Movie review
July 19, 2023 · 114 min · PG-13
Woke Score
Lower is better
Review
Barbie and Ken leave their perfect matriarchal Barbie Land for the real world, where they confront human society's gender dynamics and personal identity crises before returning home to restore balance. The story uses satire to explore expectations placed on men and women. The film features explicit feminist messaging through dialogue on the challenges of womanhood and repeated critiques of patriarchy, highlighted by America Ferrera's central monologue on contradictory societal pressures on women.
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for Barbie.
Woke representation / casting
Diverse casting with transgender actress and LGBTQ+ actors for inclusion.
Woke political dialogue
Clear ideological dialogue on patriarchy and women's issues.
Identity-driven story themes
Gender identity and feminist themes drive the story.
Western institutional / cultural critique
Critique of patriarchy and traditional gender norms.
Woke character or canon changes
Not relevant
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
Production
Major backlash from anti-woke critics accusing it of feminist propaganda and anti-male messaging.
Creator track record context
Director Greta Gerwig has prior feminist work.
