calling as a struggle of creation

Opinion Mallory Challis  |  August 10, 2023

Like many other women around the world, my sister, Olivia, and I went together to watch the new Barbie movie. Yes, we are both adults, but we chose to see this movie because we thought it would be a funny, unserious and lighthearted film that would make us laugh.

And yes, it did make us laugh.

Mallory Challis

However, among the many humorous plot points (including multiple moments of song and dance performances by Ryan Gosling as Ken), the film left viewers with a few thought-provoking messages. One of those messages is about the struggle of discovering your calling as a product of creation.

Barbie follows the journey of “stereotypical Barbie,” a doll (played by Margot Robbie) who lives in Barbieland and exists as a model of the original Barbie doll — the stereotypical Barbie. She does not have a designated job, nor does she have a deeply passionate relationship with her Ken-doll boyfriend. As the narrator explains, she is simply a Barbie who has a good day every single day.

And Ken, whose job is described as “beach” (not lifeguard), only has a good day when Barbie looks at him. Because he is just Ken, and this is Barbieland.

And while this is the case for all the other Kens in Barbieland, this is not the case for the other Barbies. Other Barbies have designated jobs or roles, all of which reflect real editions of the Barbie-doll series throughout history. For example, one Barbie is the president, while another is a doctor. Some Barbies are even mermaids.

“As a being who was created to be perfect and pretty, Barbie finds herself unsatisfied.”

Stereotypical Barbie, although she is supposed to have a good day every day, finds herself experiencing strange, unsettling and unusual things (such as having flat feet that do not perfectly fit into her heels). This prompts her on a journey to find the girl in the real world who is playing with her, as the reason for her malfunctions must be due to an issue with the connection between herself and this real girl.

To minimize spoilers, I will not reveal what happens to Barbie when she gets to the real world, although I will discuss how the movie ends.

Following her journey through the real world, Stereotypical Barbie and Just-Ken both have moments of self-discovery. As a being who was created to be perfect and pretty, Barbie finds herself unsatisfied. She begins to question what might happen if she is not pretty enough to be “Stereotypical Barbie” anymore. She was not created with a job or role; she was created simply to be pretty.

And Ken was created to be Barbie’s boyfriend. Who is he if she does not love him? Although Ken is a secondary character to Barbie, he also longs to be someone unique and meaningful.

Creator as a creative mother

And at the end of the movie, faced with the Barbie doll’s inventor, Ruth Handler (played by Rhea Perlman), Barbie asks to find meaning beyond the superficiality of her being. In an honest, personal conversation with her creator, she makes the decision to be more than a doll, stepping into the world of humans in the hopes she might be more than an object of someone’s imagination. She hopes to be one of the meaning-makers.

This decision is scary, sad and difficult, and the movie does not reveal what exactly Barbie is called to do in the real world. Yet Barbie is sure she wants to say “yes” to this calling. After living for so long in Barbieland, although it means she must give up its blind perfection, she chooses to walk away and seek out deeper meaning.

And her creator is pleased with this decision. Sure, Barbie is breaking free from the pretty, pink stereotypical image Handler had in mind when she created the doll, but control never was the intent of her creation. The choice to discover herself is Barbie’s, and as her creative mother, Handler lovingly stands aside to watch as she makes it.

“This choice Barbie makes is much like the choice we Christians make when we search for, discover and answer our callings.”

This choice Barbie makes is much like the choice we Christians make when we search for, discover and answer our callings.

Playing during what I discern to be Barbie’s “calling” scene is a song by Billie Eilish titled, “ What Was I Made For? ” In her lyrics, the artist describes the struggle of figuring out what it is she is supposed to be doing. She is confused and conflicted as she seeks to discover her own sense of calling.

“I don’t know how to feel, but someday I might,” she sings. She knows there is a purpose to her existence that she will someday find but cannot seem to put her finger on right now.

What does it mean to answer the call?

It is hard to discover ourselves in the real world, too.

Self-discovery requires a great deal of vulnerability, along with a willingness to make uncomfortable, unfamiliar or scary decisions. And to do this, we must do what Barbie does: Have a discussion with our Creator about who we are, who we were made to be and who we need to become to live our lives to the fullest.

But discovering (and saying “yes” to) a calling is not as simple as that sentence makes it seem.

In fact, as a student about to enter divinity school, I am often asked to reflect on my journey discerning my calling into ministry, to think about how this calling has looked different throughout each stage of my life and question how it will keep revealing more of itself as my life is molded by my continued spiritual journey.

And while I wish I could say I know exactly what it means when I say I am “called into ministry,” I do not. Just like Barbie, I have taken a step out of my comfort zone in search of what I know is a deep sense of calling and purpose, guided by conversations with my Creator, yet unsure of the exact journey on which I am embarking.

“Just like Barbie, I have taken a step out of my comfort zone in search of what I know is a deep sense of calling and purpose.”

I know I have said “yes” to the call. I know the crux of it all is love. And I know I have experience in writing, research and congregational ministry — three areas through which I could find a measurable, labeled purpose — yet the mystery of God’s call is not so categorical. It must be searched for, longed for and nurtured, while simultaneously possessed by a believer who is willing to take a risk without knowing what comes before them.

And just like Barbie, we too hope to be meaning-makers. In pursuit of our calling, we must have enough faith in the mystery to allow it to guide us in the direction of God’s purposeful love.

A friend at Wingate University once described for me her calling as “nonlinear,” meaning it did not follow a straight path and usually included unexpected twists or turns. It seems no matter how hard you try to maintain what you think the plan should be, your calling never will fail to surprise you, make you uncomfortable or cause you to think more deeply about who you are.

In the search for this call, we may echo Barbie or Billie Eilish as we ask of God the question, “What am I made to be?” When we have that conversation with our Creator, we must be willing to say, “I’m not sure, but here I am, Lord.”

Mallory Challis is a former Clemons Fellow with BNG and is a first-year master of divinity student at Wake Forest University Divinity School.

Related articles:

It’s time for Pastor Barbie  | Opinion by Patrick Wilson

Why the patriarchy is hyperventilating over  Barbie   | Analysis by Rick Pidcock

Can Barbie help us create justice?  | Opinion by Val Fisk

What was I made for? Not to be pretty or skinny | Opinion by Brianna Childs

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What Happens When a Barbie Girl Leaves Her Barbie World?

Barbie gave women the ability to dream about what they wanted to be when they grew up. Barbie dolls showed girls they could be a princess, a lawyer, a flight attendant, or President. While Barbie has been pushing the envelope since 1959, you have to wonder if this new Barbie movie will push it even more? In this Barbie Christian Movie Review & Parent Guide, I give you the information you need before viewing this film with your children.

Was there a need for the message that women could be anything?

Twenty-three years ago, my husband and I were building a new home. He was traveling a lot, so the majority of the phone calls and appointments were my responsibility. I tried to buy a furnace for our house. One heating and cooling contractor told me to have my husband call, and he would talk with him. I went with another contractor.

I also set up the electricity in our house. The bill was automatically put in my husband’s name only. For years, every time I had to call the electric company, they refused to speak with me because his name was on the bill. For years, I replied, “I set up the electricity. You take the check that has my signature on it. You refused to put my name on the bill, and now you refuse to talk with me. Change your system already!” My name is still not on the account, but “my husband has given permission for them to talk with me.” The system is still broken.

Now imagine if that was reversed. That is the Barbie movie! In Barbieland, women rule everything, and Ken feels rejected and left out.

I am not a feminist by any stretch of the imagination. I am a stay-at-home mom who has homeschooled for 30 years. But being told to have my husband call because “he would understand what they were talking about,” is insulting. Therefore, I think every man over 45 needs to see Barbie.

Keep reading to to see the content before taking your children.

Barbie Christian Movie Review

Studio synopsis:.

To Live in Barbie Land is to be a perfect being in a perfect place. Unless you have a full-on existential crisis. Or you’re a Ken.

