Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling were fantastic. Some of the comedy hit and some of it was miss. Greta did a lot in here and overall, it was entertaining. What was your reaction? What did we miss? Early Drops & Full Reactions on YT Memberships & Patreon: www.patreon.com/baddmedicine Backup channel Subscribe here ruclips.net/channel/UC1CLUwA27dz-94o3FR0o3xg
And yes, Quinn that is very true bout high heels. Was hoping yall remembered that all Barbies walk on tip toe which has always made me laugh cause ur fricken calf would likely explode lol...not to mention entire posture is off, but the creator, Ruth, was pretty ingenious to design it that way so the high heels could just slip on and off
Also, the older lady on the bench that had convo w Barbie was the movies costume designer!!! She's won awards, amd hands down better at least be a nom for this movie cause these costumes are so dang spot on I kid u not. ALSO, the girls at the lunch table in real world were the Bratz Dolls. Have the same names and way they look amd talk guys are also identical thats why that scene if u would have known would have been even funnier. Hard to tell what u miss by just a reaction, but just trying to help. Thanks guys!!
I cried through the whole thing (I have mommy issues) but the bit that actually made me pause and think about my life was the bit where decoy barbies were humoring kens and they were talking about all the dumb ways barbie was allowing kens to dominate the relationship and condescend them. I spent most of my 20s living like that, doing all these shallow/submissive acts to try and get men to like me, accepting the long term long distance low commitment casual girlfriend role because that's all I thought I had a right to. Seeing and hearing all that and how demeaning it's meant to be gave me such a strong flashback to how I basically prostrated myself for past exes and AUGGHGHG the shame and embarrassment.
The message is that Patriarchy hurts everyone, including men. This wasn’t just a girl-power movie. Women do have unique struggles and they deserve to be acknowledged as such. Anyone who was “offended” or “felt picked on” by it because ken and Barbie don’t end up together has a problem. The entire lesson with that last Ken scene is about not gleaning your self worth and identity from how women respond to you, and simultaneously, men aren’t owed relationships or love based on what they do for or how much they pursue a woman. Seriously, anyone who takes issue with that or first wave feminist ideals is scary.
I also think too many people read the plot as "men are the problem" and get Weirdly defensive, when they try to make it clear the patriarchy is the issue, and the parts of it that still exist are held up by men and women that hold it up intentionally or inadvertently, the same as there are both men and women that can and do try to overcome it, none of the Ken's are evil or bad they learn habits and bias that aren't true the same way that the barbies live in an unbalanced blissful ignorance before seeing how the world really is. Anyone who feels attacked by this movie needs to sit down and figure out why they think they're targeted by it
@@lvfd6117 100% - unless a person thinks upholding the patriarchy is synonymous with being a man, there is nothing offensive going on here. Another critique I’ve seen and cannot comprehend is that the movie bashes motherhood and promotes single career women only, which again, I cannot comprehend. The emotional core of the movie is a mother-daughter duo, Ruth Mattel created Barbie for her daughter, the scenes that play when Barbie starts to “feel” include motherhood, and America’s character literally outright says it’s okay to just want to be a mom when talking about ordinary Barbie. I still have no idea what people are objecting to.
They stated in the movie that men are strictly patriarchy. They did attack men as a whole. They even diminished men to only liking trucks, cowboys, and "cheesy" music. Where on the opposite end they portrayed women in diverse roles and having complete control over what they want to do and be. Shoot they showed the absolutely worst human traits in only the male characters.
it's also holding the mirror for the whole situation. Ken having best time of his day at the beginning standing on beach implies the thought women just have to look good and stand still because they can't do anything. Ken in Barbieland is basically a woman without any knowledge in a patriarchy system (which still do exist in the real world). Self worth and knowledge should not be a priviledge, but a natural thing for everybody and once we all identify ourselves as human and not man or woman, we might find ourselves in a better world. The most saddest thing in this movie is the first guy in the real world Ken is talking to while asking for a job. "We hide patriarchy better." Holding onto dividing the society and the right to giving orders or feeling superior is still present, it was same in the Barbieland which was designed in the same thought, reversed patriarchy - Barbieland was not a matriarchy.
people got mad at this movie because they think its anti-men. which it most certainly is NOT. literally one of the main storylines is giving the kens individuality.
Maybe the movie wasn't trying to be anti-men, but I can see why people see it that way when 99% of the men in the movie are portrayed as either idiots, misogynistic assholes, or flippant women-dismissing corporate executives.
@@netflixandchinchilla Well... yes... but the people upset at the movie going on rants? The people that feel "attacked" by the movie or movies like this one? Those ARE the idiots, misogynistic assholes that are flippant woman-dismissing men. Because the rest of us? Don't CARE that the movie didn't cater to us, had a message of empowerment for both men and women, etc. We enjoyed the movie for what it was; a good entertaining movie with a great message.
@@netflixandchinchillawell that's the whole point. Barbieland is basically an allegory for how the world looked according to men back in the day. All men were intellectual and held all positions while the women only existed as means for the men to use, extensions of the men essentially. The women had no individuality and weren't capable to do well with power if they received it since they've never held that kind of power. So slowly when they started receiving more and more rights, it showed that the women were definitely capable of just as much as men. (Obviously you could see that before too, they just didn't have the same chance to show it) In Barbieland it's just switched roles, and a lot of men got mad lol. Also this movie is supposed to be comedic so to dumb the men down is kinda funny in context.
@@emilia4355 Well, women were dumbed down in movies for the longest time. Go back to the 40s noir detective films or horror flicks. The 70s exploitation. The 80s action flicks. Barbie just flipped the roles and said, "hey, this is what it looks like", and good on them. Some men need that slap upside the head to get it.
1:02:00 The film literally says that patriarchy affects both women and men. The thing is that most male directors don't touch on those topics and when a female director like Greta touches on the struggle of being a woman, some men start to say that they suffer too, well no one says otherwise, why have that mentality? Especially since men have tons and tons of movies where a male director could touch on the issues that men face, like fragile masculinity, men repressing their emotions because they are judged by society, etc., and they don't do it. So why do they expect a female director to tell them textually that the film's speech and message is also for them, because women suffer but men too... Additionally, Greta is giving Ken an epiphany of where his value lies, that he is enough, that he doesn´t need to be something specific imposed by social norms, to be valuable. And I assure you that many women identified with Ken and it was not necessary for it to come out of a woman's mouth to understand that the message was for all of us.
The amount of times I’ve hear men say “I can go word for word on that speech and tell you how it applies to men too” makes my stomach hurt. As you said, there are so many… soooooo many male directors who could touch on those struggles, men can have so much more opportunities to express how unattainable certain things are for men too but I think they just don’t want to admit, most of those expectations come also from patriarchy. Someone else in the comments said that patriarchy hurst both men and women , it’s time for all of us to accept that and find a middle ground.
Ex-hausted-friggin-xactly! 100%. Male and female suffering can't be compared line for line, 1:1, in a patriarchal society because of the power imbalance against women. But I'm sure the last female president can explain that better than I can. ...Oh, wait... And ugh I may, yes ugh I might, it's a failure of logic to assume speaking of female suffering automatically denies the existence of male suffering. There isn't a spoon big enough to feed this message more clearly.
Feminist bs Do you this Matriarchy would be better it would be the same. Men and male directors do not feel need or want do that because men are different that women and they are not as emotional as we women are. What men do is also they do not complain in every movie how bad they feel in the world it is so annoying .
I understand your takes, but the reason this movie was a big thing for girls and women was because it literally represents the teenage girl experience. When Barbie started having this thoughts, and her feet went flat and all of those things, this is literally what happens to girls. One day we just wake up and start noticing all of our "flaws" and start being insecure. It also shows how patriarchy not only affects women but also men. For me it was a very powerful movie because watching Barbie discover all these things about the real world was like experiencing this all over again. I never thought this movie would go this direction. I literally left the cinema crying, but Greta is amazing and all her movies have always affected me so I should expect that by now hahahahhahaha.
I just wish there was a movie that acknowledges that men too have insecurities. I vividly remember being insecure in the same ways as girls were in high school. It’s not a gender exclusive experience. There are definitely unfair unrealistic ideals that men’s are held up to as well.
@@sketchtheparadigmyork1217 I agree completely, no one is discarding that. This movie never, not once, diminished men at all, it’s just that it was really targeted to women, even though I think men can relate as well. It would be cool if there was a movie like you said I think it would help a lot of men too if it’s done well.
Why was ken attracted to Patriarchy at the first place? Bcuz he got respect for the first time in his life. He brought patriachy to barbieland, he was enjoying the patriachy until barbie tricked him into fighting with other kens, the brainwashed barbies were not fond of him anymore, he lost their friendship bcuz of barbie not bcuz of patriachy. Everything was going fine until Barbie ruined it, barbie was the toxic asshole that refused to treat him as equal in the first place.
The monologue starting @2:50 is actually touched on history. Women up to the late 60s and 70s were not allowed to have a bank account or open a line of credit in their own name without their husbands signature. So they couldn't buy a car or have a house. Barbie being able to do that was big. Careers for women had been limited at that point. Barbie was aspirational and opened opportunites for girls and young women.
Also back then, all the job ads (they were in newspapers) were separate: "Men wanted" ads separate from Women wanted" ads. In my mom's previous (1950s, 1960s) generation, when a working woman became pregnant, she was fired. Mom and all her friends from high school were expected to become pregnant after marriage as fast as possible.
These guys don't get it. My mom couldn't have her visibly pregnant sister as her maid of honor at the wedding because it wasn't "dignified". Women suffer for having normal biological functions on top of being undermined in the workforce.
Wow, that is worse than Communist Soviets. Russia had already in prewar that women were self entity and bank account was not unusual. Of cause, wages and wealth was not up to th Western countries.
I graduated from college 1973, had a full time job as a Media Buyer, a bank account and credit cards to Macys and others BUT was still turned day by Bloomingdales! They had a reputation for not giving single women credit..all the things I had going for me was not good enough for Bloomingdales!
Almost all movies are centered around men, many of them show unnecessary violence against women and make women dumb and dependent, and when this is pointed out, men say: "It's just a movie, you're taking it too seriously." Then men come running and cry about every movie where a woman controls her own life. When I don't like a movie, I move on. You know, they prove the point of the movie by spreading hate every time it's mentioned.
About Oak’s speech: This is exactly what the movie’s about… Those expectations all come from patriarchy. It’s all about Patriarchy hurting everyone, but especially women. Feminism is exactly about fighting all of that.
Yeah, I was honestly a little disappointed that he felt the need to give that speech. Everything he said is true ofc, and any perspective he came out of the movie with is valid because it's his own opinion, but I think it's a bit sad that some people hear America's speech and think they need to defend men's struggles as if men's and women's struggles are in direct competition with each other. I think some people hear that speech and think it's an attack on men, but honestly it's just pointing out the roles society pushes onto women in general. It's a little disheartening to think that anytime women share a negative perspective on societal treatment that we're just automatically hating on men and their struggles. Again, if that's how someone perceived the movie then that's fine, everyone has a right to their opinion, but the defensiveness always disappoints me a bit.
@@journeysilvers9838 This is literally what toxic patriachy does. They created incels among them where they just got problem with any women not being submissive n praisimg men all the time.
This is one of the things I love about this movie. I don't understand why so many people thought this was a man-hating movie; Ken's whole arc is about discovering his own power within himself rather than through Barbie. He starts off drawing all his worth from her approval, then tries drawing his worth from controlling her, and ultimately realizes it's not about her at all; he's just Ken and he's enough.
And that's what Allan is all about! Because he isn't a "manly man" like the Kens, he's relegated to second class citizenship in the patriarchy. He's giving the Kens FOOT MASSAGES because he isn't traditionally masculine, and he doesn't care about leather couches or dominating women. He helps the Barbies fight the patriarchy because it's hurting him, too. It's even hurting the Kens, who are forced to be hypermasculine and controlling and competitive, even though several of them eventually admit they don't even want to. And the end of the movie makes clear that a matriarchy is ALSO not the answer for the same reasons -- alienating and ostracizing people who don't conform to their norms, devaluing and taking men for granted. Opposing patriarchy isn't about empowering women ABOVE men. It's about fighting systems that impose these hurtful expectations on us.
I've seen young men react, and it touched them. One said he had goosebumps all over him, quite a few cried. It never attacks men- nor women. It DOES attack patriarchy, though, because it limits us all. My best guess is that's why so many men middle age and up have a slight problem with it. They were brought up inside patriarchy, and so an attack on patriarchy feels like an attack on them personally. At least that's how it looks like from the outside. While younger men seems to find it freeing.
Oak saying he won't get too worked up over the message... with his arms crossed and trying not to laugh, then spending 8 minutes about the message in the end. lol His critique of Ferrara's speech about the female experience showed how much he missed the point of the movie (which also covered the male experience), and perhaps how uncomfortable he is with listening to the female experience. "Why did this movie make a billion dollars?? Genius marketing!" ...Or maybe there's a whole demographic who's been treated as invisible by the film industry for a while, and surprise, they enjoy seeing their stories being told.
It’s fascinating watching men react to America’s monologue in this. Not a flicker! In the cinema half the women were in tears before she was a third of the way through. It shows how we can walking alongside each other in this world and be oblivious to the experience of those walking beside us. The line “one day Ken’s will have as much power as women do in the real world,” Again, not a flicker of reaction!
I’ll be honest, that last line (though a funny/edgy line) disappointed me. I really wish the president of Barbie Land decided to allow the Kens to have a real voice in the government. That’s true feminism, and it would have sent a better message, IMO. It feels like they went for the edgier commentary as opposed to buttoning the whole story together.
Oak seemed to miss the whole point of the movie with that rant. I will say he usually does a great job at picking up on some pretty subtle but important points about movies, so I was surprised his take on it was *so* surface this time, when it was pretty much right there. I guess he fell into the trap of thinking making fun of the patriarchy and toxic masculinity bullshit is the same as making fun of men, and saying that it’s not hard to be a man. Thinking those are the same thing is kind of strange. “Being male is the same as being a douchebag, and anyone who has a problem with that is being mean to men” is such a weird, contradictory take. The point is that the patriarchy hurts everyone, including men, and that maybe we need to stop trying to control each other, so that everyone can be who they want, and everyone can feel and be treated like they’re equal, with inherent worth, because they’re a person. That’s literally it. It’s not a complicated message, nor was it hidden. Nowhere in this movie does it place the blame for the unfair expectations of society on men, or say that it’s only women who experience it. It was just that it was coming from a woman, who can only speak to her own experiences. The system that is rigged to only benefit the most powerful (whoever they are) is the problem, and that’s exactly what the movie says. What exactly does Oak think Barbie was apologising to Ken for? She realised that all the Kens were doing was flipping the script on the Barbies, so the Barbies must have been going about things the wrong way, all this time. If the message was “men suck and we should take everything away from them”, you could definitely just delete the whole ending.
