monica rosso tabrizi

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I usually don’t write reviews, but I felt really compelled to write this one. I went to see this movie thinking about Gerwig’s Lady Bird and Little Women. I expected quality and came out confused by a messy plot and asking myself repeatedly what the whole point of the movie was. If it was supposed to be satire, it didn’t deliver. It felt like bits and pieces of half-baked ideas are strewn throughout the movie, but there is no coherent message. Not sure what point the movie was trying to make about the patriarchy, the matriarchy, or feminism for that matter. If Barbie becoming human was one of the goals, Pinocchio did a better job two hundred years ago. If this movie is supposed to make women or girls reflect and feel better about their human condition, it fell flat for me. If it aims to pay back against the patriarchy, it fell flat too because the Mattel all-male C-suite went back to sell dolls just like before. Having a group of bullies (Kens) substituted by another group of bullies (Barbies) in a hierarchy doesn’t seem a groundbreaking, let alone uplifting, message: can’t all groups — all genders — collaborate? Also, the Allan plot is yet a mess that could have been developed in terms of inclusivity and gender beyond binary. Not sure what Gloria’s husband’s role was either — he got mocked for his attempts at speaking Spanish and got treated condescendingly by his wife Gloria and daughter, a cringeworthy scene that added to the ignorant and privileged attempt at social commentary by white writers, and that reinforced how poorly and stereotypically languages other than English are appropriated and represented in mainstream movies. What Gloria’s plot after her laundry-list rant about navigating life as a female — hailed as groundbreaking by the press — was really about when intertwined with her tie with Barbie is yet another hot mess (a wasted opportunity to delve into mental health and societal pressures on mothers). Watching the great America Ferrera whitewashed was heartbreaking. Finally, the Barbie creator’s plot was also unclear and the IRS jokes cheap. In short: save your money on this one and go watch something else.