From Oscar-nominated writer/director Greta Gerwig…comes “Barbie,” starring Oscar-nominees Margot Robbie (…”I, Tonya”) and Ryan Gosling (“La La Land,” “Half Nelson”) as Barbie and Ken, alongside America Ferrera (“End of Watch,” the “How to Train Your Dragon” films), Kate McKinnon (“Bombshell,” “Yesterday”), Issa Rae (“The Photograph,” “Insecure”), Rhea Perlman (“I’ll See You in My Dreams,” “Matilda”), and Will Ferrell (the “Anchorman” films, “Talladega Nights”)…Gerwig’s creative team behind the camera included Oscar-nominated director of photography Rodrigo Prieto (“The Irishman,” “Silence,” “Brokeback Mountain”), six-time Oscar-nominated production designer Sarah Greenwood (“Beauty and the Beast,” “Anna Karenina”), editor Nick Houy (“Little Women,” “Lady Bird”)…with music by Oscar winners Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt (“A Star Is Born”).

My Synopsis:

Barbie can be anything, and Ken is her devoted boyfriend. But when stereotypical Barbie has a crisis which includes flat feet, she seeks the advice of Weird Barbie. She is advised to find the girl in the real world who is playing with her. Maybe this girl’s thoughts are projected onto Barbie. So Barbie (and Ken) travel to the real world, and everything is the opposite of what they experience in Barbieland.

When Barbie travels back to Barbieland, she finds Barbie’s dream house is not as dreamy as it used to be.

Barbie Christian Movie Review What Parents Want to Know

There is some foul language, including the phrase “mother ____” which is bleeped out. D-mn and h-ll are used. God’s name is taken in vain multiple times. Furthermore, someone says “for Chr-st sake.” As a Christian, I find this highly offensive and wonder why Hollywood thinks it is okay to use the name of Lord with intentional blasphemy.

Additionally, the word bimbo is used as well as “frickin.” A dog poops and someone says “dog crap.” 

In the closing credits, “It’s Barbie B-tch” is sung.

Young girls smash baby dolls into tea cups and tea pots. In the real world, Barbie is smacked on the buttocks by a man, and she punches him. She is arrested for this.

Furthermore, there is a fight scene between the Ken dolls, but no actual weapons are used. One Ken has his nipples tweaked. 

Ken smacks himself. Someone hits a man.

There is a car chase scene.

Adult Content including Sexual Content:

Vagina and penis are mentioned. Barbie says, “I do not have a vagina. He does not have a penis. We have no genitals.” Furthermore, a comment is made about wanting to see the “nude blob he’s packing under those jeans.”

When Barbie enters the real world, men treat her like a sex object and make crude comments to her. Barbie says about the men in the real world, “Men look at me like I’m an object.”

Ken was shown drinking from a beer bottle, but nothing comes out because it is all fake. A reference is made to a six-pack in the refrigerator. Another scene shows people having what appear to be alcoholic drinks.

Several times Ken is depicted without a shirt on. Barbie has a bare midriff and a low cut top. A man says, “she looks even better in more clothes.”

A running joke is about having a “beach off.” 

Barbie says, “I’m here to see a gynecologist.”

Spiritual: 

Barbie begins entertaining thoughts of death.

Someone mentions that Barbie has opened a portal to the real world. “It takes two to open a portal.”

A reference is made to “white savior Barbie.”

A person is called a Jezebel.

Other Content:

Barbie says she is having thoughts of death. There is also talk about anxiety, OCD, depression and panic attacks.

There is a comment, “I’m a man without power. Does that make me a woman?”

One man says, “Some of my best friends are Jewish.”

There are plenty of comments about the patriarchy. After traveling to the real world, Ken comes back changed, and he manages to change all the other Ken dolls. They also manage to “brainwash” the Barbies to serve them and give them foot massages.

A comment is made about Barbie and “rampant capitalism.” Ironically, this movie continues to contribute to rampant capitalism.

Furthermore, Barbie is called a Facist. 

There is a Kenmaid (played by John Cena) complete will a mermaid outfit.

Positive Content:

Gloria gives an impassioned speech about how women are expected to look and act a certain way. Furthermore, we are criticized by both men and women for not living up to standards that are impossible to live up to.

While the majority of the movie explores Stereotypical Barbie and her feelings, the overall theme of the movie is that we all impose our wants, needs, and feelings on others. In Barbieland, women rule everything and Kens are left feeling rejected and left out. In the real world, the patriarchy have ruled and left women to feel left out. Neither place has it perfectly figured out.

Teachable Moments in Barbie:

There is one moment in the film that is particularly powerful. Ruth (the creator of Barbie) takes Barbie’s hand, and asks her what she was made for. It was at this moment, I envisioned God holding our hands and asking us this question. What did God make us for? Obviously, the Bible teaches we were made to glorify God, and to love God and others. 

However, we all question what our secondary purpose is. What are we going to be/do when we grow up? For some of us, that answer comes easily, but for others, they struggle to find their path here on earth. 

There are many moments throughout the film to use for discussion. For example, discuss the treatment of men in Barbieland, and the treatment of women in the real world in the film. Additionally, discuss how the Bible says to treat others. No one wants to feel ignored or less than.

Additionally, Greta Gerwig says, “There’s this shot where Ruth hands Barbie a cup of tea, and the way we lined it up is the exact way that God is touching Adam on the Sistine Chapel.” 

Barbie Christian Movie Review Viewing Recommendations

Overall, this is a visually pretty movie, but some of the content is too adult for children. However, the themes of women running everything versus men running everything and seeing that things aren’t perfect in Barbieland and they aren’t perfect in the real world is an overall good message.

About the Movie:

Rating: PG-13 for suggestive references and brief language

Release Date: July 21, 2023

Runtime: 1 hour, 54 mins.

Genre: Fantasy Comedy

Style: Live-Action

Studio: Warner Bros.

Director: Greta Gerwig

Written by: Greta Gerwig & Noah Baumbach

Producer: David Heyman, Margot Robbie, Tom Ackerley, Robbie Brenner

Editor: Nick Houy

Music by: Mark Robson and Andrew Wyatt

Produced by: Heyday Films, LuckyChap Entertainment, NB/GG Pictures, Mattel Films

Distributed by: Warner Bros. Pictures

Based on Barbie by Mattel

The Star-Studded Cast of Barbie:

Barbie: Margot Robbie

Ken: Ryan Gosling

Additional Barbies: Issa Rae, Kate McKinnon, Alexandra Shipp, Emma Mackey, Hari Nef (a trans woman), Sharon Rooney, Ana Cruz Kanye, Rita Arya, Dua Lipa, Nicola Coughlan, Andy an, Margot Robbie Emerald Fennell

Additional Kens: Simu Liu, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Nautica Gatwa, Scott Evans, John Cena

Allan: Michael Cera

Gloria: America Ferreira

Sasha: Ariana Greenblatt

Ruth: Rhea Perlman

Narrator: Helen Mirren

Mattel CEO: Will Ferrell

Aaron Dinkins: Connor 

Old Woman on Bench: Ann Roth

Frequently Asked Questions:

Where can i watch barbie.

Barbie was released in theaters on July 21, 2023. 

As of September 12, 2023, the Barbie movie was available for rental or to purchase on Amazon. Furthermore, it became available to purchase on DVD and Blu-ray and Ultra 4K on November 14, 2023.

Additionally, Barbie began to stream on Max (formerly HBO Max) on December 15, 2023.

Is there an end-credit scene for Barbie?

No. There are no end-credit scenes for Barbie. However, during the closing credits, filmgoers are treated to different Barbie, Ken, and Friends dolls which are no longer made. I wish they would have put the dates these dolls were manufactured.

Find out how Barbie dolls looked through the years!

Is Barbie suitable for children?

This movie is not suitable for children. While it is pink and pretty, and anyone who loves Barbie should like it, this film is rated PG-13. The overall themes of this movie are for a older audience.

Is there LGBTQ+ content?

There are actors appearing in the film that are a part of the LGBTQ community. However, it does not appear that there are any LGBTQ characters portrayed in the movie. Additionally, Margot Robbie confirmed that none of the Kens or Barbies have sexualities. 