I agree, especially the part about usually enjoying Oak’s take on the movies. He’s usually pretty insightful, but I guess everyone gets triggered by something. It’s nothing against him. But yeah, I don’t think he “got” it, as well as he normally might.
Yes, I mean I’m not going to lump him in with the crybabies who didn’t understand the movie and just automatically decided the whole thing was trash, because he at least appreciated the comedy, performances and all of the amazing work put together to making this movie. Plus I’ve seen enough BM reactions to know he’s not like that.
Yeah, the movie said “it’s hard to be a person, so we need to get off each other’s backs and let everyone just live”, and bro heard “men don’t matter”.
I was also kind of surprised at his take. I was excited when it got to his part because of all the guys, Oak seems to more operate from a place of empathy (and I’d absolutely consider him the most feminist of the group). It was kind of a “whomp whomp” reaction. So I landed on: I think he was trying, in some way, to thread the needle and find some common ground between the people who bitched about the movie and the people who loved it.
That's not what I got from Oak's take at all. He's talking specifically about America Ferrera's "what it's like to be a woman" speech, and saying that taken in that single context, he's seen people get offended because those are not just feelings women face. I suspect he recognizes the themes of the film as a whole, but it was an off-the-cuff reaction, maybe he just couldn't articulate his full meaning well. Peeling back the layers of meaning is something that takes a bit more thought, and that's hard when on camera.
There is a line that didn't make it into this reaction of the movie: "Any power you have must be masked under a giggle." I think that is exactly what this movie does. It presents a lot of really deep and thought-provoking ideas for both women and men but they're masked under the silliness and absurdity. Yeah it may not resonate will all women or many men, but it obviously resonated with quite a lot of them and I think it's important to acknowledge that. It definitely didn't deserve the hate it received from some very specific groups of people. Also, justice for Allan.
I agree! The fact that the movie was so outlandish and funny kind of points to the fact that it *had* to be to make these "pro-women/anti-patriarchy" points
All men are dumb and all women are smart, if this is not anti men/woke movie, then idk what it is. How can would anyone make an anti men movie, explain me.
Just to give a little backstory for your question at 50:02 (because I think it's really beautiful)- Greta Gerwig had the idea that Barbie needed to see what it's like to be "human" and so she knew that it would involve some sort of "real life videos", and then she decided to open it up to the entire production crew, actors, producers, etc. Basically anyone who worked on the film could submit footage of someone who was important to them because Greta wanted to show that a massive amount of effort goes into making movies like this, and at the end of the day, it's still the human component that drives it, and she wanted the people who worked on the film to be seen, literally and metaphorically. So those people are real (not actors, I mean), and they are all connected to part of the crew in some way. Also, to answer Oak's question at 1:19:01 - putting her in the box would "reset" her and stop her from coming back to the real world. They followed her back to Barbieland because she was still "conscious" and could possibly still come back at some point. It's not that they JUST wanted her to go back, they wanted to erase her knowledge of the real world.
I love you guys and specially tend to wait for Oak’s take on every movie because I love how invested he gets and he’s not afraid of going deep in his analysis, however …(here comes the eye roll lol) It bugs me every time I hear a man say “I can go word for word on that monologue and show you how it applies to men too”… I heard once that the biggest fail in communication is that “we tend to listen with the intent to reply rather than to understand” In order to get to a middle ground in equality between men and women we need to listen and acknowledge each others struggles, this movie is more focused on how patriarchy hurts women in particular yes, but still hints how is hurting men too and i feel like so many people are missing the point.
This. And honestly in general I hate how things can't just be saying something without also implying the opposite of it these days. I like apples...SO YOU HATE ORANGES?! No i didn't say that. This movie actually gave a lot more to men's issues than I expected...but it was about the experience of women. We can have that without saying men don't also have their issues. But that's not the main point of this 2 hour movie. And exactly as you said. Don't listen with the intent to then say "but actually"...just listen and accept and learn...then have the conversation of you want.
@@JeM130177 just came to me that the guys had the question at some point of how come this movie surpassed the billion dollars and I think is because is bringing up conversations, valuable conversations and debates. That to me, is a huge accomplishment.
SPOT ON. Why is no one here mentioning: "You're not doing patriarchy very well", "Oh we're doing it well!, we're just HIDING IT BETTER"! Yeah, please stop men, THIS IS THE POINT FOR WOMEN'S EXPERIENCE RIGHT HERE-holding women down no matter what!
It’s always interesting when people miss the point with marginalized people and say “Well, we all have these universal problems”. Yes, we all have our struggles but some groups have ADDED stress that is needless. Yes, we can all be victims of violence, but women are targeted by male criminals because of their womanhood and have to always be on guard even in situations men just take for granted. Yes, we can all be negatively affected by gender roles, but at the end of the day, it's okay for a girl to take on masculine traits but downright horrifying to many people for boys to exhibit feminine traits. Just the way we talk about women vs men is very telling. When a businessman is aggressive and greedy, we call him “savvy”. When a woman in business acts the same way she’s called a “bitch” or “over emotional”. When a man is promiscuous, he’s a “stud” who’s “sowing his wild oats”, but when a woman is highly sexual, she’s called a slut or a whore. I think some guys just don’t like to think about the ways women are affected by behavior that is engrained in them, so they minimize it’s effects. This is how patriarchy is bad for men too.
Nobody calls aggressive and greedy buisnessmen "savvy". They are called aggresive and greedy, just like you described them. And men face a lot of problems women never will. Like in Ukraine men aren't alowed to leave the country during war time, or South Korea where men have to serve in the army by law. Criminals target men a lot more too. If you look at homicide and crime statistics, men are tragets of crime more often than women. Women are victims of sexual violence a lot more than men, that's true. And about "studs". I've seen a lot more people supporting Onlyfans women, than promiscuous men doing the same thing. And all the problems you listed are personal, like being called a whore for being a whore, but being forced into service or war because you are a man is government level problems, and those aren't just petty insults
Totally agree on your take and I will say something I think that maybe gets overlooked in this movie is the moment at the end with Ken and Barbie where she talks about how Ken is more than his clothes, cars, job, girlfriend, etc. and that he can be whoever he wants to be. I think the true purpose of this movie is to show that the traditional view of patriarchy doesn’t serve anyone of any gender because it puts you in a box and set of expectations when you should just do and be who you want and be free to do those things
@@furyzxzx No, because there is not "feminism" there are all kinds of different typs of feminism. For example feminism can mean I don't like to wear dresses and jewelery that much and I never put on make up but that's okay and dosn't make me less of a woman. Feminism can mean to suport men to show there emotions. With out feminism women would not be allowed to wote, in my country they would need permition of there husband to work, it means a mother who gave birth to a child out of wedlock dosn't have to live in shame. Feminism supports laws that makes it illegal to rape or beat your wife and/or children and makes sure women can have an aportion ect.
1:02:00 That's the thing I love about the message. The movie is very feminist and from the viewpoint of women. The speach was brilliant imo, I felt very seen. But the whole point is, that the system of patriarchy isn't just toxic for women, it's also toxic for men. As they said, they had the seeds of their own destruction. Ken felt like he HAD to be Barbies boyfriend to have any value, any happyness. Then built that whole construct with his boys club but in the end wasn't really happy because what he really cared about was horses and feeling valued for who he was. But learned that this doesn't have to happen through Barbie's love. He's Ken'ough the way he is.
When they make a movie about mens struggles, people don't go 'BUT WOMEN STRUGGLE TOO!' But when they make a movie about womens struggles, we have to hear constantly about how "MEN STRUGGLE TOO!'
In the movies about men's struggles the villain will be mostly men, but in the movies that show women's struggles the makers will make sure the villain is a man to represent patriarchy or toxic mascunity. Modern writers can't stop villanizing men in every movie that shows women's struggles so that the viewers can shit on men. And you're surprised when men defend themselves?
@@Universal5-g5eBecause patriarchy and toxic masculinity are bad. So unless you aren't those things, you shouldn't get defensive. Also It probably cause men tend to kill women a lot so idk maybe we view men as more dangerous than fellow women lol While men are mens worst enemy cause its usually men who try to enforce toxic shit onto other men.
People quite literally do that all the time. But it might be hard to notice that if you’re living in an echo chamber. Men cant say a single issue they deal with or express a single desire they have in a partner without receiving an absurd amount of backlash. The response to men expressing their struggles is met with shame and ridicule. “You’re insecure” “just be confident” “work on yourself” “small dick energy” “you must be a virgin” etc. Its hilarious how blatantly hypocritical people are
This reaction clearly states which of you are sitting on the higher levels of emotional intelligence here… The comment section explains everything about the movie, its themes and true message perfectly. This movie isn’t for everyone, but sitting here and saying you can tell why some men lashed out the way they did is just mind blowing. Women never bully movies online the way men do. For once we get a movie made by women to raise the strength of women (even if men are welcome to enjoy it and hopefully give an inch of interest of what it’s like walking in our shoes and listen to the underlying themes regarding men, women and everything in between). Greta is a genius. Big shout out to Answer and Mason Quinn in this one! 🎉
Some fun facts about hair and costumes! As the movie progresses, Barbie’s costumes move forward through time and have less structure. In the beginning all of them are more 50s/early 60s. When she visits Weird Barbie her costume is late 60s mod, and by the time we reach the end of the movie she is in a yellow flowy dress. Her hair also changes from being voluminous to getting flatter through the movie. At the end she is also wearing a pair of pink Birkenstocks, a combination of the shoes Weird Barbie offers her, representing her appreciation of who she was and embracing who she is.
i would say the reason it made a billion is not only the talent, art direction, and controversy around it but that women genuinely just want to see a movie that celebrates being super girly. other than maybe disney princess movies it’s pretty rare to get that
I loved this movie. Allan was my favorite, not just for his comical role but because he was portrayed as the Strongest both physically (with the fight) and mentally- when he advocated and tried to protect the Barbies from those who would hurt their world. ❤
What I loved about this movie is how self aware is.Even thought as a man I can't completely relate to the experience of playing with Barbies, some scenes and the ending really touched me.
1:01:28 I was really excited to see your reactions to Barbie, and I did enjoy it overall...but Oak, you are usually so on point. You are usually an incredibly thoughtful and introspective ally. And I'm am dumbfounded that you just minimized and shrugged off America Ferrera's powerful monologue with "Yes, but *men struggles*". YES, WE KNOW. That's the whole point of the movie! Strict gender expectations and limitations HURT ALL OF US. But women have significantly less rights, resources and power in this country. We've come a long way since the 50's when Barbie was created. But we are losing more freedoms every day now. Barbie made a billion dollars because half the population is female, a significant percent is LGBTQ+, and Barbie is a powerful rallying cry to why we *still* need more equity and equality for ALL PEOPLE. I am an older millennial. I have a BA for construction management, was valedictorian, and worked in construction for 10+ years. I ran multi-million dollar remodels, but made the lowest salary despite tenure and experience. My company bragged that they had a woman superintendent, but internally I was repeatedly discriminated against. I was literally told I wasn't a "working super" because the men "had tools and could do stuff" -- I had my own tools and did plenty. They asked why I didn't have kids while I was working 10-12 hour days on my jobsites, but then let me go soon after an intern started a rumor that I was trying to get pregnant. The CFO even pulled me aside to specifically ask me about it, which I'm pretty sure is illegal. I went to see Barbie with my sister, my mother-in-law, my dad's sister, my dad's wife, and my favorite cousin David. We all wore pink ribbons. America Ferrara's speech broke me and lifted me. I loved this movie more than I can express. I enjoyed the silly joy of it and the total embrace of the very real pain of just trying to be. I enjoy your channel and a lot of your reactions. I am just the teeniest bit -- I guess disappointed? -- that you guys didnt really get it. I thought you would.
women aren't victims anymore you have the same rights, resources and power than anyone if anything its more of a class issue nowadays than a gender one
Two scenes that for me were painfully funny for me... The Mattel board composed by men and the phrase "Oh we are doing Patriarchy well, we are just better at hidding it" I'm 36 and I also work in a field mostly dominated by men. I'm the manager of a warehouse and freight operations and I have to deal with men most of the time... truck drivers, warehouse clerks, vendors, salesmen... and the amount of times I've been told "I would like to speak with your boss"... It's so infuriating. The company I work for also brags about having women in charge but they pay us way less than men and I get it, "we get what we negotiate" but my God! I've been a witness of how difficult they make it for women to justify a raise in comparison with your male colleagues. I was also a bit dissapointed in the guys take on the movie, specially Oak's but I won't "brake up with them" just yet lol... I've seen their content and I'd like to say they are better than this... maybe a rewatch? lol
I really liked the movie. This movie was satire. Using humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose or critique topical issues, and it was fun. Ryan Gosling was a standout in a stacked cast...just great performances all around. I like how Ken and Barbie go on different journeys, but land on the same spot of self realization to determine the path needed to move forward in their development. Very smart and unapologetic movie. I loved it. ❤❤ Thank you for your reaction!
I don't think you guys fully understood the movie tbh, with all due respect. There were several ironic statements such as "soon men in Barbie land will have as much power as women in the real world." and your faces were completely straight like none of you caught that. It's really interesting to see the difference in reactions between men and women. Women aren't laughing, it's not really a funny movie, the jokes aren't jokes they're political statements. I've yet to see a man reacting to this movie who actually understands it, or even learns from it. I'm a fan of you guys and your reactions but to be honest this was a hard video to get through, constantly waited for the ball to drop but it never did. When seeing this movie in the theatre, not a single woman left with a dry eye, it's very emotional and hard-hitting. The Oak I think understood the most or at least tried to, but nothing in this movie is anti-men it is just pro-women. Overall I don't know if this movie should be "reacted to" It's educational and carries a powerful political statement, not always an easy thing to watch people misunderstand. ITS NOT ABOUT MEN. For once a movie is not about men, it is not anti-men or man-hating it is simply to lift up women and young girls. The Girl Power speech does not state that men have it easy or that men don't face issues, it is a movie made by women for women of course it will focus on the struggles and issues faced by women. The simple fact is that women do face more struggles and yet those experiences are invalidated like in your discussion at the end. "What about men" "Men struggle too" like... SERIOUSLY?! Can men not just listen, support and learn. Not everything is about you, as a woman it is exhausting. And I must say it is a shame as I watch you guys often. Just a couple of days ago in my country, a 15-year-old girl was stabbed in the throat with a machete because she rejected a man's advances. Our struggles as men and women are not the same. You fear women will reject you, we fear men will kill us.
