WB's BARBIE THE MOVIE starring Margot Robbie (2023) 7 7

[F For Fake]

On 8/22/2023 at 6:21 PM, jsilverjanet said:

I was at a small comic show a couple weeks ago and asked some dealers if they had seen Barbie and they all said a resounding "no" I said that I wanted to see it and they all looked at me strangely and said "really???" I said sure, why wouldn't I want to go see Margot Robbie for 2 hours on the big screen.

Of course there are other reasons (I'm looking at you Ryan Gosling! JK)  I like the director, I enjoyed the movie she made Frances Ha! (writer with Noah Baumbach from the Squid and the Whale) and Lady Bird

Ha, yeah, I told my wife even if the movie was a dud, I could think of worse things to do than stare at Margot Robbie for a couple of hours. I'll go out on a limb and say the lady is not unattractive.

But you're absolutely right, the movie had a great pedigree going in. I think Great Gerwig is definitely a good director with a proven track record, and the cast is terrific. Adds up to a good flick!

[TupennyConan]

Lady Bird was a nice movie.  

[jsilverjanet]

On 8/23/2023 at 9:35 AM, TupennyConan said:

Lady Bird was a nice movie.  

it was

[Bosco685]

 

[Hamlet]

On 8/20/2023 at 7:19 AM, Gatsby77 said:

Finally saw this last night.

Shockingly good.

Took a concept that could have been a throwaway and made it a compelling comedy with something to say -- and kudos to Mattel for allowing that needle to be thread.

Best analog I can come up with re. taking a potentially silly concept and wildly over-performing with something amazing:

Pirates of the Caribbean --

Can you imagine pitching a pirate movie based on a Disney themepark ride - especially when the last big-budget pirate movie (Cutthroat Island) was one of the biggest box office bombs of all time and literally bankrupted the studio?

That was actually the movie I first thought of after I saw Barbie, for exactly that reason.  They didn't play it safe with this movie, and they ended up making something truly new and original out of IP that really doesn't make you think new and original.

Barbie is a really good movie.  There are a lot of funny jokes, and some of them were there for guys.  Even old guys.  It opens with a parody of a very old SciFi movie.  My 9-year-old daughter didn't get the joke, but the movie didn't require the joke to land for it to work as simple exposition as well.  There were tons of things in the movie that were really funny if you caught them, but if you didn't, the movie kept on moving.  I'm guessing I missed a bunch of jokes, since I'm not really familiar with Barbie stuff, but there was plenty I did laugh at.

It is PG-13, and I was nervous it would be too much for my daughter.  She was fine, but she did joke that someone was cutting onions after she cried at a more serious part. The themes of the movie are strong enough to warrant the PG-13 rating.  

It's not a perfect movie, but if someone made 100 Barbie movies, I bet this one would be in the top two.

[jsilverjanet]

saw the movie last week

I thought the first 15 minutes of the movie were great, it stayed good but some parts seemed a little dragged on.

Gosling is fantastic, overall very solid. 3/4 stars

my expectations were very high so it fell short but still good nonetheless

[Bosco685]

 

[rexinnih]

Congrats on the achievement. This is a good movie. 

[Bosco685]

[Bosco685]

 

[media_junkie]

On 9/3/2023 at 6:25 AM, Bosco685 said:

 

This movie has been so huge you know the studios are going to do what they always do.  I am sure there is a scramble to get/find the rights to things like "Jem", or "Bratz", or other things like that.  

[Gatsby77]

On 9/3/2023 at 8:16 AM, media_junkie said:

This movie has been so huge you know the studios are going to do what they always do.  I am sure there is a scramble to get/find the rights to things like "Jem", or "Bratz", or other things like that.  

Jem??

That's truly outrageous!

[Bosco685]

 

[Artboy99]

On 9/3/2023 at 6:16 AM, media_junkie said:

This movie has been so huge you know the studios are going to do what they always do.  I am sure there is a scramble to get/find the rights to things like "Jem", or "Bratz", or other things like that.  

Sigh, unfortunately you are correct. Marvel will likely push forward whatever product they have and I think they will put out She-Hulk season 2 and likely expect The Marvels to be a resounding worldwide success making the assumption that the same audience that flocked to the Barbie movie will flock to their stuff.

[drotto]

On 9/3/2023 at 12:31 PM, Artboy99 said:

Sigh, unfortunately you are correct. Marvel will likely push forward whatever product they have and I think they will put out She-Hulk season 2 and likely expect The Marvels to be a resounding worldwide success making the assumption that the same audience that flocked to the Barbie movie will flock to their stuff.

They have already announced a Poly Pocket movie directed by Lena Dunham. I could se myself seeing Barbie, this however is a hard no.

[Bosco685]

Finally was able to see this film.

The first act is really good. Comes across from a child's perspective where the character dialogue is like kids adding their voices to inanimate dolls (Barbie, Action Jackson, G.I. Joes - pick your fancy). The second act is good in that it keeps the story moving forward with reflection and learning.

That third act becomes a jumble of comedy, drama and forced conclusions. But still a satisfying ending nonetheless. 

[Larryw7]

I still can't believe how lackluster the box office was for Mission Impossible. And Indy didn't even make the cut.

[Bosco685]

On 9/4/2023 at 6:08 AM, Larryw7 said:

I still can't believe how lackluster the box office was for Mission Impossible. And Indy didn't even make the cut.

Same here. MI7 should have been another massive addition to the Tom Cruise filmography.

2023 is a crazy experience for studios.

[drotto]

On 9/4/2023 at 6:14 AM, Bosco685 said:

Same here. MI7 should have been another massive addition to the Tom Cruise filmography.

2023 is a crazy experience for studios.

I think the lesson of 2023 so far is audiences want new IP's.  The movies that have done well are Barbie, Mario, and Oppenheimer.  What do the first two have in common, very well known IP's with little to no big screen presence. People are ready for new stuff. Connected to that lesson is there are large audiences that are either not interested in superhero fare, or have tired of it. Barbie hit an undeserved feminine demographic. Mario hit a family demographic that was tired of the Pixar formula, and just wanted a light hearted fun movie. Oppenheimer hit a group that wants to see movies can still have true weight and impact. All things that had been somewhat pushed aside in the rush for everyone wanting their own hero shared universe. The same reason Top Gun did well last year.  While that had nostalgia, at its core it was a high energy action flick, not a long running franchise. 

 

All the ones that have been a massive disappointments belong to long running universes, or obvious nostalgia bait.

Edited September 4, 2023 by drotto

[Zonker]

  I think that makes a lot of sense.

In addition, I wonder if the last several years' worth of binge-watching extended series television on Netflix and elsewhere have exhausted audiences from continually seeking out multi-part franchise storylines.  Could be what motivates the audience now to go out to the theater is a well-told standalone story with a beginning, middle, and satisfying ending, all within a single sitting.

James Gunn, are you listening?