I never had a Barbie (I was a G.I. Joe girly myself) but I also never really heard any specific messaging about her from my parents. I’m sure they were homeschool-Christian-level against it. Rafiki and Scarlett?? an original crack ship if I’ve ever heard one.
I loved Barbie but all your points are also valid - I probably agree with your friend that the messaging needed to be overt because the figure/idea of Barbie has always itself been so overt. As to #3 - I appreciated the tongue-in-cheek nod to this from the Helen Mirren omniscient narrator but it felt like a “no offense, but…” moment. Like calling the offensive thing out could itself make up for it being offensive.
Weird Barbie felt like such an apt metaphor for people who feel like outsiders (and are ostracized intentionally) - for me, that resonated with my queer experience and I can imagine others who don’t live up to the “perfection” of stereotypical Barbie might relate as well. Hot take: Margot’s Barbie is a lesbian.
“I love Florence Pugh, but why was she here? For crying and boobs??” UGH SO ACCURATE. The worst part of the movie, for me.
YESSS look at this rich comment, so much to respond to!
lol at crack ship, you are so right. They were the king and queen of our barbie world also. lol
Yes, I laughed out loud at the part where Helen Mirren just calls it out like Margot Robbie is too hot to make this point effectively. There was a lot in the movie that felt like that to me. Like Greta couldn't fully wrangle the subject matter into the feminist shape she wanted, so she would put in a nod to be like, "I know this isn't working! We both know it! wink wink!" Which like...I don't know if acknowledging the weakness makes it any better but it at least is fun?
Weird Barbie was SO important to this! I think a lot of people found this movie to be just that: feeling seen as someone who never felt like they fit into the conventions of femininity. Love her for that.
Okay OMG thank you for saying that about lesbian Margot Barbie because YES!? I forgot I had even had a passing thought that Barbie and Weird Barbie would become a thing, even though that's quite the mashup of "spiritual guide" plus "romantic interest." But yeah she is totally lesbian. They didn't go for it overtly but the subtext was absolutely there?? Good call, brilliant.
hahahaha you're coming for me!!! Well, the truth is as a youth I was what we might call a "book snob." Little Women was one of my favorite books and I didn't see the 1994 movie until my mid-teens and I was scandalized by how many liberties they took with the characters and plot and all of it. Over the years, I came to really love that movie for what it IS (the coziest, warmest, Christmasiest movie ever??), but it wasn't like...spiritually transformative for me as a girl living in the world. The new Little Women was soooo true to the book in a way that actually elevated it, and delved more into the complexities of being "little women."??
lol that's my overwrought response because I feel like I get my "girl" card taken for not loving that movie as much as I should.
oh my gosh - we're going to have to chat offline. I loved the Little Women book as a child (and 94 movie), and refused to watch the 2019 movie until I reread the book (and I did both last year). Must discuss how you think 2019 is more true to the book, because I didn't feel that way! I felt like the movies were closer to each other than either was to the book! I also forgot until the re-read how much richer the book is in every way! I must admit my love for 94 is probably colored a bit by some nostalgia because I was obsessed with the movie (still am). But I just cant find any world where Wynona Rider and Christian Bale aren't the best on screen versions Jo and Teddy!!
We must chat offline, yes!! I also am still ashamed I don't love the '94 one as much as I feel like I should lol.
To be fair, I didn't reread the book before watching the 2019 one. I think I just felt it was more true to the author's life and the spirit of what she was doing at the time. I LOVED the concept that it left questionable whether Jo *really* would have married Mr. Bhaer. Like, I think in the modern world, Jo would've been an out lesbian, right? So her being gorgeous gorgeous (not awkward in ANY way) Wynona Ryder having a really magical romance with a hot Mr. Bhaer (not old and bushy like in the books?) just didn't land for me?
I also LOVE the way Florence Pugh gave us Amy, because I've always been pro Amy lol
So maybe the movie just gave me the version of Little Women that *I* wanted rather than an actual truer-to-the-books version. bahaha
I never had a Barbie (I was a G.I. Joe girly myself) but I also never really heard any specific messaging about her from my parents. I’m sure they were homeschool-Christian-level against it. Rafiki and Scarlett?? an original crack ship if I’ve ever heard one.