I wanted to comment the last phrase too, only it goes like "Men fear women will laugh at them, women fear men will murder them". Thank you for saying all of these, I stopped expecting men to understand women's struggle long time ago, but you think at least men can recognize when they are not the target audience, it seems they have to be always a center of attention, men's ego is a fragile thing.
I just want to recognized one of the hero of the movie, Allan, who is an introvert and didnt get brainwashed by the patriarchy, we need more people like Allan
Couldn’t wait for this. Yes. All the Barbies, sets and clothes were accurate to real Barbies. I remember them all…even Alan who was marketed as being able to wear Ken’s clothes. Funny point, Mattel cared completely about the Barbies but didn’t really care what they did with Ken.
The thing that I noticed the most, was not your remarks afterwards, which were fine, because everybody’s entitled to their opinion, and frankly, I liked the Barbie movie, but I didn’t love it either. What grabbed my attention like a needle scratching across the record was that when they introduced Ruth in that softly lit room that Barbie ran to, you all were wondering if she was a doll. I didn’t occur to any of you it was possible that she was part of Mattel’s administration. I noticed that because it could be argued that was a sign of unconscious patriarchy, that four guys would just naturally assume that it’s possible she was an old doll, but it didn’t cross your minds she could’ve run things. Interesting, right? I’m not trying to give you heat here, because you guys seem incredibly likable, and I love following your channel. It’s just the kind of thing that people can unconsciously think, especially men. It’s not an insult, it’s just an interesting tell.
Agree, but it's not a glaring mistake for me because the scene felt otherworldly, like it was inside doll house almost. If she was wearing a full suit and sitting in an actual office, I don't think they would have thought anything about it. Like, it's clear that she works there.
Could not have said it better myself. I was waiting for one of them to say “maybe she invented Barbie” or something. I guess I can see why they didn’t. I mean that better-hidden patriarchy is working as well as ever.
I loved and enjoyed this movie. It’s a reminder that this world isn’t perfect but we can still have fun. People getting mad because it’s “anti-men” aren’t using their critical thinking caps. At the end of the movie it’s pretty clear that women and men deserve to be enough. Come on guys.
I legit think this movie does a better job at handling men's issues than a lot of similarly themed movies. It actually hints at a solution to some of these problems, which is for men to join together in solidarity and lift each other up. The Kens went from being hypercompetitive for female attention to supportive, friendly, and cooperative with each other, and they needed that in order to have the realization at the end that "Ken is me."
Bit disappointed with Oak’s “we suffer too” argument, thats not the point. As a woman I left so sad after watching this bc its a terrifying world for women, constantly afraid of walking alone, how many times you say to a friend after he leaves a party “text me when you get home”? Yeah men suffer with toxic masculinity and the expectations of society, but women have been taught to compete with themselves bc of patriarchy, while men help each other thrive, things have been changing thankfully and I hope men understand that its not a war, its an unfair situation, America Ferreras monologue was incredible and you should try to understand womens pov. Lots of love!
This movie is so culturally important and the messaging is so layered, the point being that patriarchy does a disservice to both men and women. Every second of this film is intentional while being accessible and visually stunning. Greta is a genius and Margot is a gift.
As a woman one of the most relatable moment for me was what Ken experienced in the real world, seeing men supporting each other, having respect and rights, broship. I NEVER experienced that among women, that we would have place and real value in the world or support each other without questions (sisterhood) and it frightens me. That scene was a real eye opener for me and kind of broke me. Also seeing the reverse in the original Barbieland (Barbies having value) was such an unbelievable experience for me and a new safe space I can't even explain. This movie brought out so many emotions, showing new perspectives on things.
Lol I was so glad that you guys liked the movie until diamond dave opened his mouth. The part where he says that if you don't want to watch the movie, you won't miss out is so wrong. And I was honestly hoping at least one of you guys would admit that movies are usually so focused on men, this was basically an action movie but for women. For once men are just seen as additional characters. Barbie wasn't living for Ken, and Ken got a bigger role in this movie than women usually get in regular movies, lets say fast and furious or james bond. It was just very refreshing to have a female-focused movie and I just wished you would acknowledge that this is rare. I didn't know until now that I really enjoy hearing the Oaks opinion and seeing his reactions to movies and I agree with him that the speech could in reverse also apply to guys. I am worried on what pages the Oak is hanging that he read so much hate on the Barbie movie, I heard it on the background but it wasn't that much on my social media only to hear that apparently men are angry. Thanks for this upload !!!!!!
Hmm - couldn't be further from the truth to say if you don't watch this you won't miss out, a remark like that has kind of put me off viewing this reaction cause this movie has so many elements to it there is plenty that make this movie so memorable and worthy of the box office records it has set.
I was wondering the same. Like, what angry influencers does Oak follow that made him so guarded against the movie? And that make him believe men are only valuable if they're rich?
@@em8066 I just finished their words at the end, and as a young female fan it really did disappoint me how guarded they felt. What surprised me most was Oak, because in his defense, he is so often the first one to show emotion, to be open about his struggles, and to not be afraid to go against toxic masculinity. Im giving the benefit of the doubt because we've so often seen a different character to Oak, but I was expecting a different sentiment from him.
As men it would be hard to notice that most movies are focused on men because they’re the default. They’re the expectation, that what they’re used to seeing. That’s why it can be hard when they see a movie focused on women. I’d like to see them watch Wonder Woman and the Justice League or whatever it was where all we got from Wonder Woman was a bunch of upskirt shots. Then maybe it would be easier to see the difference between men and women directors. And Diamond Dave, man to say you’re not missing anything from missing this movie, is to negate half the population. Your experience is not everyone’s. And that comment about men feeling invisible? Did you even notice there were women in this movie? Besides Margot Robbie of course? Ask any woman you know just working with men in their jobs about that invisibility. No need to defend, just be open to learning and understanding. Everyone knows men have struggles, don’t negate ours by making it about you.
Hi Badd Medicine! I've been following you guys since Potter and enjoy your reactions. But I want you to truly ponder something for a moment: do you think you would have a different view of this movie if you were a woman? As a woman myself, I found many parts of this movie to be infuriating as it hit a little too close to home. I found the ending, especially America's speech to be comforting and empowering. To hit on Oak's point, yes there are definitely beauty standards for both men and women, that should be addressed. However, oppression of women is long standing and built into our society. Women are often paid less than their male counterparts and women-led careers are typically lower paying. Think teachers, for example. Think about walking into a store like Target, going to their beauty/cosmetic section, and how many of the aisles are geared towards men vs women. Oak mentioned height being something than men cannot control, that woman have a preference over. I agree this to be true, and something I can not fully understand, as the height I am at is often preferred. But there are many things that women cannot change about themselves that society tells them they should change. There are also things about women that they can change, and then feel like they have to. For example, as men you probably did not have the experience of being a pre teen(10-12 years old) and worrying about needing to start shaving your legs or learning to do makeup. These are ideas that are enforced from a very young age. And that is not even mentioning the amount of fear women have to be in due to high rates of being victimized. While I think you make a good point about some of these things being a "we" issue, it is also okay to address the minority group directly on their own (and that is not mentioning that male issues were also discussed in the movie). Honestly there are not a ton of movies that are female led, that explore these issues. When you look at major movies, men dominate the cast. Even take Harry Potter for example. Looking at the first three movies and key characters, there was Hermione. Then there was Harry, Ron, Draco, Neville, Snape, Hagrid, Dumbledore, etc. Female characters were added in more as time went on, but still were not as prevalent as male characters. So, I would have to disagree with Diamond Dave, on saying that if you miss this movie, you are not missing anything. This was a very important movie for many people, and maybe a rewatch, trying to look at it through the lens of a women could be enlightening. I found a film celebrating women, led by a woman (Greta Gerwig) to be needed. We could even talk about how many female directors there are, and the fact that Hollywood has seemingly decided women are less capable of creating films. But, that is where I will stop. I look forward to continuing to watch your reactions and submitting my requests. I've already suggested it, but a really great movie that discusses aspects of mental health, especially male mental health, is the movie "The Perks of Being a Wallflower." I will continue to recommend until y'all watch because it's that good!
I had the best time watching the movie! Honestly, as a woman, this touched me on another level. It felt like all the jokes were made for me, and the moments when it took itself more seriously were perfect to me. Never felt like I was actually seen as I did watching this.
As a dude, I was shocked how much I loved this film. Laughed throughout, and it’s one of those movies that you can easily rewatch and catch something new.
Was really looking forward to you guys watching this! It made a billion dollars because it caters to a very large and underserved market: women. Regardless of race or socioeconomic background, a lot of us grew up playing with Barbies. It also had a brilliant marketing approach (Barbenheimer included) and the cast was perfect (outside of Will. I’m also not a Will Ferrel fan, Mason lol) The leads were people both men and women love. Barbie is one of those movies where if you grew up playing with Barbies, it’s perfect. If you didn’t grow up playing with Barbies, it’s still an entertaining watch but you just won’t catch all the references or jokes. There are things in this movie that a Barbie fan will find hilarious because they get what the writers were trying to do. To Oaks point about America’s speech being relatable to everyone, I agree and disagree. Yes, we all suffer under patriarchy but women are not the creators of it, we don’t benefit from it (it harms us in most ways physically, mentally and emotionally) and we don’t hold the power to change it. It’s not an equal playing field when there’s a power imbalance. I agree that you just have to let people like things. Even if the thing isn’t for you. If you didn’t grow up playing with Barbie I totally understand it falling flat for you. But a lot of the Barbie hate was just misogyny disguised as cinema criticism lol The assumption that a movie can’t be good/funny if it’s lead by women. People thinking the writing around the Ken dolls was a diss towards men versus it just being canon: Mattel doesn’t care about Ken lol
Good point about the power imbalance. I totally agree. I didn't play with Barbies much but I still felt very seen by this movie. Even small scenes like the different feelings/experience Barbie and Ken had as they attracted attention when roller skating stirred something in me. (Barbie feeling uncomfortable/unsafe, Ken feeling seen and validated). A lot of times women's feelings are invalidated by men who can't emphasize. That oftentimes goes in both directions too though and even men suffer from it. (Like male victims of SA being shamed/riduculed) There were a lot of smaller scenes like that that didn't hit you on the nose and I appreciated them a lot. Plus the movie was just hilariously funny 😂
It doesn't really make fun of men either. The movie is pretty much about the fact that neither gender should be forced into roles. The great I'm just Ken song really shows this.
@@rowaystarcothe movie literally portrays every single. EVERY SINGLE man except for maybe Allen (who’s presumably gay) As incompetent, lazy, rude, greedy, stupid, misogynistic, and predatory. It also heavily generalizes mens interest down to things like trucks and horses. Which ironically enough, plenty of women are also into. Lmao. It’s a boring asf contrived film.
This is not a movie for women,the need to separate and disintegrate society by activists such as you is disgusting. This is a movie for everyone and it covers both perspectives, both point of views. As a side note there is no patriarchy your username is wrong. It s just the natural order there is no covert conspiracy theory to keep women down on the bottom. Wherever there is competition which is a natural aspect of the human race men have risen to the top of their respective food wheter that is physicality,business or societal matters. Most women are not interested in these aspects anyway check the northern countries experiment where women tend to navigate towards feminine activities despite this countries being viewed as most liberal liberated therefore no oppresion. Also most western females objectify themselves via the content they choose to post online wheter that be OF platform or semi nude naked degenerate content on social platforms. Your whole premise and life motto is wrong,your brian operates on a level of ignorance coupled with distestful feminist propaganda which is where the initial tendency to view these aspects of entertainment like movies,shows,music on a black and white level,this versus that. Very simple minded,i don t care to elaborate more on that you should educate yourself
America Ferrera stole the film in my eyes. When she spoke about the expectations that every woman feels upon her, It broke me. I am an LGBTQ male, I know what it is like to live outside of the box and to feel stress. I have never felt what she was describing. She was able to place everything into a simple statement and I don’t think anyone else would’ve been able to do that.
Rhea Perlman's character was based on Ruth Handler the inventor of Barbie and co-founder of toy manufacturer Mattel with her husband Elliot, as well as serving as the company's first president from 1945 to 1975. She created Barbie and named her Barbie after her daughter Barbara.
The observation about men having overlapping struggles with women was, I believe, part of the point. The movie's intent was to acknowledge that fact, but because the focus was Barbie, the message about how men are equally diminished by patriarchy and the damaging, unrealistic expectations it can foster, was delivered in the subtext of how it warped Gosling's Ken. *EDIT* Big ups for Gosling's workout routine, but it's probably likely there was a t least some contouring happening there for the cameras.
Enjoyed this movie so much in cinema, casting couldn’t have been more perfectt! it had layers for something certain people presumed would be just a silly film and seeing grown men react to this with an open mind was so refreshing 💗
This movie is very self aware and intentional and i loved everything about it. If anyone thinks Ryan's abs are just a coincidence, has missed the point. If anything is a sort of a diss on how a lot of Ken dolls were sold shirtless (even though it was marketed for young girls) and to some that was a depiction of "hot partners" - and to the small brains of some, that is still their ideal type today. The jokes are made tastefully and carefully. The speech of Ferrera could be about man as well, ofc it could, but this is the Barbie movie, and that speech was a direct response to Margot-Barbie saying she felt useless and ugly. A lot of woman relate to the speech, and it was such an important moment in the character development of Margot-Barbie. It was also very intentional that besides being "stereotypically hot", Ryan-Ken was not much of anything else. People arguing he was dumb and was attracted to the most absurd things like listening to absurd music... if he was all about Guns and Roses would he be better? Would you approve him then? Like isn't that missing the point completely?! Ryan is the comic relief of the movie every 10 seconds and keeps the movie from being a drama - and he stole the show! I can't take the people that took offense to this movie seriously. Should i then take offense in all the 80-90's movies that treat women as an acessory to men and are classified with quotes such as "behind a great man there's always a great woman"... like be serious. This movie is classified as comedy, let it stay funny.
So the song from the end, "What Was I Made For?" by Billie Eilish, is ABSOLUTELY getting nominated for Best Song at the Oscars, but I NEED IN MY SOUL for them to give "I'm Just Ken" a nomination as well. I don't know if two songs from the same movie are allowed to be nomiated, but a NEED it.
А new rule was instated in June 2008 that a film could have no more than two songs nominated. While up to five songs from a single film can be submitted, studios sometimes submit only one, for fear that having two nominated might split the vote.
Sometimes a bit heavy handed (but also tongue in cheek), but honestly, I love this movie for the acting, the sets, the humor, and just the FUN. So rare nowadays. Also going in deeper with emotions and humanity unexpectedly. I love the risk taking, and I love Ryan Gosling ;)
I truly love this film. The film isn’t anti-men at all. It’s more that the patriarchy hurts everyone, regardless of gender. And America Ferreria’s monologue made me sob-it summed up the experience of women everywhere.