However, one of the Barbies is portrayed by a trans woman. Hari Nef plays one of Barbies. Furthermore, the movie also includes queer actors Kate McKinnon, Alexandra Shipp, and Scott Evans.

Is the Barbie movie a Disney film?

No. Warner Bros. Pictures is the distributor of this film.

Will Barbie stream on Disney+? Will  Barbie stream on Peacock?

Barbie will not be streaming on Disney+. Barbie began streaming on Max (formerly HBO Max) on December 15, 2023. Additionally, Max is Warner Bros. streaming service.

Is the Barbie movie for adults?

This is an adult movie with a PG-13 rating. While children may enjoy the movie, the theming of the movie is geared toward adults. Many of the movie goers appeared to be women in their 30s-50s.

Who created the original Barbie doll?

Barbie was created by Ruth Handler in 1959. Barbie was named after Ruth’s own daughter, Barbara. Furthermore, Ruth and her husband Elliot Handler were co-founders of Mattel toys. Ruth died in 2002.

Ken was named after Ruth’s son, Kenneth.

Why is the Christian Movie Review site, MovieGuide warning not to go see this movie?

Movieguide staff posted the following: “Warning: Don’t Take Your Daughter to Barbie.” They claim the Barbie movie forgets its core audience while catering to nostalgic adults and pushing transgender character stories.

• I seriously was unaware of the transgender character. I read no reviews before seeing a movie, and know very little about a movie besides one or two trailers seen in the movie theater before other movies. I did not know which character was a trans woman until I came home and started to write my reviews.
• Barbie has produced 43 movies over the years. Only one of them is rated PG-13 and while it is not for kids, it is for nostalgic adults.

Additionally, other Christians have called for a boycott of this new film featuring Barbie. Ivan Tuttle, founder of Ivan Tuttle Ministries International located in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, has warned that this new Barbie movie, “is full of demonic influences and do not be surprised if your child suddenly starts to behave differently! The Lord showed me the millions of demons that will be released on your children! Don’t take this lightly. They are coming for your children.”

What dolls were portrayed or mentioned in the movie?

President Barbie

Judge Barbie (Supreme Court Justices)

Physicist Barbie

Lawyer Barbie

Princess Barbie

Mermaid Barbie

Journalist Barbie

Midge (Barbie’s best friend)

Skipper (Barbie’s little sister)

Growing Up Skipper

Allan (Ken’s best friend who wears the same size clothes as Ken)

Sugar Daddy Ken (Sugar was the name of the dog)

Earring Magic Ken

What movies are highlighted in Barbie? (Easter Eggs)

First, in the opening scene, the giant Barbie is a nod to 2001: A Space Odyssey. In Stanley Kubrick’s movie, a monolith appears, and primates discover how to use tools. In the Barbie movie, a huge Barbie appears and little girls evolve from playing with baby dolls to Barbie.

A Barbie beach scene shows a giant winged horse (Pegasus). There was a Barbie animated film (2005) entitled Barbie and the Magic of Pegasus.

A dance sequence scene depicts Barbies and Kens dancing in homage to John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever.

Furthermore, when Barbie goes to Weird Barbie’s house, she is given two options. In one hand, she holds a pink high heeled shoe depicting Barbie Land, and then in the other hand she holds a Birkenstock which depicts the truth. This is a play on the red pill or the blue pill from The Matrix.

Wizard of Oz: While driving her pink Corvette, Barbie drives past a movie theater that is showing The Wizard of Oz, complete with a yellow brick road leading inside the movie theater.

The Kens have a dance off in a scene reminiscent of Greased Lightnin’ in Grease complete with Ken in all black.

The fight between Kens at the beach definitely gave off West Side Story vibes.

Who else was considered to play the role of Barbie?

Actress Gal Gadot was considered for this iconic role.

Is Barbara Handler in the Barbie film?

No! Barbara Handler, the daughter of Barbie creator Ruth Handler, is not in the Barbie movie. There are rumors that she has a cameo in the movie. Additionally, some fans think she is the old woman on the bench. But, that is not the case.

Who is the old woman on the bench?

The old woman on the bench is Ann Roth. Ann is 91 years old and is an Oscar-winning costume designer for the films, The English Patient (1996) and Black Bottom (2020).

Who was being considered for the role of Barbie before Margot Robbie?

Amy Schumer was the first Barbie to be cast when Sony had the rights to make the movie, but there were “creative differences” which caused her to bow out.

Additionally, Anne Hathaway was considered for the lead role.

Why is Barbie banned in Vietnam?

There is a map in the movie that depicts the nine-dash line which China uses when drawing their borders in the South China Sea. Vietnam and the Philippines disagree with the line. 

What happens at the end of the Barbie movie?

Barbie decides to become human.

Is the Barbie Movie anti-men?

There have been many that have said the Barbie movie is anti-men. While I did not view it as anti-male,, but instead as an absurd view of a world run entirely by woman or by men, and how those worlds lack what we need as a society.

However, right-wing commentator Ben Shapiro ranted about Barbie being a “flaming garbage heap of a film” and that it was one of the most woke movies he had ever seen. On his YouTube show, he continued the bashing of the movie, and even went so far as burning a pair of Barbie and Ken dolls in a trash can.

Additionally, I have received backlash from men who have accused me of being a feminist. Ironically, as a Conservative Christian woman who has homeschooled, I am not Conservative enough. Is it because I use my voice?

Is the Barbie movie Rated R?

No. The Barbie movie received a PG-13 rating.

How much did Barbie cost to produce?

Barbie had a budget of $145 million dollars.

Will there be a Barbie 2 Movie?

When Mattel CEO Ynon Kreiz was asked about any potential sequels or a Barbie 2 movie, he responded, “It could go a million different directions from this point. But I think you fall into a bit of a trap if you try to set up a first movie whilst also planning for sequels.”

Considering the success at the box office, I think we can count on several sequels with an adult Barbie movie, including her Barbie friends. Furthermore, it wouldn’t surprise me if Ken gets his own movie.

Are there gender-neutral Barbie dolls?

In 2020, Mattel launched a line of “gender-inclusive dolls.” The dolls were named Creatable World and allows children to experiment with clothes and hairstyles outside of “gender norms.” These Kits come with 1 doll with short hair, a wig, 6 pieces of clothing, 3 pairs of shoes, and 2 accessories. They are available in different skin tones, and curly, straight or braided hair.

However, Mattel has said they are not “gender-neutral.”They were created to be relatable and are not supposed to be adults but rather have a “youthful gender-neutral appearance.”

Sounds like a load of double-speak to me.

How many Barbie movies are there?

There are 43 Barbie movies as of 2023. For a complete list, visit How to Watch All the Barbie Movies in Order.

What color is Barbie Pink?

First, there is some debate over the actual colors of the pink for Barbie. However, there is more than one shade of Barbie pink. In fact, there are different shades of pink ranging from bubble gum pink to a bright magenta.

The colors (Pantone) of Barbie Pink is color code #e0218A which is a shade of magenta pink. The next shade is #Ed5c9b Raspberry Pink, #F18dbc Amaranth Pink, #f7B9D7 Cotton Candy, and #Facde5 Classic Rose. (None of the shades are actually called bubble gum pink!

What is Barbieheimer?

Barbieheimer or Barbenheimer is counterprogramming. Ironically, these two different films were released on the same day. In fact, the word is a mix of Barbie and Oppenheimer. Both of these films opened in theaters on July 21, 2023, and the internet came together to call this the “movie event of the year.” People discussed watching both movies as a double feature. There were debates about which movie to watch first. Of course, memes were developed for this event!

Why is Barbie so controversial?

First, remember that many of the posts and reviews you read are written by men who just don’t understand Barbie and the little girls that play with Barbie dolls. Women have been trying to have a voice at the table since time began, and yet, it appears we are still at the same place that we have always been.

