Comment

Comment on Why Did ‘Barbie’ Bomb in South Korea?

My biggest issue with it was honestly the ending. They make it clear that Barbie world is just reversed where the men are treated poorly by the women. Which is fine. The analogy makes as much sense as it needs to for the point it makes.

But at the end they have the change to use that point to illustrate where they would like to see the world go. They could have said “wow we were assholes and our poor treatment of men encouraged this entire shit show. We’re going to treat men as equals now” but instead they simply gave them slightly better benefits than they had before and still expected to be able to treat them like crap. It would’ve been nicer to see them illustrate more equality between the genders and the results it had on the regular world.

source

Sort:hotnew top

Cylusthevirus@kbin.social ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

but instead they simply gave them slightly better benefits than they had before and still expected to be able to treat them like crap.

Gee, think that might have been yet another pointed joke or are we all deeply invested in the lore of Barbie World now?

source
- Uprise42@artemis.camp ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
  I can see the joke, but that wasn’t the timing for it. This was a statement movie through and through, and while it does paint what has been done in the past to women this happened at the end of the film. For a statement film then end is a call to action, not a silly one liner. That joke was better reserved to happen closer to the middle or beginning. The ending should be reserved for an analogy for how things should be.
  
  source
  - realcaseyrollins@kbin.projectsegfau.lt ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
    Yeah the way they wrote that made it seem like the people behind the movie were okay with that decision
    
    source
icepuncher69@sh.itjust.works ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
I think it was intentional, like the undertone is that its all fucked in the end and both sides are wrong in their own way, and it tries to make you think about whatvyou just saw, specially after they make clear that barbie is unsatisfied about all stuff that happened and rather turn into a real person to maybe find meanning, and the gynecologist line is kinda like a middle finger to reality. The power fight betwen sexes while not pointless in a societal way, its rather unfulfilling in a personal level, like stuff doesnt really change as long as the angle is still in the fight of the sexes, and both sides are capable of the same shit while in power, and its more fault of the hierchical sistem in itself (capitalism) rather that if men or women are running it. But ofcourse its not gonna be upront about it since the barbie brand sells empowerement to women, not revolution, nd empowerment means perpetuating the status quo, just under new mannagement. In its self aware angle the movie kindda remminded me of deadpool, and while i like most of the humor, i get why some people wouldnt like it that much for that (besides the “ugh feminism” croud of dumbasses) the only scene where i think it was cringe was the one where they say “note to the filmakers margot robie cute blah blah blah”, it felt very tryhard. Or at least thats my take on it

source
GreyEyedGhost@lemmy.ca ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
Exactly my takeaway from this. Alright, so you’re not for equality, you just want the inequality to favor you. It was the most disappointing part of the movie for me.

source
- Cylusthevirus@kbin.social ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
  How did you miss the point of that line as hard as you did?
  
  source
  - GreyEyedGhost@lemmy.ca ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
    Which point is that? That the writers are incapable of subtlety or that the writers believe the viewers are incapable of noticing it? Or is the point that they’re saying things that they absolutely don’t believe and not that a reversal of roles doesn’t constitute an improvement?
    
    source
    mrpants@midwest.social ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
    Bro it’s that the inequality that the Kens are supposed to accept is just how it is.
    
    I think we both get that and I think it’s a great illustration. It actually hurt to hear that line as a guy.
    
    But that’s the whole point of it. If it hurts to hear that as a man about a fictional character in a movie how much does it hurt to hear that in your real life?
    
    The movie is not advocating for switching to matriarchy. When Barbie gets liberated she doesn’t leave Ken behind and tries to help him in his own liberation. Unfortunately other Barbies don’t understand this and are happy to have their power back while doing minor feel good policy changes for the Kens. This is how the world actually works in a lot of instances. The movie is demonstrating quite pointedly how the world is so that we can see and feel it.
    
    source
    -> View More Comments