I loved Barbie but all your points are also valid - I probably agree with your friend that the messaging needed to be overt because the figure/idea of Barbie has always itself been so overt. As to #3 - I appreciated the tongue-in-cheek nod to this from the Helen Mirren omniscient narrator but it felt like a “no offense, but…” moment. Like calling the offensive thing out could itself make up for it being offensive.
Weird Barbie felt like such an apt metaphor for people who feel like outsiders (and are ostracized intentionally) - for me, that resonated with my queer experience and I can imagine others who don’t live up to the “perfection” of stereotypical Barbie might relate as well. Hot take: Margot’s Barbie is a lesbian.
“I love Florence Pugh, but why was she here? For crying and boobs??” UGH SO ACCURATE. The worst part of the movie, for me.
YESSS look at this rich comment, so much to respond to!
lol at crack ship, you are so right. They were the king and queen of our barbie world also. lol
Yes, I laughed out loud at the part where Helen Mirren just calls it out like Margot Robbie is too hot to make this point effectively. There was a lot in the movie that felt like that to me. Like Greta couldn't fully wrangle the subject matter into the feminist shape she wanted, so she would put in a nod to be like, "I know this isn't working! We both know it! wink wink!" Which like...I don't know if acknowledging the weakness makes it any better but it at least is fun?
Weird Barbie was SO important to this! I think a lot of people found this movie to be just that: feeling seen as someone who never felt like they fit into the conventions of femininity. Love her for that.
Okay OMG thank you for saying that about lesbian Margot Barbie because YES!? I forgot I had even had a passing thought that Barbie and Weird Barbie would become a thing, even though that's quite the mashup of "spiritual guide" plus "romantic interest." But yeah she is totally lesbian. They didn't go for it overtly but the subtext was absolutely there?? Good call, brilliant.
Yeah, FloPugh, Nolan did you dirty.
FABULOUS. 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 Now I can't wait to watch the movies and re-read this!!
I can't wait for you to watch them!
Tangent topic: was the 2019 little women one of your best movies of all time because you didn’t see the 1994 one first? Or what?
hahahaha you're coming for me!!! Well, the truth is as a youth I was what we might call a "book snob." Little Women was one of my favorite books and I didn't see the 1994 movie until my mid-teens and I was scandalized by how many liberties they took with the characters and plot and all of it. Over the years, I came to really love that movie for what it IS (the coziest, warmest, Christmasiest movie ever??), but it wasn't like...spiritually transformative for me as a girl living in the world. The new Little Women was soooo true to the book in a way that actually elevated it, and delved more into the complexities of being "little women."??
lol that's my overwrought response because I feel like I get my "girl" card taken for not loving that movie as much as I should.
oh my gosh - we're going to have to chat offline. I loved the Little Women book as a child (and 94 movie), and refused to watch the 2019 movie until I reread the book (and I did both last year). Must discuss how you think 2019 is more true to the book, because I didn't feel that way! I felt like the movies were closer to each other than either was to the book! I also forgot until the re-read how much richer the book is in every way! I must admit my love for 94 is probably colored a bit by some nostalgia because I was obsessed with the movie (still am). But I just cant find any world where Wynona Rider and Christian Bale aren't the best on screen versions Jo and Teddy!!
We must chat offline, yes!! I also am still ashamed I don't love the '94 one as much as I feel like I should lol.
To be fair, I didn't reread the book before watching the 2019 one. I think I just felt it was more true to the author's life and the spirit of what she was doing at the time. I LOVED the concept that it left questionable whether Jo *really* would have married Mr. Bhaer. Like, I think in the modern world, Jo would've been an out lesbian, right? So her being gorgeous gorgeous (not awkward in ANY way) Wynona Ryder having a really magical romance with a hot Mr. Bhaer (not old and bushy like in the books?) just didn't land for me?
I also LOVE the way Florence Pugh gave us Amy, because I've always been pro Amy lol
So maybe the movie just gave me the version of Little Women that *I* wanted rather than an actual truer-to-the-books version. bahaha