They didn't show men being hurt by patriarchy, in the end barbie choses to live in patriarchal world which means she thinks patriachy is better than matriarchy.
@@Universal5-g5e Wrong. She decided to go to the real world to be with real women and see how she can have an impact there. She wanted to do it for herself. She decided FOR herself. It's not about it being better. She didn't say anything like that. That's just your projection.
@@alvinsmith3894 what impact can she create by being a mother? And who's the father? If patriarchy was real Ken would've got the job but he didn't get the job
While I of course agree that many experiences are universal amongst humans like struggles mental health and body image, part of that point is that women do not have a space to see that recognized without men coming in and saying “what about me.” To me it’s very evident in the movie about how as women, we do see the struggles men face and want to uplift them to feel seen and validated in a world that doesn’t because of the standards out there by the patriarchy. Rarely can you have a conversation of the struggles of women without recognizing the struggles of men or many men won’t even listen because it’s not about them. Take for example the conversation of sexual assault. Women try to express their experiences to just be heard or to try and find justice for themselves. But many of the times we hear the echo “men are victims of it too.” We know, and we don’t push you away, but men want to use that as a reason to put down the experiences of women who statistically are more likely to experience sexual harassment/abuse. Even more so part of America’s speech on wasn’t just about how women physically look, but the societal expectations that are just not placed on men. Men can be a boss and be authoritative but when a woman acts the exact same way, she’s too “bossy” or “bitchy.” Women can be mothers, but if they work all the time they’re “neglectful” whereas men who work all the time are supposedly breadwinners. It’s the simple fact that a woman can do exactly what a man does but women are much more restricted in how they can act in these roles, lest they are ridiculed and squashed by both men and women. And I agree with what many others have said in the comments that never in this movie does it express men don’t have problems and unrealistic standards set upon them by the patriarchy. And the movie even takes it a step further by acknowledging the way men are expected to be in society but showcasing how it’s typically women being there to support him. Barbie apologies to Ken at the end for not returning his feelings and shows him that he is worthy by just being himself and doing the things that bring him joy. But Ken never apologizes to Barbie. He never acknowledges that he’s the one who put Barbie on a pedestal and made his actions about winning her affections. He never tells her he’s sorry for taking her home, her friends, everything she’s built and replacing it with his things just because he never received her love back. The Barbies didn’t get mad at the Ken’s for trying to takeover at the end. Instead they listened to everything they had complained about and decided to make sure the Ken’s didn’t have to be in the shadows anymore so they could all be celebrated.
Ooof. Im 24 minutes into watching this and I’m so sad. I really thought some of the symbolism and deeper meanings would be hitting the guys by now. When I heard Quinn say “I don’t think that’s how that happened” after the bit in the beginning about how Barbie fixed inequality, I was concerned. Note- it hasn’t happened. Talking about the plastic ties and being put in the box as if it’s all about the plastics and not the fact that it’s a room full of men literally confining her and putting her in her place. I’m still holding out hope that as we go along the movie will sink in a bit to all 4 of the men. I’m especially curious about The Oak’s take as he often sees deeper into things and really pulls out the meaning of things. Even just watching him he’s reacting differently than the rest. I’ve tried not to look at the rest of the comments so I don’t spoil myself, but I did see a few “but this applies to men too” comments. All I can say to that is I really hope they didn’t actually say that. Fingers crossed I don’t have great disappointment in my future. I was really looking forward to this one. Though it is a perfect example of how many men and women viewed this movie differently. And how subversive sexism is in our culture that men don’t see what’s right in front of them. It would be super interesting to watch them watch this movie with a women who gives a commentary on her thoughts while watching. Ok- off to watch the rest!
Same! I figured maybe he meant that’s not how the progress came about or something (even though we’re constantly regressing) but that was my first feeling too. And Oak’s body language throughout said everything.
i love this movie because it also shows men's struggles; mostly how the society expect them to react, lead, etc. But not only that, but how every single human has their own expectations on how they 'should' contribute in society. Yes I know the main focus is how the world treat women in real world, but with how everything is upside down (in gender role) between two worlds, we can place ourselves in either men or women's shoes in order to understand their positions (and expectations from society). I always have my own principle on how we should be support each other to make balance in society, not to step on each other and the movie teaches us about it; at least as far as I interpretate it.
The sets for traveling from Barbieland to the real world were all practical! They used early Hollywood "movie magic" to do it! I think all the Mattel employees are escaped Allans 😁 It was so much fun watching this with y'all.❤
Not many movies pass the Bechdel Test and those that do sometimes only pass with one or two scenes. When you analyze how many movies come out that do not pass the Bechdel Test, this movie's success is no surprise. It filled a huge hole in Hollywood cinema. *edited for misspelled word
@@ct6852 Basically it requires that two female characters have conversation/interaction in the text, where they are not discussing men or a man. Most Hollywood movies do not pass this test. Barbie on the other hand passes with flying colours.
@@Mirrorgirl492 Oh interesting. Thanks. Have heard the term before...just never knew what it meant. Maybe there should be a term/test for men discussing money or sex.
@user-es7ui5mc1m Of course not. Harry Potter, for example, is a massive franchise that doesn't pass along with a looooong list of other successes. That was my point though. There is a huge hole that this movie filled. It has nothing to do with the quality of movies that don't pass.
I find it so funny, that no one get the joke of magic earring Ken and it being discontinued.There was controversy over magic earring ken being a gay character and it’s said his “Magic Earring”, which he wore as a necklace was actually a cock ring.( lol) FYI: Ruth Handler (Rea Pearlman)is actually the woman who created Barbie & named her after her daughter.
It was a powerful message for men too. That the patriarchy is damaging to men as well. As a man, I thought it was very sympathetic and understanding of men and their own identity struggles. Especially in the 21st century. So many of us were raised to exist in a very old fashioned society that doesn't exist anymore. And we're told to be mad because the real world is not the fantasy we were raised with. And we don't know what to do with ourselves. And, yes, men have unrealistic expectations as well. But, a lot of those are put on us by the patriarchy. Not feminism, but we're told feminism and women are the source of our troubles. Further, her statement that women are held responsible for men's behavior is very accurate, and there's not really a correlary experience there for men. And that's a doozy of one. And I LOVED that the message at the end that the answer for Ken and for Barbie was not each other. "You're not your girlfriend." YES!!! Men are raised to root so much of their identity in their relationship with women and how women view them and rely on them. I did not see it as just the struggle of women. It criticized the patriarchy and how it harms everyone. People whose identities are rooted in the patriarchy are going to feel it's a personal attack. But, it's not.
the standards that are set for men were also created by the patriarchy. being physically strong, the pressure to be the bread winner, not being allowed to cry, it was other men in power who set those expectations. so yes, patriarchy hurts men and women, and everyone has standards they’re expected to meet. but appearance-wise, the standards set for women are not even close to what is set for men. there is a reason more women feel they need to get plastic surgery, to wear makeup, to starve themselves. society puts value on appearances for everyone, but look at celebrities and see how often women are criticized and when they supposedly “hit the wall” and then how it is for men. look at the real world and see how women are overly sexualized and objectified not just when they have to look good for a movie, but in the work place, in schools, within their own families. Men can say that if they’re ugly, they feel insecure or unvalued, and that is absolutely true. But for women, being ugly is treated as though it is the worst thing in the world. Even if you are smart, successful, rich, strong, etc, it doesn’t matter. If women don’t look like they appeal to men, they are treated by their peers and by things like the media as if they are not even people. It is a horrible, horrible feeling that men should feel lucky they will never have to experience. There’s so much I could say but the last thing I’ll add is that the consequences of the overall standards set by patriarchy are very different for men than women. They are not comparable. Why? Because the whole point of those standards is that men are superior and women are inferior. Men are superior therefore they have to work jobs and make money. Women are inferior therefore they have to stay home and cook and clean for their husbands. Men are superior therefore they cannot cry. Women are inferior there they aren’t logical enough to go to school or be a leader. Men are superior therefore they feel the pressure of being in charge. Women are inferior there they cannot be in charge. Of course times have changed especially in the western world, but still. Men may feel like they have standards and unfair expectations as well (which they do) but those were set by the patriarchy. While men now still have to worry about not showing emotions or about working out so women will like them, women are still terrified about walking alone at night because something horrible might happen to them. That is the difference.
Not denying what you’re saying but you’re also minimizing the experience for men as well. I do agree patriarchy is responsible for these problems for both men and women, but that said there are many women regardless of patriarchy who hold men to these standards too and that’s the reality of the situation. I would also argue society has gotten to the point where women are the ones who uphold the societal expectations for beauty standards against other women. Most men hate lip fillers and unnecessary plastic surgery like the cheek bone thing with the fat, yet women believe it looks good and pursue it based on what they see other women in media doing. This was a great movie and great messaging for men and women, and while I believe men have unrealistic expectations too, the monologue in this movie is pretty iconic and rare for something like this to be for woman and this mainstream, so it’s great to see it
@@bamflyer her point exactly. Women can also perpetuate patriarchy. That's why it affects everyone. But the struggles of men will never compare to that of a woman. Socially we were, are and probably will be at a disadvantage compared to men. That's a fact. It's not a competition of miseries, it's that really in the century we are in all this continues to happen.
@@valerie..839 I get that women perpetuate the patriarchy too. But again, while theres no debate that women have it really difficult theres a whole side to men’s struggles that are not acknowledged by society at larger and that is my point too that it’s okay to say that without “taking away” from the struggle of women, it’s not saying more or as much it’s saying that the struggles men deal with are more than women think as well. Women’s problems have been vocalized well before, (although what I love about this movie is how it brings them all together in a concise message in one movie, which we havent seen before). A lot of men’s problems are only recently being uncovered and talked about because people are becoming more open sbout men’s mental health. And not all of our problems stem from patriarchy either.
Woman: lists all the contradictory messages in society Man: But we have to work out, though! Can we point out, that all genders have their struggles but that there are definately differences? Great.
There was something that felt so special to see the barbies i played with and wanted in the movie and saying oh my god i remember that one when i saw it in the cinema
I watched this in theaters with my 10-year-old son who asked to go with me to see this (he prepped by watching Barbie: Life in the Dream House for it because Barbie isn’t a phenomenon over here in Japan so he was lacking a lot of culture context) and it was honestly the best movie going experience. Less about actually watching the movie but the discussions we had after. He understood that this movie wasn’t about bashing men at all but rather how societal norms and the systems in place are hurting everyone. I was a bawling mess in theaters during THE speech because I have never felt so seen and understood in film before. For me, the Mattel “goons” were the least interesting part for me.
Personally, when I was watching this movie, I wasn't super wowed. I was starting to think it was overhyped and overrated... Until the scene where Barbie was crying and said she wasn't pretty anymore and that she was not good enough. That hit me so so hard. And when the mom started going off, I had never felt so seen in my life. As the movie progressed, I realised exactly why it did so well and why people loved the movie so much. Would I say this is the best movie in the world or even the best movie in 2023? No. Was it what I was expecting it to be? Hell no. But it touched me very deeply and I'm so so happy I watched it.
Interesting. I actually felt the opposite. I loved all the small quips about gender role differences and Barbies, but the monologue felt kind of heavy handed to me.
@@Evija3000yeah same. Could've done without that. But I like that it served a purpose in the story, that this was what made all the other Barbies snap out of their brain washing.
I agree with oak, men's mental health awareness is extremely important. People of all genders struggle constantly with societal pressures. My only grief with his comments is the need to bring up men's problems when discussing women's issues. If someone is discussing one issue I think it's a bit odd to respond by making sure people are aware that another issue also exists. I am only sharing my opinion and am open to constructive criticism.
@@davidbaye3758 Glad you can see it. I don't think what you said was wrong or untruthful, and you could certainly build a whole speech around men's issues; but I do think it was a little misplaced, because the movie wasn't about us guys. As I mentioned in a different comment, it's like complaining that "Fight Club" only took the time to deal with male issues. Well, yeah, that was the whole point of the movie. Having specific viewpoints and topics in a piece of media doesn't invalidate that there are other important things out there. And when attention is called to one set of issues, especially in a 2-hour movie, there's nothing wrong with just acknowledging it for what it is, without feeling the need to interject a whataboutism in there.
They were iconic Before seeing this movie I saw reviews and thought it was going to be a male hate movie but oh was I wrong.. And now I'm kinda impressed by the way people can not get a message and distort it so much lmao It's like they didn't even watch the same movie The scene where the movie says "the kens have to start somewhere and will eventually have the same power women have in the real world" is pretty self explanatory and I can't believe some men (rttv💀) were angry about the kens having less power and didn't understand that the kens are literally depicting women in the real world, who also started from nothing and still don't have equality
I cannot believe Earing Magic Ken got a cameo shout out in this movie. I literally said to my friend that Mattel were too cowardly to reference the time they accidently dressed Ken in gay club rave gear and a cockring necklace, but low and behold there he was. They replaced his necklace tho, boooo.
The line about mothers standing still is a knife to my heart every time! Very, very fortunately that scene was spoiled for me on tiktok. If I had seen that for the first time in the theater I would not have made it. I would have been asked to leave because of how loudly I would have been crying. The montage of real women almost took me out too.
I had to wait for the Cinema to empty, then put on my sunglasses, just to make it out of the building. When I got into my car I cried for half an hour solid. Such an impactful film.
You’re right! This message was exemplified through Ken in order to get men to pay attention and relate it to them. Patriarchy hurts everyone and the key difference here is that MEN created and are committed to advancing the patriarchy. Let it go and we’d all be better off. Now I will say that women’s prices is much heftier and it’s almost always charged by a man. Please don’t insult the writers, they meant for you to feel all of this. Glad you enjoyed it clearly Greta didn’t forget men would also be watching, unlike most male filmmakers who don’t bother to research the women’s issues they make so much money off of.
Tell it! I happened to watch Wonder Woman and The Justice League close together and the difference between showing her strength in one movie and showing up her skirt in the other was just 😑
Soooooo many movies (especially in the 80s and 90s) are allll about what it’s like to be men. Men also complaining about being subordinate to other men in systems of power. As a little girl, I had no choice but to see those men in those movies and pretend I was being included in their rhetoric. Doesn’t help that “men” is used to incorporate men AND women (“all MEN are created equal”). Yet this movie comes out and she specifically calls out WOMENS issues and men are all “but what about meee?” She didn’t have to give Ken his own arc at all and she made sure she did and was kind to him at the end. So…. Boo-hoo.
And Barbie acknowledged and apologized for her mistakes and took steps to make changes. Ken never acknowledged or apologized for his behaviors or for what he did.