It seems Barbie speaks for everywoman. Gloria gives a speech in the movie, “It is literally impossible to be a woman. You are so beautiful and so smart, and it kills me that you don’t think you’re good enough. Like, we have to always be extraordinary, but somehow we’re always doing it wrong.

You have to be think, but not too thin. And you can never say you want to be thin. You have to say you want to be healthy, but also you have to be thin…You have to be a boss, but you can’t be mean. You have to lead, but you can’t squash other people’s ideas…You are supposed to stay pretty for men, but no so pretty that you tempt them too much or that you threaten other women because you’re supposed to be a part of the sisterhood…You have to never get old, never be rude, never show off, never be selfish, never fall down, never fail…It’s too hard!…I’m just so tired of watching myself and every single other woman tie herself into knots so that people will like us…”

Did you have a Barbie or any Barbie toys as a child?

The Barbie Soundtrack includes the following songs:

Requiem: Kylie Written by Gyorgy Ligeti

Atmospheres written by Gyorgy Ligeti

Also Sprach Zarathustra written by Richard Strauss

Pink written by Melissa “Lizzo” Jefferson, Mark Robson, Andrew Wyatt and Ricky Reed

Dance the Night written by Mark Robson, Andrew Wyatt, Dua Lipa and Caroline Allin

Silver Platter written by Khalid Robinson, Jason Keller, Chase Worrell and Denis Kodiak.

Girls Just Want to Have Fun written by Robert Hazard. Performed by Cyndi Lauper

Spice up Your Life performed by Spice Girls

Closer to Fine performed by Indigo Girls

Barbie Girl by Aqua – Who doesn’t know this iconic song. “I’m a Barbie Girl, in a Barbie World. Life in plastic. It’s Fantastic.”

Barbie Christian Movie Review: Quotes from Barbie:

“It is the best day ever. So was yesterday, and so is tomorrow, and every day from now until forever.”

“Barbie has a great day every day, but Ken only has a great day if Barbie looks at him.”

“…actually my job is just Beach.” – Ken

“I would never wear heels if my feet were shaped like this.” – Barbie

“We mothers stand still so our daughters can look back and see how far they have come.” -Ruth

“Women hate women. And men hate women. It’s the only thing we all agree on.” -Sasha

Ken names his house, “Ken’s Mojo Dojo Casa House.” 

“Humans have only one ending. Ideas live forever.” – Ruth

“I have no difficulty holding both logic and feeling at the same time.”

“Every night is girl’s night.” -Barbie

What is the Meaning of the Barbie Movie? Plus, the Ending Explained.

One movie I highly recommend is Sound of Freedom . If you are going to see one PG-13 movie, make it count! Remember, God’s children are not for sale.

Reviewing movies for parents from a Christian perspective since 2005. Know Before You Go!

Christian Homeschooling mom – 30 years and counting

Autism Mom & Disney enthusiast

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A non-religious person here…You do realize that the complaints you have about taking “the Lord’s name” in vain is rubbish, right? If Christ did exist, his name would not have been in English, nor would the “Lords” name.

As a Christian, we are commanded not to take the name of the Lord in vain. Whether we are speaking his name in Hebrew, English or Japanese, we are to honor and respect God’s name. You may call it “rubbish” but it is a command given by God Himself. I do not speak another language, so I will adhere to the teachings in English.

Thanks for the review. But I have to disagree and say that this is not a healthy movie for Christians to watch. Would you feel comfortable if Jesus himself were so grossly mocked the way men are mocked in this movie? Men are made in God’s image, as are women, and to portray them in this way is damaging for boys and girls alike to see on screen. A toy company has made a “Jesus” Ken that in some way does appear to mock Jesus, and some Christians are offended by this. These Christians don’t mind the utter mocking of men, who (along with women) are God’s greatest creation…yet they get upset about a toy company having some fun with a doll. There is an argument, of course, that says Christians need to engage the culture rather than shy away from it, and that Barbie is just a movie and shouldn’t be taken too seriously. Fair enough…but then the same standard should be applied to Lightyear, Snow White, and all woke movies. (Maybe you do say that all these are ok.) But to say Barbie is ok while Lightyear etc are not is incoherent. If I’m seeing this wrong, I’m willing to listen and be convinced. Thank you again for the review and God bless.

While Lightyear was rated PG and geared toward children, Barbie was rated PG-13. Barbie is a movie that is definitely not for children. Furthermore, these are challenging times for all of us. The entertainment industry is at war with Christians. I review movies for families so they know the content before they spend their money.

I really felt that Barbie was highlighting how we as a society have treated woman for centuries. While I do agree that men are made in God’s image, so are women. Why does society sit back and allow women to be treated as objects? The overall message in this movie is that it isn’t good to have a society with either extreme.

My overall prayer is that families use discretion before allowing children to fill their hearts and minds with Hollywood’s propaganda.

Excellent review, thank you! My 20year old has intellectual disability but loves goofy movies and we may see this.

Thank you. Let me know if you enjoy it.

Love this review! So insightful. Wasn’t sure I wanted to see the movie but now I feel like I should. Thanks for always having the BEST reviews!

Thank you for being such a loyal reader!

Let me know if you see the movie. It definitely is a movie that generates conversation.

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What Christians can learn from 'Barbie' movie hype

Anyone who has not heard about Barbie must live on the moon.

We have been inundated with trailers and clips and commercials "Barbie," the first live-action film about the iconic doll starring Margot Robbie as Barbie and Ryan Gosling as Ken.  

Barbie “launched her career” in March 1959 at the American International Toy Fair in New York.  Ken was introduced two years later.  After years of production, the movie was released last week and grossed $382 million at the box office. Many years ago, the movie industry discovered the power of trailers, short clips and promotional scenes that entice us to spend money to watch their movies. 

Perhaps we can learn something from Barbie.

The Australian writer, Michael Frost, argues that Christians and churches are like movie trailers for the kingdom. We are to live in such a way that when others see us, they say, “I want to be a part of that,” or ”I wish the world was like that.” This is what Jesus meant when he said, “Let your light so shine that men may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”Whether we like it or not, our churches and our lives are being viewed as movie trailers by others. When non-believers look at our churches and our lives, they are whispering to themselves and to one another saying, “I’ll have to check that out,” or, “I wouldn’t want to be part of that.”Jesus presented the clearest preview of the kingdom. He invited others to look at his life to see what the Kingdom looks like. He said, “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (Luke 4:18-21).

The early followers of Jesus practiced kingdom living in such a way that others were drawn to them and to their churches. This is why the Christian faith exploded in the first three centuries. People saw previews of the Kingdom practiced in the churches and the lives of believers, and they wanted to be part of it. Across the centuries the Christian faith has been the primary source for charities that care for the poor and dispossessed.This is also the reason Christianity is stumbling in our day. Too often, churches and Christians are selfish and self-centered, fighting among themselves for control with a judgmental attitude toward others. When others see this, like patrons at a theater, they whisper to themselves, “That’s not for me.”Every church and every believer must live in such a way that others see God’s Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. This is what the Apostle Paul meant when he said, “But thanks be to God, who … manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place. For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.” (2 Cor. 2:14-15).

Email Bill Tinsley, who reflects on current events and life experience from a faith perspective , at [email protected] .

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"Barbie," director and co-writer Greta Gerwig ’s summer splash, is a dazzling achievement, both technically and in tone. It’s a visual feast that succeeds as both a gleeful escape and a battle cry. So crammed with impeccable attention to detail is "Barbie” that you couldn’t possibly catch it all in a single sitting; you’d have to devote an entire viewing just to the accessories, for example. The costume design (led by two-time Oscar winner Jacqueline Durran ) and production design (led by six-time Oscar nominee Sarah Greenwood ) are constantly clever and colorful, befitting the ever-evolving icon, and cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto (a three-time Oscar nominee) gives everything a glossy gleam. It’s not just that Gerwig & Co. have recreated a bunch of Barbies from throughout her decades-long history, outfitted them with a variety of clothing and hairstyles, and placed them in pristine dream houses. It’s that they’ve brought these figures to life with infectious energy and a knowing wink.