Aaaaaah I was so hoping you'd do a Barbie reaction!!! Edit: awww man I'm so sad you didn't really enjoy it that much - thanks for being open minded though, always appreciated!
America’s monologue moved me deeply. Oaks comments are like hearing black life matter and responding all lives matter. When someone opens up and tells you something deep and profound about themselves or people like them, you should listen. Not say “well we have problems too.” That’s dismissal, not understanding.
One lesson I took away from the movie was that you can't just change your surroundings or society and expect that it will fix everything. It's not about having everyone look up to you or having the perfect job or whatever, if you're not experiencing the fulfillment you want then you need to do the work on the inside.
Very well said!! Although changing the environment is a part of it but the work starts on the inside. And you can only change your environment up to a certain limit. Maybe then you reach a place where you can create your own environment 😅.
At least Oak (mostly) gets it, and I guess that's gonna have to be good enough, though this channel as whole definitely doesn't pass the Barbie litmus test. Imagine trying to say "both sides are valid" on a discussion about rampant misogyny.
"Rampant Misogyny"- EXACTLY, Thank you!- Why is no one here mentioning: "You're not doing patriarchy very well", "Oh we're doing it well!, we're just HIDING IT BETTER"! Yeah, please stop men, THIS IS THE POINT FOR WOMEN'S EXPERIENCE RIGHT HERE"
America's monologue works for both men and women. Greta Gerwig, who wrote and directed the film also said that in an interview. Perfectly casted. Ryan definitely was a stand out. I think we are all "Kenough".
I'm curious, after reading some of these comments, have they altered your guys' perspective at all on the movie? I always wonder if reactors reflect much on the comments. Some of these have been so brilliantly expressed I would think it might widen your perspective or give you some more insight that could change your minds a bit. If so, I'd be down for a video of you guys reviewing your comments and discussing any reflections or changes of opinions (like a recap of initial response vs reflected response).
I think this comment section has the least interaction from the guys of all their videos so I wouldn't be surprised if they havent altered their perception, i wouldnt be surprised if they're actively avoiding the criticism and introspection. disappointing
I was confused about the gyno visit too but then...when you first get a "car" (a huge responsibility that could end a life if not used correctly) wouldn't you want to take it to a "car" person to make sure everything's all good and functioning/healthy? This being the "first point of business" for now-human-Barbie was significant to me because I was f*ckin' terrified when I first got my period, knowing all the life-altering decisions I might have to make or I might be forced to make about another life (that came from me). But Barbie goes into that appointment calm, cool, collected, and maybe optimistic? And with her full agency, taking responsibility/charge of her own body. I didn't realize how important that ending was to me until now.
You've covered all the real-world points regarding the gynecologist appointment, but there's a separate point for Barbie. By the end of the movie, Barbie actually HAS the body parts for that kind of appointment! 😂
I have never seen a movie like this. I think it's a masterpiece!!! I saw it in the cinema and immediately wanted to watch it many more times. 10 out of 10
“We mothers stand still so our daughters can look back and see how far they’ve come” Wow What a quote Damn that’s what I felt the most from all this (watching along to this reaction- it’s also my first time seeing this movie)
I'm glad you guys gave the movie a chance. And I understand that everyone's opinion is their own and they're entitled to it. That being said, respectfully, I also think Oak missed the point of the film and America's speech. IMO, countering her monologue with his own about how men have challenges and pressures too was a clear indicator of that. Her comments weren't a declaration that men haven't a care in the world. She was simply outlining why being a woman is hard. And like many in this thread have already stated...Ken's challenges are addressed in the movie and he goes on his character journey. Finally, I think the movie made over a billion dollars because the writing and story were smart. And the film addresses topics and issues that a particular demographic have been wanting to see told on the screen for a long time.
You're definitely right about there being Matrix references, personally I just found it to have had so many incredible film references and call backs. The entire opening sequence is a freakin' incredible shot for shot take on 2001: A Space Oddessey, Matrix, Wizard of Oz, just so many great references. Plus, the dance sequence in "I'm Just Ken" just feels so reminiscent of those big studio movie dance sequences from back in the 50s and 60s but also reminded me of Grease. I love this movie so much, it's an easy 5/5 for me!
Honestly I'm a little disappointed in their review after. The movie is so much more than the cast (GOSLING), cinematography, director, jokes, will Ferrell, etc. It is about womanhood, and for what feels like the first time women get a movie that summarizes the womanly experience, the good and the bad in abundance (I could go on forever about this). A little disappointed that you chose to focus on the men and their issues. While I understand that it is an issue that is of importance, there are many movies that highlight said issue (even fight club???). The whole point of the movie is to show that kens in barbieland are like the women in the real world, while also showing how women would flourish like the barbies if they had control over their freedom and had autonomy. Feminism in this movie is to show how both versions, where both men and women in the two different worlds are discriminated against is never the answer. I don't know if you noticed but when ken became obsessed with patriarchy, instead of building his own kendom he took over what was barbies dreamhouse. Even concepts of barbie being a long distance low commitment gf kind of show a pattern of how where even if ken finally became the one in power chose to degrade the barbies instead of having a role reversal of the initial barbieland. You can also see how at the end of the day ken does not apologize, its still barbie who apologizes. Its a movie where a lot of women came out of the theatre in tears because they never knew that other women were also having the same universal experience and that it is not necessarily that they are the problem. Usually when I have nothing good to say, I keep it to myself but I just need to say this. I watch all of your guys' videos and am a huge fan in general but maybe give it some more thought. (This is not a jab at men, its just give us the same importance - its barbie and its ken).
Yeah absolutely love this channel, and few male reactors have picked up on this point, but there is a key difference in what the kens/barbies in this movie/life go through. When the kens face discrimination they are ignored/rejected. When the Barbies faced discrimination they were subjugated, assaulted, harassed, and dehumanized (even though they were dolls their autonomy was literally stripped when the Kens came into power). A line that most reactors leave out is when Ken and Barbie first go to the real world and Ken says that everyone staring at him has no undertone of violence, but Barbie does feel that undertone. This movie is kind to men and does show how the Patriarchy hurts men, but it also points out that it is not harmful in the same ways/capacity that women are hurt by it. Even in the end of the film Barbie was left apologizing to Ken due to her not seeing the way he felt but Ken, despite leading the charge to subjugate all the barbies into servants that only serve their wants, NEVER apologized back. Barbie in the end was still doing the all emotional labor. Even after she rejects him in the end he also still tries to kiss her. There are so many layers to this movie but I see a lot of people missing key themes/messaging.
Love the movie and love you guys I really just wanna say one thing: Why do we watch someone struggle and go "ok but I have issues too"? Of course you can take the entire speech about expectations for women and apply it to men. Yes, of course! Not a single line in this movie was "Women have it difficult and men do whatever they want" The core message is "being human is difficult". Yes, the main focus was on women, it's a barbie movie after all. But, in my humble opinion, it really shows the struggle of humans Taking the speech and applying it for men, doesn't make women's struggle any less real. Acknowledging that women struggle doesn't mean admitting that men don't. Stop comparing, it's not a competition. It's life mwah ❤
100%. even as a guy it frustrates me when i see some don reply to a girl opening up about an experience with a man or a film about women’s struggles to go “but what about men?” so i can’t imagine how frustrating it is to see as a woman.
I just found your channel and find it so refreshing how you balance both validating how women experience the world and also sharing your own experiences as men living in a patriarchy. I have long said that our society creates unrealistic expectations for men too, that you must be masculine, physically strong, tall, make a lot of money, always love sports, bang lots of chicks, not enjoy anything that's too "girly" or targeted toward women. It's truly just as limiting and must be awful. I think the difference is that men have the lion's share of the power (and money) in the world, so as much as men suffer too, women suffer an additional layer of being powerless. This is not the say that men aren't powerless in many ways, but just moving through the world and not fearing being literally attacked or groped by a stranger, what a magnificent joy and privilege that would be for women. The other thing a lot of men get wrong about feminism is that we demonize men. Do all men have biases they aren't aware of because we live in our society? Sure. Just as I, a white woman, have many hidden biases about what it means to be a person of color. Admitting that you are influenced by and suffer because of the patriarchy does not mean you are admitting to being a bad person. It is just a reality that you inherited being born in our modern culture. The thing you can do about it is pushing back and questioning assumptions and listening when people without power (women, LGBTQ+ folks, POC, the disabled, etc.) tell you their experience. Don't take it personally AND do think about how you personally benefit from their subjugation and how you can use the power you have to uplift others. I think I just womansplained a lot (LOL) but, no shame here. I also appreciate you talking about mental health for men, so important for men to figure out their own selves. And lastly, as a woman who is just shy of 6' tall, I never cared much if a guy was shorter than me. It was always the men who had a problem with it. Don't discount us tall queens. If you're a good person, that shit doesn't matter.
I love y’all’s videos♡ I’ve been subscribed for about a year now and every time I see you posted something I drop everything and watch your videos :D thank you for bringing that joy to my life!
I agree with the comment that Ryan Gosling was amazing in Barbie as Ken, but Margot Robbie's acting is also as amazing. She really nails down every single emotion, facial expression that Barbie starts to feel as the unsettledness from thoughts of death come during the dancing scene, and when she goes on her journey to the real world. If anything, everyone was perfectly casted, they all knew the character very well and did their job to create this huge phenomenon, so kudos to everyone!
Honestly regarding Oak's comments, me and some other women I know have said that Barbie had more interesting comments on men than women which was more standard. Ken's progression of feeling lost as man, taking his problems out on women with dominance and still feeling lost, then fighting other Kens and _still_ feeling lost made his character way more fun to follow. He ends having to find a purpose independent of who he rules over, under, or tries to impress, and I think that's a nice message. And Michael Cera's character is pretty much the example of a guy that has found a steady confident place for himself. Also why I think this movie made $1 billion: - Mattel went really hard on the marketing - Big name actors, big name musicians, Greta Gerwig is a well respected director - It's one of the first proper summer blockbusters post-pandemic. 2022 was still feeling the pandemic related delays so this is the year where it felt like movies were truly "back". - It's a recognizeable brand movie that isn't a superhero movie, with colorful corny sets and less muted CGI. - It's targeted towards women. We're about half the population, but we don't get many movies so unapologetically made for us in a sincere way.
Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling were fantastic. Some of the comedy hit and some of it was miss. Greta did a lot in here and overall, it was entertaining. What was your reaction? What did we miss?
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hii im from Philippines please do watch another Aamir Khan movies its bollywood
@@ReYnFel next film coming in October is Kaithi
And yes, Quinn that is very true bout high heels. Was hoping yall remembered that all Barbies walk on tip toe which has always made me laugh cause ur fricken calf would likely explode lol...not to mention entire posture is off, but the creator, Ruth, was pretty ingenious to design it that way so the high heels could just slip on and off
Also, the older lady on the bench that had convo w Barbie was the movies costume designer!!! She's won awards, amd hands down better at least be a nom for this movie cause these costumes are so dang spot on I kid u not. ALSO, the girls at the lunch table in real world were the Bratz Dolls. Have the same names and way they look amd talk guys are also identical thats why that scene if u would have known would have been even funnier. Hard to tell what u miss by just a reaction, but just trying to help. Thanks guys!!
I cried through the whole thing (I have mommy issues) but the bit that actually made me pause and think about my life was the bit where decoy barbies were humoring kens and they were talking about all the dumb ways barbie was allowing kens to dominate the relationship and condescend them. I spent most of my 20s living like that, doing all these shallow/submissive acts to try and get men to like me, accepting the long term long distance low commitment casual girlfriend role because that's all I thought I had a right to. Seeing and hearing all that and how demeaning it's meant to be gave me such a strong flashback to how I basically prostrated myself for past exes and AUGGHGHG the shame and embarrassment.
The message is that Patriarchy hurts everyone, including men. This wasn’t just a girl-power movie. Women do have unique struggles and they deserve to be acknowledged as such. Anyone who was “offended” or “felt picked on” by it because ken and Barbie don’t end up together has a problem. The entire lesson with that last Ken scene is about not gleaning your self worth and identity from how women respond to you, and simultaneously, men aren’t owed relationships or love based on what they do for or how much they pursue a woman. Seriously, anyone who takes issue with that or first wave feminist ideals is scary.
I also think too many people read the plot as "men are the problem" and get Weirdly defensive, when they try to make it clear the patriarchy is the issue, and the parts of it that still exist are held up by men and women that hold it up intentionally or inadvertently, the same as there are both men and women that can and do try to overcome it, none of the Ken's are evil or bad they learn habits and bias that aren't true the same way that the barbies live in an unbalanced blissful ignorance before seeing how the world really is.
Anyone who feels attacked by this movie needs to sit down and figure out why they think they're targeted by it
@@lvfd6117 100% - unless a person thinks upholding the patriarchy is synonymous with being a man, there is nothing offensive going on here. Another critique I’ve seen and cannot comprehend is that the movie bashes motherhood and promotes single career women only, which again, I cannot comprehend. The emotional core of the movie is a mother-daughter duo, Ruth Mattel created Barbie for her daughter, the scenes that play when Barbie starts to “feel” include motherhood, and America’s character literally outright says it’s okay to just want to be a mom when talking about ordinary Barbie. I still have no idea what people are objecting to.
100%
They stated in the movie that men are strictly patriarchy. They did attack men as a whole. They even diminished men to only liking trucks, cowboys, and "cheesy" music. Where on the opposite end they portrayed women in diverse roles and having complete control over what they want to do and be. Shoot they showed the absolutely worst human traits in only the male characters.
it's also holding the mirror for the whole situation. Ken having best time of his day at the beginning standing on beach implies the thought women just have to look good and stand still because they can't do anything. Ken in Barbieland is basically a woman without any knowledge in a patriarchy system (which still do exist in the real world). Self worth and knowledge should not be a priviledge, but a natural thing for everybody and once we all identify ourselves as human and not man or woman, we might find ourselves in a better world. The most saddest thing in this movie is the first guy in the real world Ken is talking to while asking for a job. "We hide patriarchy better." Holding onto dividing the society and the right to giving orders or feeling superior is still present, it was same in the Barbieland which was designed in the same thought, reversed patriarchy - Barbieland was not a matriarchy.
people got mad at this movie because they think its anti-men. which it most certainly is NOT. literally one of the main storylines is giving the kens individuality.
Maybe the movie wasn't trying to be anti-men, but I can see why people see it that way when 99% of the men in the movie are portrayed as either idiots, misogynistic assholes, or flippant women-dismissing corporate executives.