“Barbie” can be hysterically funny, with giant laugh-out-loud moments generously scattered throughout. They come from the insularity of an idyllic, pink-hued realm and the physical comedy of fish-out-of-water moments and choice pop culture references as the outside world increasingly encroaches. But because the marketing campaign has been so clever and so ubiquitous, you may discover that you’ve already seen a fair amount of the movie’s inspired moments, such as the “ 2001: A Space Odyssey ” homage and Ken’s self-pitying ‘80s power ballad. Such is the anticipation industrial complex.

And so you probably already know the basic plot: Barbie ( Margot Robbie ), the most popular of all the Barbies in Barbieland, begins experiencing an existential crisis. She must travel to the human world in order to understand herself and discover her true purpose. Her kinda-sorta boyfriend, Ken ( Ryan Gosling ), comes along for the ride because his own existence depends on Barbie acknowledging him. Both discover harsh truths—and make new friends –along the road to enlightenment. This bleeding of stark reality into an obsessively engineered fantasy calls to mind the revelations of “ The Truman Show ” and “The LEGO Movie,” but through a wry prism that’s specifically Gerwig’s.

This is a movie that acknowledges Barbie’s unrealistic physical proportions—and the kinds of very real body issues they can cause in young girls—while also celebrating her role as a feminist icon. After all, there was an astronaut Barbie doll (1965) before there was an actual woman in NASA’s astronaut corps (1978), an achievement “Barbie” commemorates by showing two suited-up women high-fiving each other among the stars, with Robbie’s Earth-bound Barbie saluting them with a sunny, “Yay, space!” This is also a movie in which Mattel (the doll’s manufacturer) and Warner Bros. (the film’s distributor) at least create the appearance that they’re in on the surprisingly pointed jokes at their expense. Mattel headquarters features a spacious, top-floor conference room populated solely by men with a heart-shaped, “ Dr. Strangelove ”-inspired lamp hovering over the table, yet Will Ferrell ’s CEO insists his company’s “gender-neutral bathrooms up the wazoo” are evidence of diversity. It's a neat trick.

As the film's star, Margot Robbie finds just the right balance between satire and sincerity. She’s  the  perfect casting choice; it’s impossible to imagine anyone else in the role. The blonde-haired, blue-eyed stunner completely looks the part, of course, but she also radiates the kind of unflagging, exaggerated optimism required for this heightened, candy-coated world. Later, as Barbie’s understanding expands, Robbie masterfully handles the more complicated dialogue by Gerwig and her co-writer and frequent collaborator, filmmaker Noah Baumbach . From a blinding smile to a single tear and every emotion in between, Robbie finds the ideal energy and tone throughout. Her performance is a joy to behold.

And yet, Ryan Gosling is a consistent scene-stealer as he revels in Ken’s himbo frailty. He goes from Barbie’s needy beau to a swaggering, macho doofus as he throws himself headlong into how he thinks a real man should behave. (Viewers familiar with Los Angeles geography will particularly get a kick out of the places that provide his inspiration.) Gosling sells his square-jawed character’s earnestness and gets to tap into his “All New Mickey Mouse Club” musical theater roots simultaneously. He’s a total hoot.

Within the film’s enormous ensemble—where the women are all Barbies and the men are all Kens, with a couple of exceptions—there are several standouts. They include a gonzo Kate McKinnon as the so-called “Weird Barbie” who places Robbie’s character on her path; Issa Rae as the no-nonsense President Barbie; Alexandra Shipp as a kind and capable Doctor Barbie; Simu Liu as the trash-talking Ken who torments Gosling’s Ken; and America Ferrera in a crucial role as a Mattel employee. And we can’t forget Michael Cera as the one Allan, bumbling awkwardly in a sea of hunky Kens—although everyone else forgets Allan.

But while “Barbie” is wildly ambitious in an exciting way, it’s also frustratingly uneven at times. After coming on strong with wave after wave of zippy hilarity, the film drags in the middle as it presents its more serious themes. It’s impossible not to admire how Gerwig is taking a big swing with heady notions during the mindless blockbuster season, but she offers so many that the movie sometimes stops in its propulsive tracks to explain itself to us—and then explain those points again and again. The breezy, satirical edge she established off the top was actually a more effective method of conveying her ideas about the perils of toxic masculinity and entitlement and the power of female confidence and collaboration.

One character delivers a lengthy, third-act speech about the conundrum of being a woman and the contradictory standards to which society holds us. The middle-aged mom in me was nodding throughout in agreement, feeling seen and understood, as if this person knew me and was speaking directly to me. But the longtime film critic in me found this moment a preachy momentum killer—too heavy-handed, too on-the-nose, despite its many insights.  

Still, if such a crowd-pleasing extravaganza can also offer some fodder for thoughtful conversations afterward, it’s accomplished several goals simultaneously. It’s like sneaking spinach into your kid’s brownies—or, in this case, blondies.

Available in theaters on July 21st. 

Christy Lemire

Christy Lemire is a longtime film critic who has written for RogerEbert.com since 2013. Before that, she was the film critic for The Associated Press for nearly 15 years and co-hosted the public television series "Ebert Presents At the Movies" opposite Ignatiy Vishnevetsky, with Roger Ebert serving as managing editor. Read her answers to our Movie Love Questionnaire here .

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Barbie (2023)

Rated PG-13 for suggestive references and brief language.

114 minutes

Margot Robbie as Barbie

Ryan Gosling as Ken

America Ferrera as Gloria

Will Ferrell as Mattel CEO

Kate McKinnon as Weird Barbie

Ariana Greenblatt as Sasha

Issa Rae as President Barbie

Rhea Perlman as Ruth Handler

Hari Nef as Doctor Barbie

Emma Mackey as Physicist Barbie

Alexandra Shipp as Writer Barbie

Michael Cera as Allan

Helen Mirren as Narrator

Simu Liu as Ken

Dua Lipa as Mermaid Barbie

John Cena as Kenmaid

Kingsley Ben-Adir as Ken

Scott Evans as Ken

Jamie Demetriou as Mattel Executive

• Greta Gerwig
• Noah Baumbach

Cinematographer

• Rodrigo Prieto
• Alexandre Desplat
• Mark Ronson

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‘Barbie’ Review: Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling Compete for Control of High-Concept Living Doll Comedy

Greta Gerwig loads plenty of food for thought in a hot pink pop fantasia, poking fun at patriarchy and corporate parent Mattel in her treatment of the iconic “girls can do anything” doll.

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Check out the brain on Barbie ! Sure, she’s just a doll, but that doesn’t mean she has to be an airhead. Therein lies “Lady Bird” director Greta Gerwig ’s inspired, 21st-century solution to bringing one of America’s most iconic playthings to life on the big screen. Combine that with the casting of Margot Robbie in the title role, and “Barbie” is already starting out on the right, perfectly arched foot. So what if this high-concept comedy falls a bit flat in the final stretch?

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Barbie Land, as it’s called, is an inherently hilarious alternate reality modeled on the dream that Mattel has been selling American girls since the doll was introduced in 1959. It looks a lot like the one they’ve seen in countless commercials, where flamingo-bright Barbie Dreamhouses inspire envy as a diverse collection of perky, positive-minded dolls smile and wave at one another (represented here by such avatars as Alexandra Shipp and Dua Lipa, Issa Rae and Ritu Aryu, Hari Nef and Sharon Rooney). It’s a wild pop-art space, all but exploding with supersaturated color, where the doll heads appear lower contrast and backlit, obliging us to squint to make out the actors’ faces.

You half-expect to see a giant hand reach in from the sky to interact with these lifelike toys, but that’s not how it works. Instead, Gerwig enlists Helen Mirren as narrator to lay out the rules, pausing now and then to spotlight specific costumes, interject vintage TV spots or cast shade on discontinued products — such as Growing Up Skipper, with her inflatable bust; pregnant Midge; or questionable-taste offerings like Sugar Daddy and Tanner, a flocked dog that poops plastic pellets.

Although Robbie’s blond-haired, fair-skinned Stereotypical Barbie seems to possess some abstract notion of herself as a toy, there’s a major disconnect between inventor Ruth Handler’s best intentions and the state of things in the Real World (where the movie spends roughly half its time): “Thanks to Barbie, all problems of feminism and equal rights have been solved,” Mirren sarcastically summarizes. One evening, in the middle of a dance party, Stereotypical Barbie blurts out, “You guys ever think about dying?” The next morning, she’s horrified to find her feet have flattened and a patch of cellulite has appeared. What could be threatening her near-perfect physique?

The answer lies in the Real World, where Barbie and Ken (Gosling’s Ken, not the ones played by Simu Liu, Kingsley Ben-Adir, John Cena and others) steer her pink Corvette, emerging at Venice Beach wearing matching fluorescent Hot Skatin’ ensembles. Yes, “Barbie” is one of those movies, like “The Smurfs” and “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” where imaginary characters cross over to modern-day America — just infinitely more clever. Instead of using the premise as a setup for slapstick, Gerwig shows Barbie defending herself when some random guy slaps her butt, getting a knuckle sandwich in return.

At the same time Barbie is experiencing her rude awakening, Ken’s busy filling his empty head with all the possibilities that “patriarchy” entails. In Barbie Land, Ken’s job is a deliberately ill-defined afterthought (basically, just “beach”), whereas in the Real World, dudes rule — an idea he takes back to Barbie Land with pointedly absurd results, brainwashing all the women into behaving like obedient housewives. The film’s draggier second half gets both silly and unabashedly strident, as Stereotypical Barbie seeks help from Weird Barbie (Kate McKinnon), a damaged-goods doll with singed hair and messed-up makeup who serves as this girly-girl world’s Morpheus-like sage.

It’s upsetting (in a useful way) to see Barbie confronted with the overnight impact of rampant patriarchy, a concept that has rarely looked more off-putting than the frat-boy fantasy caricatured here. Think of it as the misogynist alternative marketed by old-school beer commercials, the polar opposite of Mattel’s mid-’80s “We girls can do anything. Right, Barbie?” campaign. While the Barbies plot to take back the government, Gerwig gives all the Ken dolls an over-the-top musical number, “I’m Just Ken,” which is so amusingly self-involved it risks subverting the very point the movie’s trying to make. If “Barbie” is all about centering and celebrating women, why let Ken steal the show?

Gosling is a good sport to play the slightly predatory, sartorially helpless pretty boy, as the spray-tanned ex-Mouseketeer parodies his popular “hey girl” persona, flexing both his muscles and a range of facial expressions all but lacking from his recent work. If Robbie’s Barbie sets an impossibly high bar for young women, then Gosling’s Ken reps an equally formidable male model, with his chiseled abs and cheekbones.

That factor hasn’t escaped Gerwig, who sets out to disrupt such unattainable aesthetic standards, calling out ways the doll’s idealized design can harm self-esteem and encourage eating disorders. She crams most of that critique into a single motormouthed monologue, which drew cheers at the premiere and which, on closer inspection, contains not a single controversial idea. In the end, the trouble with “Barbie” isn’t that it goes too far, but that it stops short, building to a conceptual scene between Barbie and her Creator (Rhea Perlman) that inadvertently underscores one of the movie’s few failings: It’s an intellectual experience, not an emotional one, grounded largely in audience nostalgia.

It’s kind of perfect that “Barbie” is opening opposite Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer,” since Gerwig’s girl-power blockbuster offers a neon-pink form of inception all its own, planting positive examples of female potential for future generations. Meanwhile, by showing a sense of humor about the brand’s past stumbles, it gives us permission to challenge what Barbie represents — not at all what you’d expect from a feature-length toy commercial.

Reviewed at Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles, July 9, 2023. MPA Rating: PG-13. Running time: 114 MIN.

• Production: A Warner Bros. Pictures release and presentation of a Heyday Films, LuckyChap Entertainment, NB/GG Pictures, Mattel production. Producers: David Heyman, Margot Robbie, Tom Ackerley, Robbie Brenner. Executive producers: Greta Gerwig, Noah Baumbach, Ynon Kreiz, Richard Dickson, Michael Sharp, Josey McNamara, Courtenay Valenti, Toby Emmerich, Cate Adams.
• Crew: Director: Great Gerwig. Screenplay: Greta Gerwig & Noah Baumbach, based on Barbie by Mattel. Camera: Greig Fraser. Editor: Rodrigo Prieto. Music: Nick Houy.
• With: Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, America Ferrera, Kate McKinnon, Issa Rae, Rhea Perlman, Will Ferrell, Michael Cera, Ariana Greenblatt, Ana Cruz Kayne, Emma Mackey, Hari Nef, Alexandra Shipp, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Simu Liu, Ncuti Gatwa, Scott Evans, Jamie Demetriou, Connor Swindells, Sharon Rooney, Nicola Coughlan, Ritu Arya, Dua Lipa, Helen Mirren

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The Greta Gerwig-helmed “Barbie” film, starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling as iconic toys Barbie and Ken, is set to be released July 21st. While Barbie and Ken have always been popular with children, parents are being cautioned that the upcoming movie is not appropriate for children. There is, first, to consider the film’s PG-13 rating  for “suggestive references and brief language.” Christian movie review site, Movieguide, warned against taking children to see the film with an article entitled, “ WARNING: Don’t take your Daughter to Barbie. ” The site warns that the movie “forgets its core audience of families and children while catering to nostalgic adults and pushing lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender character stories.” A Movieguide staff member lamented that “Millions of families would have turned out to the theaters and purchased tickets, but instead, Mattel chose to cater to a small percentage of the population which has proven over and over to abandon the box office. Movieguide®’s 40 years of research indicate this just isn’t true, and Mattel has made a grievous mistake.”

The film features a bevy of actors who are part of the LGBTQ+ community. In an email to “ Out, ” Gerwig, who has been tapped to direct two new “Chronicles of Narnia films,” stated the LGBTQ+ community was essential to the film. “We are opening the doors to the Barbie universe. There’s no way we could have told this story without bringing in the LGBTQ+ community, and it was important for us to represent the diversity that Mattel has created with all of the different Barbies and Kens that exist today.” Three actors were featured on the cover of “Out” as the “LGBTQ+ Dolls of ‘Barbie.’” Hari Nef is a transwoman, a biological man who identifies as female and is playing one of the iterations of Barbie, Doctor Barbie, in the Barbie Land universe of the movie. “Barbies are Barbies, they’re not human women. They’re dolls. They don’t have genitalia,” Nef told “Out.” Nef does not play a “trans” Barbie in the film but did state the inclusion was positive. “As much as there’s a celebration of femininity and being a girl in this [movie], I think there’s also an encouragement of letting go of the checklist we ascribe to living and living your life and being in your body your way, on your own terms,” said Nef. “The best that we can do as women, as trans women, is be there for each other and take ourselves at face value, without relying on the green light from someone or anyone else.”

Two other actors, Alexandria Shipp, and Scott Evans, brother to Chris Evans of “Captain America” fame, also spoke to “Out” about their inclusion in the film. “I think that that’s what Barbie represents, a state of being where we can do and be anything. We can dress however we want to dress,” said Shipp. “In this movie, you see people in Barbie World who are perfect…everyone’s just perfect. And then you see someone go through this existential crisis of learning about who they actually are and why they actually are,” said Evans. The three actors are not the only members of the LGBTQ+ community in the film either, with actress Kate McKinnon, a lesbian, making an appearance. It is unclear what, if any, LGBTQ+ storylines are present in the film, as details of the actual plot are scarce, and its review embargo will not be lifted until July 18th . Speculation, however, abounds in the gay community, with many excitedly hoping that even  Barbie herself will be gay . As journalist Alex Berg wrote on  Twitter , “The Barbie movie trailer is so camp and gay, the film will be pure cinema or used as a torture device in the future. Either way, I’m in.” 

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Parents considering whether to take their family to see the new “Barbie” movie should be prepared to have some awkward conversations.