@@netflixandchinchilla
Well... yes... but the people upset at the movie going on rants? The people that feel "attacked" by the movie or movies like this one? Those ARE the idiots, misogynistic assholes that are flippant woman-dismissing men. Because the rest of us? Don't CARE that the movie didn't cater to us, had a message of empowerment for both men and women, etc. We enjoyed the movie for what it was; a good entertaining movie with a great message.
@@netflixandchinchillawell that's the whole point. Barbieland is basically an allegory for how the world looked according to men back in the day. All men were intellectual and held all positions while the women only existed as means for the men to use, extensions of the men essentially. The women had no individuality and weren't capable to do well with power if they received it since they've never held that kind of power. So slowly when they started receiving more and more rights, it showed that the women were definitely capable of just as much as men. (Obviously you could see that before too, they just didn't have the same chance to show it) In Barbieland it's just switched roles, and a lot of men got mad lol. Also this movie is supposed to be comedic so to dumb the men down is kinda funny in context.
@@emilia4355
Well, women were dumbed down in movies for the longest time. Go back to the 40s noir detective films or horror flicks. The 70s exploitation. The 80s action flicks.
Barbie just flipped the roles and said, "hey, this is what it looks like", and good on them. Some men need that slap upside the head to get it.
@@mgass1354 yep, that too.
1:02:00 The film literally says that patriarchy affects both women and men. The thing is that most male directors don't touch on those topics and when a female director like Greta touches on the struggle of being a woman, some men start to say that they suffer too, well no one says otherwise, why have that mentality? Especially since men have tons and tons of movies where a male director could touch on the issues that men face, like fragile masculinity, men repressing their emotions because they are judged by society, etc., and they don't do it. So why do they expect a female director to tell them textually that the film's speech and message is also for them, because women suffer but men too...
Additionally, Greta is giving Ken an epiphany of where his value lies, that he is enough, that he doesn´t need to be something specific imposed by social norms, to be valuable. And I assure you that many women identified with Ken and it was not necessary for it to come out of a woman's mouth to understand that the message was for all of us.
This.
The amount of times I’ve hear men say “I can go word for word on that speech and tell you how it applies to men too” makes my stomach hurt.
As you said, there are so many… soooooo many male directors who could touch on those struggles, men can have so much more opportunities to express how unattainable certain things are for men too but I think they just don’t want to admit, most of those expectations come also from patriarchy. Someone else in the comments said that patriarchy hurst both men and women , it’s time for all of us to accept that and find a middle ground.
🙌🏽
Ex-hausted-friggin-xactly! 100%. Male and female suffering can't be compared line for line, 1:1, in a patriarchal society because of the power imbalance against women. But I'm sure the last female president can explain that better than I can. ...Oh, wait... And ugh I may, yes ugh I might, it's a failure of logic to assume speaking of female suffering automatically denies the existence of male suffering. There isn't a spoon big enough to feed this message more clearly.
Feminist bs
Do you this Matriarchy would be better it would be the same.
Men and male directors do not feel need or want do that because men are different that women and they are not as emotional as we women are.
What men do is also they do not complain in every movie how bad they feel in the world it is so annoying .
I understand your takes, but the reason this movie was a big thing for girls and women was because it literally represents the teenage girl experience. When Barbie started having this thoughts, and her feet went flat and all of those things, this is literally what happens to girls. One day we just wake up and start noticing all of our "flaws" and start being insecure. It also shows how patriarchy not only affects women but also men. For me it was a very powerful movie because watching Barbie discover all these things about the real world was like experiencing this all over again. I never thought this movie would go this direction. I literally left the cinema crying, but Greta is amazing and all her movies have always affected me so I should expect that by now hahahahhahaha.
Completely agree. I think the Oak is the only one that truly understood those themes
I just wish there was a movie that acknowledges that men too have insecurities. I vividly remember being insecure in the same ways as girls were in high school. It’s not a gender exclusive experience. There are definitely unfair unrealistic ideals that men’s are held up to as well.
@@sketchtheparadigmyork1217 I agree completely, no one is discarding that. This movie never, not once, diminished men at all, it’s just that it was really targeted to women, even though I think men can relate as well. It would be cool if there was a movie like you said I think it would help a lot of men too if it’s done well.
@@sketchtheparadigmyork1217 and yet men dont make one. Men are the ones creating the standards you're complaining about.
Why was ken attracted to Patriarchy at the first place? Bcuz he got respect for the first time in his life. He brought patriachy to barbieland, he was enjoying the patriachy until barbie tricked him into fighting with other kens, the brainwashed barbies were not fond of him anymore, he lost their friendship bcuz of barbie not bcuz of patriachy. Everything was going fine until Barbie ruined it, barbie was the toxic asshole that refused to treat him as equal in the first place.
The monologue starting @2:50 is actually touched on history. Women up to the late 60s and 70s were not allowed to have a bank account or open a line of credit in their own name without their husbands signature. So they couldn't buy a car or have a house. Barbie being able to do that was big. Careers for women had been limited at that point. Barbie was aspirational and opened opportunites for girls and young women.
It's easy for people to forget how young our democracy is.
Also back then, all the job ads (they were in newspapers) were separate: "Men wanted" ads separate from Women wanted" ads. In my mom's previous (1950s, 1960s) generation, when a working woman became pregnant, she was fired. Mom and all her friends from high school were expected to become pregnant after marriage as fast as possible.
These guys don't get it. My mom couldn't have her visibly pregnant sister as her maid of honor at the wedding because it wasn't "dignified". Women suffer for having normal biological functions on top of being undermined in the workforce.
Wow, that is worse than Communist Soviets. Russia had already in prewar that women were self entity and bank account was not unusual. Of cause, wages and wealth was not up to th Western countries.
I graduated from college 1973, had a full time job as a Media Buyer, a bank account and credit cards to Macys and others BUT was still turned day by Bloomingdales! They had a reputation for not giving single women credit..all the things I had going for me was not good enough for Bloomingdales!
Almost all movies are centered around men, many of them show unnecessary violence against women and make women dumb and dependent, and when this is pointed out, men say: "It's just a movie, you're taking it too seriously." Then men come running and cry about every movie where a woman controls her own life. When I don't like a movie, I move on. You know, they prove the point of the movie by spreading hate every time it's mentioned.
💯
👍👍
TRUUUUU
Haven't heard truer words 👌
And yet here you are seeking attention in a men channel 😂
About Oak’s speech: This is exactly what the movie’s about… Those expectations all come from patriarchy. It’s all about Patriarchy hurting everyone, but especially women. Feminism is exactly about fighting all of that.
Yeah, I was honestly a little disappointed that he felt the need to give that speech. Everything he said is true ofc, and any perspective he came out of the movie with is valid because it's his own opinion, but I think it's a bit sad that some people hear America's speech and think they need to defend men's struggles as if men's and women's struggles are in direct competition with each other. I think some people hear that speech and think it's an attack on men, but honestly it's just pointing out the roles society pushes onto women in general. It's a little disheartening to think that anytime women share a negative perspective on societal treatment that we're just automatically hating on men and their struggles. Again, if that's how someone perceived the movie then that's fine, everyone has a right to their opinion, but the defensiveness always disappoints me a bit.
@@journeysilvers9838
This is literally what toxic patriachy does. They created incels among them where they just got problem with any women not being submissive n praisimg men all the time.
This is one of the things I love about this movie. I don't understand why so many people thought this was a man-hating movie; Ken's whole arc is about discovering his own power within himself rather than through Barbie. He starts off drawing all his worth from her approval, then tries drawing his worth from controlling her, and ultimately realizes it's not about her at all; he's just Ken and he's enough.
And that's what Allan is all about! Because he isn't a "manly man" like the Kens, he's relegated to second class citizenship in the patriarchy. He's giving the Kens FOOT MASSAGES because he isn't traditionally masculine, and he doesn't care about leather couches or dominating women. He helps the Barbies fight the patriarchy because it's hurting him, too. It's even hurting the Kens, who are forced to be hypermasculine and controlling and competitive, even though several of them eventually admit they don't even want to. And the end of the movie makes clear that a matriarchy is ALSO not the answer for the same reasons -- alienating and ostracizing people who don't conform to their norms, devaluing and taking men for granted. Opposing patriarchy isn't about empowering women ABOVE men. It's about fighting systems that impose these hurtful expectations on us.
I've seen young men react, and it touched them. One said he had goosebumps all over him, quite a few cried.
It never attacks men- nor women.
It DOES attack patriarchy, though,
because it limits us all.
My best guess is that's why so many men middle age and up have a slight problem with it.
They were brought up inside patriarchy,
and so an attack on patriarchy feels like an attack on them personally. At least that's how it looks like from the outside.
While younger men seems to find it freeing.
Oak saying he won't get too worked up over the message... with his arms crossed and trying not to laugh, then spending 8 minutes about the message in the end. lol His critique of Ferrara's speech about the female experience showed how much he missed the point of the movie (which also covered the male experience), and perhaps how uncomfortable he is with listening to the female experience. "Why did this movie make a billion dollars?? Genius marketing!" ...Or maybe there's a whole demographic who's been treated as invisible by the film industry for a while, and surprise, they enjoy seeing their stories being told.
EXACTLY!!
Such a shallow analysis, from him, especially.
He usually has great takes but I was actually very disappointed by his analysis of this movie
FYI the guys on The Normies got the point, and the humor, without being threatened by it.
@@em8066 ty for this, it'll be nice to watch a reaction and not have to worry about the men getting threatened by it lol
It’s fascinating watching men react to America’s monologue in this. Not a flicker! In the cinema half the women were in tears before she was a third of the way through. It shows how we can walking alongside each other in this world and be oblivious to the experience of those walking beside us. The line “one day Ken’s will have as much power as women do in the real world,” Again, not a flicker of reaction!
I’ll be honest, that last line (though a funny/edgy line) disappointed me. I really wish the president of Barbie Land decided to allow the Kens to have a real voice in the government. That’s true feminism, and it would have sent a better message, IMO. It feels like they went for the edgier commentary as opposed to buttoning the whole story together.
@@JuJuLotz But its true lol
@@JuJuLotz sure. maybe she didn't give them a chance because of the coup?
America’s monologue meant so much to me.
Men and women are different.
Oak seemed to miss the whole point of the movie with that rant. I will say he usually does a great job at picking up on some pretty subtle but important points about movies, so I was surprised his take on it was *so* surface this time, when it was pretty much right there. I guess he fell into the trap of thinking making fun of the patriarchy and toxic masculinity bullshit is the same as making fun of men, and saying that it’s not hard to be a man. Thinking those are the same thing is kind of strange. “Being male is the same as being a douchebag, and anyone who has a problem with that is being mean to men” is such a weird, contradictory take. The point is that the patriarchy hurts everyone, including men, and that maybe we need to stop trying to control each other, so that everyone can be who they want, and everyone can feel and be treated like they’re equal, with inherent worth, because they’re a person. That’s literally it. It’s not a complicated message, nor was it hidden. Nowhere in this movie does it place the blame for the unfair expectations of society on men, or say that it’s only women who experience it. It was just that it was coming from a woman, who can only speak to her own experiences. The system that is rigged to only benefit the most powerful (whoever they are) is the problem, and that’s exactly what the movie says. What exactly does Oak think Barbie was apologising to Ken for? She realised that all the Kens were doing was flipping the script on the Barbies, so the Barbies must have been going about things the wrong way, all this time. If the message was “men suck and we should take everything away from them”, you could definitely just delete the whole ending.
I agree, especially the part about usually enjoying Oak’s take on the movies. He’s usually pretty insightful, but I guess everyone gets triggered by something. It’s nothing against him. But yeah, I don’t think he “got” it, as well as he normally might.
Yes, I mean I’m not going to lump him in with the crybabies who didn’t understand the movie and just automatically decided the whole thing was trash, because he at least appreciated the comedy, performances and all of the amazing work put together to making this movie. Plus I’ve seen enough BM reactions to know he’s not like that.
Yeah, the movie said “it’s hard to be a person, so we need to get off each other’s backs and let everyone just live”, and bro heard “men don’t matter”.
I was also kind of surprised at his take. I was excited when it got to his part because of all the guys, Oak seems to more operate from a place of empathy (and I’d absolutely consider him the most feminist of the group). It was kind of a “whomp whomp” reaction.
So I landed on: I think he was trying, in some way, to thread the needle and find some common ground between the people who bitched about the movie and the people who loved it.
That's not what I got from Oak's take at all. He's talking specifically about America Ferrera's "what it's like to be a woman" speech, and saying that taken in that single context, he's seen people get offended because those are not just feelings women face. I suspect he recognizes the themes of the film as a whole, but it was an off-the-cuff reaction, maybe he just couldn't articulate his full meaning well. Peeling back the layers of meaning is something that takes a bit more thought, and that's hard when on camera.
There is a line that didn't make it into this reaction of the movie: "Any power you have must be masked under a giggle." I think that is exactly what this movie does. It presents a lot of really deep and thought-provoking ideas for both women and men but they're masked under the silliness and absurdity. Yeah it may not resonate will all women or many men, but it obviously resonated with quite a lot of them and I think it's important to acknowledge that. It definitely didn't deserve the hate it received from some very specific groups of people. Also, justice for Allan.
Just the idea that those ideas are presented in a Barbie movie explicitly, and at all, is pretty interesting and unexpected. And clever.
I agree! The fact that the movie was so outlandish and funny kind of points to the fact that it *had* to be to make these "pro-women/anti-patriarchy" points
All men are dumb and all women are smart, if this is not anti men/woke movie, then idk what it is. How can would anyone make an anti men movie, explain me.
that line would have looked beautiful with that line and a “office-looks into the camera” moment
Just to give a little backstory for your question at 50:02 (because I think it's really beautiful)- Greta Gerwig had the idea that Barbie needed to see what it's like to be "human" and so she knew that it would involve some sort of "real life videos", and then she decided to open it up to the entire production crew, actors, producers, etc. Basically anyone who worked on the film could submit footage of someone who was important to them because Greta wanted to show that a massive amount of effort goes into making movies like this, and at the end of the day, it's still the human component that drives it, and she wanted the people who worked on the film to be seen, literally and metaphorically. So those people are real (not actors, I mean), and they are all connected to part of the crew in some way. Also, to answer Oak's question at 1:19:01 - putting her in the box would "reset" her and stop her from coming back to the real world. They followed her back to Barbieland because she was still "conscious" and could possibly still come back at some point. It's not that they JUST wanted her to go back, they wanted to erase her knowledge of the real world.