That’s the warning from both Christian preachers and movie critics alike about the film based on the longtime doll brand, which is said to promote LGBT characters and ideas alongside the nostalgia of the Barbie universe.

The film, which stars Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling as Barbie and Ken, and is directed by Greta Gerwig, includes an appearance by trans actor Hari Nef, who plays a doctor version of the Barbie doll.

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Nef shared an image of himself dressed as the female doctor character along with an open letter to Gerwig and Robbie “begging them to fudge the schedule a little bit” to accommodate a scheduling conflict.

okay so i'm a #barbie this is Wild pic.twitter.com/ETRCiYY0iC — hari nef (@harinef) April 4, 2023

A statement shared by Nef read in part: "But underneath the word ‘doll’ is the shape of a woman who is not quite a woman–recognizable as such, but still a fake. ‘Doll’ is fraught, glamorous; she is, and she isn’t. We call ourselves ‘the dolls’ in the face of everything we know we are, never will be, hope to be. We yell the word because the word matters. And no doll matters more than Barbie.”

In addition to the trans actor playing a female role, “Barbie” is also guilty of “pushing lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender character stories,” according to Movieguide, a Christian movie review site founded by Ted and Lili Baehr.

A Movieguide staffer who previewed the film said it “completely ignored” Barbie’s natural demographic of young girls and families and instead “chose to cater to a small percentage of the population who has proven over and over to abandon the box office.”

Calling the film “poorly made with multiple premises,” the review warned parents to be aware before buying a ticket: “Even the Barbie cartoon movies promote redemption, compassion, team work, kindness to strangers, self-sacrifice and more. Parents trust the brand, and that is why they must know the truth about the upcoming movie.”

The film was put under a literal curse by Kent Christmas, who pastors Regeneration Nashville, Tennessee.

Late last month, Christmas went viral for a video clip showing him blasting “Barbie” for its LGBT themes.

“I curse in the name of the Lord this new Barbie movie that has been released full of transexual and transgender and homosexuality,” Christmas is heard saying. “What’s happened is the Church has been so intimidated, so silent, that we’re afraid to stand up and declare, ‘Thus sayeth the Lord.’”

Christian preacher Kent Christmas condemns the new Barbie movie for being full of "transsexual and transgender and homosexuality." pic.twitter.com/jwN9bSItej — Hemant Mehta (@hemantmehta) June 26, 2023

After the sermon clip went viral, LGBT outlets like the Daily Dot criticized Christmas and other “bigoted Christians” for slamming the film before its release and derided a string of retail boycotts against Target and other stores.

"So no, the Christian church has certainly not been 'silent' about how much they hate [LGBT] people, although if they would like to consider doing so, that would be an incredible change of pace for the rest of us who are tired of the endless parade of silly little attacks," the post said.

A story on Pride.com called the video of the sermon “disturbing” and dismissed the sermon as “nonsensical” because the characters in the film are “toys without genitals.” 

The film’s appeal to LGBT audiences has been less than subtle: Gerwig told one outlet that she hopes the movie will be a way of “opening the doors to the Barbie universe.”

“There’s no way we could have told this story without bringing in the [LGBT] community, and it was important for us to represent the diversity that Mattel has created with all of the different Barbies and Kens that exist today,” Gerwig was quoted as saying. 

Sam Smith, the nonbinary-identified singer who drew outrage in February over his satanically-inspired performance at the Grammys, is featured on the “Barbie” soundtrack with a song titled “Man I Am,” along with other artists such as Nicki Minaj, Billie Eilish, and Lizzo.

Ian M. Giatti is a reporter for The Christian Post and the author of  BACKWARDS DAD: a children's book for grownups . He can be reached at:  [email protected] .

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A Lot or a Little?

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Promotes idea that feminism is inclusive of all wo

Barbie is curious, empathetic, brave, and kind, an

The main Barbie (Margot Robbie) and Ken (Ryan Gosl

A big fight among a lot of characters involves use

Ken asks Barbie to spend the night. When she asks

One bleeped "motherf--," plus a few uses of words

Barbie and Mattel brands are in nearly every scene

The Kens have a lot of "brewskis" (beers), as well

Parents need to know that writer-director Greta Gerwig's all-star take on Barbie has a sophisticated message about feminism and the patriarchy (and, consequently, a screenplay that will likely go over younger kids' heads). The movie follows "Stereotypical Barbie" (Margot Robbie) and her handsome but insecure …

Positive Messages

Promotes idea that feminism is inclusive of all women -- and that being a woman is complicated and sometimes messy. Barbieland is welcoming, if naive about the ways the real world works. Encourages women to support one another, to be free of the many standards thrust upon them by society. Emphasizes importance of finding out who you are separately from your relationships with other people.

Positive Role Models

Barbie is curious, empathetic, brave, and kind, and she doesn't give up on her goals. She realizes that she doesn't have to be "perfect" to have value. Ken is insecure and shallow but develops meaningfully over the course of the story. The Barbies have power (until they fall under the sway of the patriarchy), and they eventually learn how to coexist with the Kens. Gloria is an observant, loving mother, and her daughter, Sasha, is smart and bold.

Diverse Representations

The main Barbie (Margot Robbie) and Ken (Ryan Gosling) are White and conventionally attractive -- to the point where traits like flat feet and cellulite are, albeit satirically, treated as disgusting. The rest of the Barbies and Kens in Barbieland are diverse and inclusive in many ways. There are Barbies and/or Kens who are of color, have a disability (one Barbie uses a wheelchair), and represent a range of body types, backgrounds, and professions. One Barbie is played by Hari Nef, who's trans, but her identity isn't referenced in the movie. Gloria is played by Honduran American actor America Ferrera, and her daughter, Sasha, is played by Ariana Greenblatt, who's Latina. The movie was directed and co-written by female filmmaker Greta Gerwig.

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Violence & Scariness

A big fight among a lot of characters involves use of silly weapons and physical grappling; another fight includes a chokehold. Barbie runs away from the Mattel executives who want to "box" her; they chase her in a scene with a lot of slapstick. There's a high-speed pursuit, but no one is injured. The Barbie cars spin out and flip over, but no one gets hurt. Ken has a fall and is taken to an ambulance/clinic for treatment. Barbie admits to having persistent thoughts about death.

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Sex, Romance & Nudity

Ken asks Barbie to spend the night. When she asks why, he says because they're boyfriend and girlfriend, but he doesn't know what that really entails. Barbie makes a comment about her and Ken not having genitals. A character wonders what kind of "nude blob" a Ken is "packing." Suggestive pickup lines and double entendres. After the Kens take over, several Barbies are shown flirting with and serving the Kens, often scantily clad. The primary Ken is frequently shirtless; some of the other Kens are too. Ken tries to kiss Barbie a couple of times, but she tells him no or dodges it.

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One bleeped "motherf--," plus a few uses of words including "damn," "hell," "crap," "bimbo," "tramp," "stupid," "penis," "vagina," "crazy," "nut job," "jeez," "oh my God," "for Christ's sake," "freaking," "frigging," "shut up," "up the wazoo," the suggestive euphemism "beach you off," and catcalls and double entendres.

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Products & Purchases

Barbie and Mattel brands are in nearly every scene of the movie, including references to real Barbie dolls and accessories. Other featured brands include Duolingo, Hydro Flask, Hummer, Suburban, Chevy, Birkenstock, and Chanel. Clips from movies like The Godfather and Pride & Prejudice are seen.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

The Kens have a lot of "brewskis" (beers), as well as red cups, and a party scene shows the primary Ken holding what looks like a wine glass. He also mentions being "day drunk" at one point.

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Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that writer-director Greta Gerwig 's all-star take on Barbie has a sophisticated message about feminism and the patriarchy (and, consequently, a screenplay that will likely go over younger kids' heads). The movie follows "Stereotypical Barbie" ( Margot Robbie ) and her handsome but insecure (boy)friend, Ken ( Ryan Gosling ), as they venture into the human world and discover the shocking-to-them truth that Barbie dolls didn't actually solve the problems of sexism and patriarchal control. While there's no sex in the movie (the Barbies and Kens are frank about not having genitals), Kens are shown shirtless, Barbies get catcalled, and there are suggestive references to the dolls' bodies -- including Ken's "nude bulge" -- and how a male-dominated society expects women to be ornamental and helpful. There's a bleeped use of "motherf--" (plus "crap," "shut up," "oh my God," etc.), a couple of big brawls with silly weapons, slapstick chases, beer drinking, and near-constant mentions of Barbie-maker Mattel. Characters demonstrate empathy and perseverance, and Barbieland is populated by a diverse group of Barbies and Kens from a range of body sizes, abilities, genders, and racial and ethnic backgrounds. The supporting cast includes Simu Liu , Issa Rae , America Ferrera , Will Ferrell , Emma Mackey , and Michael Cera . To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

Where to Watch

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Community Reviews

• Parents say (187)
• Kids say (210)

Based on 187 parent reviews

Ruined by Political Messaging and Cheap Potshots

It’s pg-13 and i think that’s about right. but you know your child., what's the story.

BARBIE opens with a Helen Mirren -narrated 2001: A Space Odyssey homage that explains how the advent of the Barbie doll changed girls' playtime forever, allowing them to imagine unlimited futures and roles beyond motherhood. Then viewers are taken to a parallel universe called Barbieland, where myriad Barbies live in harmony with a bunch of Kens and their pals Midge and Skipper. Since Barbies rule this idealistic, inclusive land -- serving as everything from president ( Issa Rae ) and Supreme Court justices to Nobel laureates, surgeons, etc. -- they believe that the real world is similarly woman- and girl-friendly. None is more sure of that than "Stereotypical Barbie" ( Margot Robbie ), who's always perfect from head to toe, hosting nightly parties and sleepovers and occasionally paying attention to Ken ( Ryan Gosling ), who does little more than stand around at the beach with the other Kens and yearn after her. But when Barbie starts to have thoughts about death, she loses her permanent foot arch and sprouts a spot of cellulite, forcing her to visit the wise but isolated "Weird Barbie" ( Kate McKinnon ). Weird Barbie explains that Stereotypical Barbie will continue to deteriorate if she doesn't cross over into the human world, find the girl who's playing with her, and cheer her up. So Barbie and stowaway Ken set off on a quest to Los Angeles. As Barbie tries to find her human, she realizes that the human world isn't at all what she expected. Meanwhile, Ken is in awe of how much more powerful men are in the real world than they are in Barbieland.

Is It Any Good?

Greta Gerwig 's delightful comedy adventure is bolstered by Robbie and Gosling's impeccable performances, a top-notch ensemble cast, and a witty screenplay. The two stars are perfectly cast in the iconic lead roles, humanizing the doll characters and nailing both the emotional beats and the comedic aspects of Barbie's and Ken's development. The sprawling supporting cast is also well selected, with memorable performances from Rae as the Barbie president, America Ferrera as truth-telling human mom Gloria, Simu Liu as Gosling's rival Ken, and Will Ferrell as the smarmy CEO of Mattel. Three young actors from Sex Education -- Emma Mackey , Ncuti Gatwa , and Connor Swindells -- make notable appearances in supporting roles, and Academy Award-winning filmmaker/screenwriter Emerald Fennell turns up as Barbie's discontinued pregnant friend, Midge. Overall, Barbieland is a pleasingly inclusive place, where the Barbies and Kens can be more than thin, White, and blond as they sing and dance in their carefully curated outfits.

This movie isn't like the many animated Barbie movies , and its sophisticated themes may land better with teens and adults than tweens and kids. But the contrast between the movie's serious societal commentary and the trippy, nostalgic comedy manages not to feel off-putting or off-balance. Ken's explanations about the benefits of the patriarchy (horses, hats, all the top jobs!) are laugh-out-loud funny, while Gloria's passionate speech about the ways women must and mustn't act in human society rings soberingly true. For all of the jokes, there's a ton of heart in the screenplay, with Robbie and Gosling both getting many scene-stealing, moving monologues. Their memorable portrayals carry the movie, but the behind-the-scenes technicians deserve awards, too, including production designer Sarah Greenwood for the film's pink-infused Barbie-core set pieces, music supervisor George Drakoulias for the Mark Ronson-produced soundtrack, Oscar-winning costume designer Jacqueline Durran for the hundreds of authentic Barbie and Ken costumes, and director of photography Rodrigo Prieto for the fizzy cinematography. An ideal mother-daughter pick and a collaborative achievement worthy of the hype, this Barbie is a keeper.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about Barbie 's message: that society has sexist, contradictory, unattainable expectations for women. Do you agree? What are your thoughts about what it means to be a girl and a woman?

Discuss the way that patriarchy and feminism are explored or explained in the movie. Does Barbieland treat Kens the way women are treated in the human world? Why is Ken so delighted to return to Barbieland?

Although the movie is about a children's doll, it's not really aimed at young kids, with its mature themes and humor. Do you think a movie inspired by and about toys needs to be appropriate for little kids?

Talk about the relationship between human mom Gloria and her middle school-age daughter, Sasha. What changes about their connection once they meet Barbie?

Did you notice positive diverse representation in the movie? Why is that important?

Movie Details

• In theaters : July 21, 2023
• On DVD or streaming : October 17, 2023
• Cast : Margot Robbie , Ryan Gosling , America Ferrera , Will Ferrell
• Director : Greta Gerwig
• Inclusion Information : Female directors, Female actors, Latino actors, Female writers
• Studio : Warner Bros.
• Genre : Comedy
• Topics : Princesses, Fairies, Mermaids, and More , Friendship , Great Girl Role Models
• Character Strengths : Empathy , Perseverance
• Run time : 114 minutes
• MPAA rating : PG-13
• MPAA explanation : suggestive references and brief language
• Awards : Academy Award , Common Sense Selection , Golden Globe
• Last updated : May 10, 2024

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

Suggest an Update

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Greta Gerwig's Catholic school upbringing heavily inspired a few scenes in the 'Barbie' movie

• Greta Gerwig says that her Catholic upbringing influenced the way she made the "Barbie" movie.
• The filmmaker told AP News that she "resonates" with "older story forms" because she went to Catholic school.
• This is not the first time Gerwig or the "Barbie" cast spoke about the film's religious references.

Greta Gerwig's Catholic upbringing had a big influence on the way she made the "Barbie" film — and it's evident in a couple of scenes.

Speaking in an interview with  AP News , the filmmaker explained that there are strong parallels between Biblical stories and the movie's setting.

"In the movie, like when it starts, she's in a world where there's no aging or death or pain or shame or self-consciousness, and then she suddenly becomes self-conscious — that's a really old story," Gerwig told AP News. "And we know that story."

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Gerwig says that she has a tendency to rely on these "older story forms" due to her Catholic upbringing.

"I think I always go back to those older story forms because I went to Catholic school and I resonate with them," she added.

The 39-year-old attended St. Francis Catholic High School, an all-female school in Sacramento, California. She's listed as an alumnus on the school's webpage .

This is not the first time that Gerwig — or the "Barbie" cast — spoke about the film's references to religious art and tales.

In the movie, there's a scene where Barbie meets her inventor, Ruth Handler, that was filmed in a way that references a famous piece of religious art, Gerwig told USA Today on Thursday.

"There's this shot where Ruth hands Barbie a cup of tea, and the way we lined it up is the exact way that God is touching Adam on the Sistine Chapel," Gerwig said.

In an interview with Vogue that was published in May, Gerwig also referenced the creation of the Barbie doll to the creation myth in the Bible.

"Barbie was invented first," Gerwig told Vogue. "Ken was invented after Barbie, to burnish Barbie's position in our eyes and in the world. That kind of creation myth is the opposite of the creation myth in Genesis."

Margot Robbie — who plays the film's titular character — also told Vogue in the same interview that Gerwig even wrote "an abstract poem about Barbie" that was similar to the Apostles Creed to help set the tone of the film.

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