I love you guys and specially tend to wait for Oak’s take on every movie because I love how invested he gets and he’s not afraid of going deep in his analysis, however …(here comes the eye roll lol) It bugs me every time I hear a man say “I can go word for word on that monologue and show you how it applies to men too”…
I heard once that the biggest fail in communication is that “we tend to listen with the intent to reply rather than to understand”
In order to get to a middle ground in equality between men and women we need to listen and acknowledge each others struggles, this movie is more focused on how patriarchy hurts women in particular yes, but still hints how is hurting men too and i feel like so many people are missing the point.
this
yup, this one :)
This. And honestly in general I hate how things can't just be saying something without also implying the opposite of it these days. I like apples...SO YOU HATE ORANGES?! No i didn't say that. This movie actually gave a lot more to men's issues than I expected...but it was about the experience of women. We can have that without saying men don't also have their issues. But that's not the main point of this 2 hour movie. And exactly as you said. Don't listen with the intent to then say "but actually"...just listen and accept and learn...then have the conversation of you want.
@@JeM130177 just came to me that the guys had the question at some point of how come this movie surpassed the billion dollars and I think is because is bringing up conversations, valuable conversations and debates. That to me, is a huge accomplishment.
SPOT ON. Why is no one here mentioning: "You're not doing patriarchy very well", "Oh we're doing it well!, we're just HIDING IT BETTER"! Yeah, please stop men, THIS IS THE POINT FOR WOMEN'S EXPERIENCE RIGHT HERE-holding women down no matter what!
It’s always interesting when people miss the point with marginalized people and say “Well, we all have these universal problems”. Yes, we all have our struggles but some groups have ADDED stress that is needless. Yes, we can all be victims of violence, but women are targeted by male criminals because of their womanhood and have to always be on guard even in situations men just take for granted. Yes, we can all be negatively affected by gender roles, but at the end of the day, it's okay for a girl to take on masculine traits but downright horrifying to many people for boys to exhibit feminine traits.
Just the way we talk about women vs men is very telling. When a businessman is aggressive and greedy, we call him “savvy”. When a woman in business acts the same way she’s called a “bitch” or “over emotional”. When a man is promiscuous, he’s a “stud” who’s “sowing his wild oats”, but when a woman is highly sexual, she’s called a slut or a whore.
I think some guys just don’t like to think about the ways women are affected by behavior that is engrained in them, so they minimize it’s effects. This is how patriarchy is bad for men too.
THIS.
Perfectly said.
This comment is everything.
THIS.
Nobody calls aggressive and greedy buisnessmen "savvy". They are called aggresive and greedy, just like you described them. And men face a lot of problems women never will. Like in Ukraine men aren't alowed to leave the country during war time, or South Korea where men have to serve in the army by law. Criminals target men a lot more too. If you look at homicide and crime statistics, men are tragets of crime more often than women. Women are victims of sexual violence a lot more than men, that's true. And about "studs". I've seen a lot more people supporting Onlyfans women, than promiscuous men doing the same thing. And all the problems you listed are personal, like being called a whore for being a whore, but being forced into service or war because you are a man is government level problems, and those aren't just petty insults
Totally agree on your take and I will say something I think that maybe gets overlooked in this movie is the moment at the end with Ken and Barbie where she talks about how Ken is more than his clothes, cars, job, girlfriend, etc. and that he can be whoever he wants to be. I think the true purpose of this movie is to show that the traditional view of patriarchy doesn’t serve anyone of any gender because it puts you in a box and set of expectations when you should just do and be who you want and be free to do those things
Exactly
Yes!
If patriarchy puts you in a box, so does feminism.
@@furyzxzxwrong
@@furyzxzx No, because there is not "feminism" there are all kinds of different typs of feminism. For example feminism can mean I don't like to wear dresses and jewelery that much and I never put on make up but that's okay and dosn't make me less of a woman. Feminism can mean to suport men to show there emotions. With out feminism women would not be allowed to wote, in my country they would need permition of there husband to work, it means a mother who gave birth to a child out of wedlock dosn't have to live in shame. Feminism supports laws that makes it illegal to rape or beat your wife and/or children and makes sure women can have an aportion ect.
1:02:00 That's the thing I love about the message. The movie is very feminist and from the viewpoint of women. The speach was brilliant imo, I felt very seen. But the whole point is, that the system of patriarchy isn't just toxic for women, it's also toxic for men. As they said, they had the seeds of their own destruction. Ken felt like he HAD to be Barbies boyfriend to have any value, any happyness. Then built that whole construct with his boys club but in the end wasn't really happy because what he really cared about was horses and feeling valued for who he was. But learned that this doesn't have to happen through Barbie's love. He's Ken'ough the way he is.
🥰this!
When they make a movie about mens struggles, people don't go 'BUT WOMEN STRUGGLE TOO!'
But when they make a movie about womens struggles, we have to hear constantly about how "MEN STRUGGLE TOO!'
In the movies about men's struggles the villain will be mostly men, but in the movies that show women's struggles the makers will make sure the villain is a man to represent patriarchy or toxic mascunity. Modern writers can't stop villanizing men in every movie that shows women's struggles so that the viewers can shit on men. And you're surprised when men defend themselves?
@@Universal5-g5eBecause patriarchy and toxic masculinity are bad. So unless you aren't those things, you shouldn't get defensive.
Also It probably cause men tend to kill women a lot so idk maybe we view men as more dangerous than fellow women lol While men are mens worst enemy cause its usually men who try to enforce toxic shit onto other men.
@@Universal5-g5e Because the patriarchy was created by men and is upheld by men, and it hurts both men and women. It's really that simple.
@@ashildrtheswift3028 No it doesn't hurt women. I think we should smash the patriarchy by making men beef with women, making it equal you know.
People quite literally do that all the time. But it might be hard to notice that if you’re living in an echo chamber. Men cant say a single issue they deal with or express a single desire they have in a partner without receiving an absurd amount of backlash.
The response to men expressing their struggles is met with shame and ridicule. “You’re insecure” “just be confident” “work on yourself” “small dick energy” “you must be a virgin” etc.
Its hilarious how blatantly hypocritical people are
Usually I don't compliment the credits, but I really appreciate how they showcase a bunch of the Barbies that were in the movie and then some.
I was expecting Barbie and the Rockers :(
This reaction clearly states which of you are sitting on the higher levels of emotional intelligence here… The comment section explains everything about the movie, its themes and true message perfectly. This movie isn’t for everyone, but sitting here and saying you can tell why some men lashed out the way they did is just mind blowing. Women never bully movies online the way men do. For once we get a movie made by women to raise the strength of women (even if men are welcome to enjoy it and hopefully give an inch of interest of what it’s like walking in our shoes and listen to the underlying themes regarding men, women and everything in between). Greta is a genius. Big shout out to Answer and Mason Quinn in this one! 🎉
Emotional intelligence is the ability to undersand your own emotions, but also other people's emotions, too, right?
Some fun facts about hair and costumes! As the movie progresses, Barbie’s costumes move forward through time and have less structure. In the beginning all of them are more 50s/early 60s. When she visits Weird Barbie her costume is late 60s mod, and by the time we reach the end of the movie she is in a yellow flowy dress. Her hair also changes from being voluminous to getting flatter through the movie. At the end she is also wearing a pair of pink Birkenstocks, a combination of the shoes Weird Barbie offers her, representing her appreciation of who she was and embracing who she is.
i would say the reason it made a billion is not only the talent, art direction, and controversy around it but that women genuinely just want to see a movie that celebrates being super girly. other than maybe disney princess movies it’s pretty rare to get that
You're joking, right? That's been the main representation of women and girls and what has been marketed to us from birth since forever.
@@Lilah1848theyre saying girly things in a good perspective
perceived in a good perspective
@@Lilah1848it's nice to have a mainstream movie that showcases it in a positive light (not saying there aren't others of course)
@@Lilah1848it's impossible to see in modern movies that's why she said that
I loved this movie. Allan was my favorite, not just for his comical role but because he was portrayed as the Strongest both physically (with the fight) and mentally- when he advocated and tried to protect the Barbies from those who would hurt their world. ❤
What I loved about this movie is how self aware is.Even thought as a man I can't completely relate to the experience of playing with Barbies, some scenes and the ending really touched me.
1:01:28 I was really excited to see your reactions to Barbie, and I did enjoy it overall...but Oak, you are usually so on point. You are usually an incredibly thoughtful and introspective ally. And I'm am dumbfounded that you just minimized and shrugged off America Ferrera's powerful monologue with "Yes, but *men struggles*". YES, WE KNOW. That's the whole point of the movie! Strict gender expectations and limitations HURT ALL OF US. But women have significantly less rights, resources and power in this country. We've come a long way since the 50's when Barbie was created. But we are losing more freedoms every day now. Barbie made a billion dollars because half the population is female, a significant percent is LGBTQ+, and Barbie is a powerful rallying cry to why we *still* need more equity and equality for ALL PEOPLE.
I am an older millennial. I have a BA for construction management, was valedictorian, and worked in construction for 10+ years. I ran multi-million dollar remodels, but made the lowest salary despite tenure and experience. My company bragged that they had a woman superintendent, but internally I was repeatedly discriminated against. I was literally told I wasn't a "working super" because the men "had tools and could do stuff" -- I had my own tools and did plenty. They asked why I didn't have kids while I was working 10-12 hour days on my jobsites, but then let me go soon after an intern started a rumor that I was trying to get pregnant. The CFO even pulled me aside to specifically ask me about it, which I'm pretty sure is illegal.
I went to see Barbie with my sister, my mother-in-law, my dad's sister, my dad's wife, and my favorite cousin David. We all wore pink ribbons. America Ferrara's speech broke me and lifted me. I loved this movie more than I can express. I enjoyed the silly joy of it and the total embrace of the very real pain of just trying to be.
I enjoy your channel and a lot of your reactions. I am just the teeniest bit -- I guess disappointed? -- that you guys didnt really get it. I thought you would.
women aren't victims anymore you have the same rights, resources and power than anyone if anything its more of a class issue nowadays than a gender one
i was about to comment the same thing.... i felt disappointed.
He really felt triggered and totally missed the big picture and the countless implications.
Two scenes that for me were painfully funny for me... The Mattel board composed by men and the phrase "Oh we are doing Patriarchy well, we are just better at hidding it"
I'm 36 and I also work in a field mostly dominated by men. I'm the manager of a warehouse and freight operations and I have to deal with men most of the time... truck drivers, warehouse clerks, vendors, salesmen... and the amount of times I've been told "I would like to speak with your boss"... It's so infuriating.
The company I work for also brags about having women in charge but they pay us way less than men and I get it, "we get what we negotiate" but my God! I've been a witness of how difficult they make it for women to justify a raise in comparison with your male colleagues.
I was also a bit dissapointed in the guys take on the movie, specially Oak's but I won't "brake up with them" just yet lol... I've seen their content and I'd like to say they are better than this... maybe a rewatch? lol
@@KarlaGarcia-of7rh darling your field is dominated by men because women don’t want to work in that field lol it has nothing to do with “patriarchy”
I really liked the movie. This movie was satire. Using humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose or critique topical issues, and it was fun. Ryan Gosling was a standout in a stacked cast...just great performances all around. I like how Ken and Barbie go on different journeys, but land on the same spot of self realization to determine the path needed to move forward in their development. Very smart and unapologetic movie. I loved it. ❤❤ Thank you for your reaction!
I don't think you guys fully understood the movie tbh, with all due respect. There were several ironic statements such as "soon men in Barbie land will have as much power as women in the real world." and your faces were completely straight like none of you caught that. It's really interesting to see the difference in reactions between men and women. Women aren't laughing, it's not really a funny movie, the jokes aren't jokes they're political statements. I've yet to see a man reacting to this movie who actually understands it, or even learns from it.
I'm a fan of you guys and your reactions but to be honest this was a hard video to get through, constantly waited for the ball to drop but it never did. When seeing this movie in the theatre, not a single woman left with a dry eye, it's very emotional and hard-hitting. The Oak I think understood the most or at least tried to, but nothing in this movie is anti-men it is just pro-women.
Overall I don't know if this movie should be "reacted to" It's educational and carries a powerful political statement, not always an easy thing to watch people misunderstand. ITS NOT ABOUT MEN. For once a movie is not about men, it is not anti-men or man-hating it is simply to lift up women and young girls. The Girl Power speech does not state that men have it easy or that men don't face issues, it is a movie made by women for women of course it will focus on the struggles and issues faced by women.
The simple fact is that women do face more struggles and yet those experiences are invalidated like in your discussion at the end. "What about men" "Men struggle too" like... SERIOUSLY?! Can men not just listen, support and learn. Not everything is about you, as a woman it is exhausting. And I must say it is a shame as I watch you guys often. Just a couple of days ago in my country, a 15-year-old girl was stabbed in the throat with a machete because she rejected a man's advances. Our struggles as men and women are not the same. You fear women will reject you, we fear men will kill us.
I wanted to comment the last phrase too, only it goes like "Men fear women will laugh at them, women fear men will murder them". Thank you for saying all of these, I stopped expecting men to understand women's struggle long time ago, but you think at least men can recognize when they are not the target audience, it seems they have to be always a center of attention, men's ego is a fragile thing.
thank u 🙏🏻
This sums it up perfectly for me, thank you.
This.
Absolutely SPOT ON.
I loved the movie and “I’m just Ken” is stuck to my head forever
same :D
That and Dance the Night Away lol
I just want to recognized one of the hero of the movie, Allan, who is an introvert and didnt get brainwashed by the patriarchy, we need more people like Allan
Couldn’t wait for this. Yes. All the Barbies, sets and clothes were accurate to real Barbies. I remember them all…even Alan who was marketed as being able to wear Ken’s clothes. Funny point, Mattel cared completely about the Barbies but didn’t really care what they did with Ken.
The thing that I noticed the most, was not your remarks afterwards, which were fine, because everybody’s entitled to their opinion, and frankly, I liked the Barbie movie, but I didn’t love it either. What grabbed my attention like a needle scratching across the record was that when they introduced Ruth in that softly lit room that Barbie ran to, you all were wondering if she was a doll. I didn’t occur to any of you it was possible that she was part of Mattel’s administration. I noticed that because it could be argued that was a sign of unconscious patriarchy, that four guys would just naturally assume that it’s possible she was an old doll, but it didn’t cross your minds she could’ve run things. Interesting, right? I’m not trying to give you heat here, because you guys seem incredibly likable, and I love following your channel. It’s just the kind of thing that people can unconsciously think, especially men. It’s not an insult, it’s just an interesting tell.
Thanks, I felt it too, thank you also for articulating it this so nicely/in this way :) .
Agree, but it's not a glaring mistake for me because the scene felt otherworldly, like it was inside doll house almost. If she was wearing a full suit and sitting in an actual office, I don't think they would have thought anything about it. Like, it's clear that she works there.
Could not have said it better myself. I was waiting for one of them to say “maybe she invented Barbie” or something. I guess I can see why they didn’t. I mean that better-hidden patriarchy is working as well as ever.
I loved and enjoyed this movie. It’s a reminder that this world isn’t perfect but we can still have fun. People getting mad because it’s “anti-men” aren’t using their critical thinking caps. At the end of the movie it’s pretty clear that women and men deserve to be enough. Come on guys.
I legit think this movie does a better job at handling men's issues than a lot of similarly themed movies. It actually hints at a solution to some of these problems, which is for men to join together in solidarity and lift each other up. The Kens went from being hypercompetitive for female attention to supportive, friendly, and cooperative with each other, and they needed that in order to have the realization at the end that "Ken is me."
Bit disappointed with Oak’s “we suffer too” argument, thats not the point. As a woman I left so sad after watching this bc its a terrifying world for women, constantly afraid of walking alone, how many times you say to a friend after he leaves a party “text me when you get home”? Yeah men suffer with toxic masculinity and the expectations of society, but women have been taught to compete with themselves bc of patriarchy, while men help each other thrive, things have been changing thankfully and I hope men understand that its not a war, its an unfair situation, America Ferreras monologue was incredible and you should try to understand womens pov. Lots of love!
this!!!
This movie is so culturally important and the messaging is so layered, the point being that patriarchy does a disservice to both men and women. Every second of this film is intentional while being accessible and visually stunning. Greta is a genius and Margot is a gift.
As a woman one of the most relatable moment for me was what Ken experienced in the real world, seeing men supporting each other, having respect and rights, broship. I NEVER experienced that among women, that we would have place and real value in the world or support each other without questions (sisterhood) and it frightens me. That scene was a real eye opener for me and kind of broke me. Also seeing the reverse in the original Barbieland (Barbies having value) was such an unbelievable experience for me and a new safe space I can't even explain. This movie brought out so many emotions, showing new perspectives on things.
Lol I was so glad that you guys liked the movie until diamond dave opened his mouth.
The part where he says that if you don't want to watch the movie, you won't miss out is so wrong. And I was honestly hoping at least one of you guys would admit that movies are usually so focused on men, this was basically an action movie but for women. For once men are just seen as additional characters. Barbie wasn't living for Ken, and Ken got a bigger role in this movie than women usually get in regular movies, lets say fast and furious or james bond.
It was just very refreshing to have a female-focused movie and I just wished you would acknowledge that this is rare.
I didn't know until now that I really enjoy hearing the Oaks opinion and seeing his reactions to movies and I agree with him that the speech could in reverse also apply to guys. I am worried on what pages the Oak is hanging that he read so much hate on the Barbie movie, I heard it on the background but it wasn't that much on my social media only to hear that apparently men are angry.
Thanks for this upload !!!!!!
Hmm - couldn't be further from the truth to say if you don't watch this you won't miss out, a remark like that has kind of put me off viewing this reaction cause this movie has so many elements to it there is plenty that make this movie so memorable and worthy of the box office records it has set.
I was wondering the same. Like, what angry influencers does Oak follow that made him so guarded against the movie? And that make him believe men are only valuable if they're rich?
@@em8066 I just finished their words at the end, and as a young female fan it really did disappoint me how guarded they felt. What surprised me most was Oak, because in his defense, he is so often the first one to show emotion, to be open about his struggles, and to not be afraid to go against toxic masculinity. Im giving the benefit of the doubt because we've so often seen a different character to Oak, but I was expecting a different sentiment from him.
As men it would be hard to notice that most movies are focused on men because they’re the default. They’re the expectation, that what they’re used to seeing. That’s why it can be hard when they see a movie focused on women. I’d like to see them watch Wonder Woman and the Justice League or whatever it was where all we got from Wonder Woman was a bunch of upskirt shots. Then maybe it would be easier to see the difference between men and women directors. And Diamond Dave, man to say you’re not missing anything from missing this movie, is to negate half the population. Your experience is not everyone’s. And that comment about men feeling invisible? Did you even notice there were women in this movie? Besides Margot Robbie of course? Ask any woman you know just working with men in their jobs about that invisibility. No need to defend, just be open to learning and understanding. Everyone knows men have struggles, don’t negate ours by making it about you.
Hi Badd Medicine! I've been following you guys since Potter and enjoy your reactions. But I want you to truly ponder something for a moment: do you think you would have a different view of this movie if you were a woman? As a woman myself, I found many parts of this movie to be infuriating as it hit a little too close to home. I found the ending, especially America's speech to be comforting and empowering. To hit on Oak's point, yes there are definitely beauty standards for both men and women, that should be addressed. However, oppression of women is long standing and built into our society. Women are often paid less than their male counterparts and women-led careers are typically lower paying. Think teachers, for example. Think about walking into a store like Target, going to their beauty/cosmetic section, and how many of the aisles are geared towards men vs women. Oak mentioned height being something than men cannot control, that woman have a preference over. I agree this to be true, and something I can not fully understand, as the height I am at is often preferred. But there are many things that women cannot change about themselves that society tells them they should change. There are also things about women that they can change, and then feel like they have to. For example, as men you probably did not have the experience of being a pre teen(10-12 years old) and worrying about needing to start shaving your legs or learning to do makeup. These are ideas that are enforced from a very young age. And that is not even mentioning the amount of fear women have to be in due to high rates of being victimized. While I think you make a good point about some of these things being a "we" issue, it is also okay to address the minority group directly on their own (and that is not mentioning that male issues were also discussed in the movie). Honestly there are not a ton of movies that are female led, that explore these issues. When you look at major movies, men dominate the cast. Even take Harry Potter for example. Looking at the first three movies and key characters, there was Hermione. Then there was Harry, Ron, Draco, Neville, Snape, Hagrid, Dumbledore, etc. Female characters were added in more as time went on, but still were not as prevalent as male characters. So, I would have to disagree with Diamond Dave, on saying that if you miss this movie, you are not missing anything. This was a very important movie for many people, and maybe a rewatch, trying to look at it through the lens of a women could be enlightening. I found a film celebrating women, led by a woman (Greta Gerwig) to be needed. We could even talk about how many female directors there are, and the fact that Hollywood has seemingly decided women are less capable of creating films. But, that is where I will stop. I look forward to continuing to watch your reactions and submitting my requests. I've already suggested it, but a really great movie that discusses aspects of mental health, especially male mental health, is the movie "The Perks of Being a Wallflower." I will continue to recommend until y'all watch because it's that good!
A rewatch and discussion with their wives, girlfriends, daughters, sisters etc might be good.
agreed, I was kind of disappointed with their opinions! your recommendation is my fav movie, it would be great if they reacted to it
I had the best time watching the movie! Honestly, as a woman, this touched me on another level. It felt like all the jokes were made for me, and the moments when it took itself more seriously were perfect to me. Never felt like I was actually seen as I did watching this.
46:37 "we were only fighting because we didn't know who we were" kills me every time. The delivery, the nobility, the virtue... just masterful
As a dude, I was shocked how much I loved this film. Laughed throughout, and it’s one of those movies that you can easily rewatch and catch something new.
And that’s it, you being shocked because of course as a man you couldn’t possibly like a film made by a woman for women. I’m glad you liked the film 😊
The line that also gets overlooked is when the intern said "I have no power. Does that make me a woman? "
Was really looking forward to you guys watching this!
It made a billion dollars because it caters to a very large and underserved market: women. Regardless of race or socioeconomic background, a lot of us grew up playing with Barbies. It also had a brilliant marketing approach (Barbenheimer included) and the cast was perfect (outside of Will. I’m also not a Will Ferrel fan, Mason lol) The leads were people both men and women love.
Barbie is one of those movies where if you grew up playing with Barbies, it’s perfect. If you didn’t grow up playing with Barbies, it’s still an entertaining watch but you just won’t catch all the references or jokes. There are things in this movie that a Barbie fan will find hilarious because they get what the writers were trying to do.
To Oaks point about America’s speech being relatable to everyone, I agree and disagree. Yes, we all suffer under patriarchy but women are not the creators of it, we don’t benefit from it (it harms us in most ways physically, mentally and emotionally) and we don’t hold the power to change it. It’s not an equal playing field when there’s a power imbalance.
I agree that you just have to let people like things. Even if the thing isn’t for you. If you didn’t grow up playing with Barbie I totally understand it falling flat for you. But a lot of the Barbie hate was just misogyny disguised as cinema criticism lol The assumption that a movie can’t be good/funny if it’s lead by women. People thinking the writing around the Ken dolls was a diss towards men versus it just being canon: Mattel doesn’t care about Ken lol
Good point about the power imbalance. I totally agree. I didn't play with Barbies much but I still felt very seen by this movie. Even small scenes like the different feelings/experience Barbie and Ken had as they attracted attention when roller skating stirred something in me. (Barbie feeling uncomfortable/unsafe, Ken feeling seen and validated). A lot of times women's feelings are invalidated by men who can't emphasize. That oftentimes goes in both directions too though and even men suffer from it. (Like male victims of SA being shamed/riduculed)
There were a lot of smaller scenes like that that didn't hit you on the nose and I appreciated them a lot. Plus the movie was just hilariously funny 😂
Very well said.
Appreciate that women finally have a movie for them with relevant issues and humor that is not based on ridiculing women: ❌
Make it about men: ✅
It doesn't really make fun of men either. The movie is pretty much about the fact that neither gender should be forced into roles. The great I'm just Ken song really shows this.
@@rowaystarcothe movie literally portrays every single. EVERY SINGLE man except for maybe Allen (who’s presumably gay) As incompetent, lazy, rude, greedy, stupid, misogynistic, and predatory. It also heavily generalizes mens interest down to things like trucks and horses. Which ironically enough, plenty of women are also into. Lmao. It’s a boring asf contrived film.
This is not a movie for women,the need to separate and disintegrate society by activists such as you is disgusting. This is a movie for everyone and it covers both perspectives, both point of views.
As a side note there is no patriarchy your username is wrong. It s just the natural order there is no covert conspiracy theory to keep women down on the bottom. Wherever there is competition which is a natural aspect of the human race men have risen to the top of their respective food wheter that is physicality,business or societal matters. Most women are not interested in these aspects anyway check the northern countries experiment where women tend to navigate towards feminine activities despite this countries being viewed as most liberal liberated therefore no oppresion.
Also most western females objectify themselves via the content they choose to post online wheter that be OF platform or semi nude naked degenerate content on social platforms.
Your whole premise and life motto is wrong,your brian operates on a level of ignorance coupled with distestful feminist propaganda which is where the initial tendency to view these aspects of entertainment like movies,shows,music on a black and white level,this versus that. Very simple minded,i don t care to elaborate more on that you should educate yourself
America Ferrera stole the film in my eyes. When she spoke about the expectations that every woman feels upon her, It broke me. I am an LGBTQ male, I know what it is like to live outside of the box and to feel stress. I have never felt what she was describing. She was able to place everything into a simple statement and I don’t think anyone else would’ve been able to do that.
To me it felt preachy
@@Universal5-g5eyeah. That was the weakest part of the movie and i loved it. Hated the monologue.
@@Universal5-g5eit's the lived experience of every single woman in the modern world.
Rhea Perlman's character was based on Ruth Handler the inventor of Barbie and co-founder of toy manufacturer Mattel with her husband Elliot, as well as serving as the company's first president from 1945 to 1975. She created Barbie and named her Barbie after her daughter Barbara.
The observation about men having overlapping struggles with women was, I believe, part of the point. The movie's intent was to acknowledge that fact, but because the focus was Barbie, the message about how men are equally diminished by patriarchy and the damaging, unrealistic expectations it can foster, was delivered in the subtext of how it warped Gosling's Ken.
*EDIT*
Big ups for Gosling's workout routine, but it's probably likely there was a t least some contouring happening there for the cameras.
Not just for the cameras, I think it was to make him look more like the doll too
Enjoyed this movie so much in cinema, casting couldn’t have been more perfectt! it had layers for something certain people presumed would be just a silly film and seeing grown men react to this with an open mind was so refreshing 💗
This movie is very self aware and intentional and i loved everything about it. If anyone thinks Ryan's abs are just a coincidence, has missed the point. If anything is a sort of a diss on how a lot of Ken dolls were sold shirtless (even though it was marketed for young girls) and to some that was a depiction of "hot partners" - and to the small brains of some, that is still their ideal type today.
The jokes are made tastefully and carefully. The speech of Ferrera could be about man as well, ofc it could, but this is the Barbie movie, and that speech was a direct response to Margot-Barbie saying she felt useless and ugly. A lot of woman relate to the speech, and it was such an important moment in the character development of Margot-Barbie.
It was also very intentional that besides being "stereotypically hot", Ryan-Ken was not much of anything else. People arguing he was dumb and was attracted to the most absurd things like listening to absurd music... if he was all about Guns and Roses would he be better? Would you approve him then? Like isn't that missing the point completely?! Ryan is the comic relief of the movie every 10 seconds and keeps the movie from being a drama - and he stole the show!
I can't take the people that took offense to this movie seriously. Should i then take offense in all the 80-90's movies that treat women as an acessory to men and are classified with quotes such as "behind a great man there's always a great woman"... like be serious.
This movie is classified as comedy, let it stay funny.
Yesssss
So the song from the end, "What Was I Made For?" by Billie Eilish, is ABSOLUTELY getting nominated for Best Song at the Oscars, but I NEED IN MY SOUL for them to give "I'm Just Ken" a nomination as well. I don't know if two songs from the same movie are allowed to be nomiated, but a NEED it.
А new rule was instated in June 2008 that a film could have no more than two songs nominated. While up to five songs from a single film can be submitted, studios sometimes submit only one, for fear that having two nominated might split the vote.
It made a billion because women really connected to the messages being expressed. the movie expressed what other movies don’t talk about
Sometimes a bit heavy handed (but also tongue in cheek), but honestly, I love this movie for the acting, the sets, the humor, and just the FUN. So rare nowadays. Also going in deeper with emotions and humanity unexpectedly. I love the risk taking, and I love Ryan Gosling ;)
I truly love this film. The film isn’t anti-men at all. It’s more that the patriarchy hurts everyone, regardless of gender. And America Ferreria’s monologue made me sob-it summed up the experience of women everywhere.
They didn't show men being hurt by patriarchy, in the end barbie choses to live in patriarchal world which means she thinks patriachy is better than matriarchy.
@@Universal5-g5e Wrong. She decided to go to the real world to be with real women and see how she can have an impact there. She wanted to do it for herself. She decided FOR herself. It's not about it being better. She didn't say anything like that. That's just your projection.
@@Universal5-g5e Did you miss Ken's whole story arc?
@@em8066 Ken was upset cuz barbie was not talking to him, it has nothing to do with patriarchy
@@alvinsmith3894 what impact can she create by being a mother? And who's the father? If patriarchy was real Ken would've got the job but he didn't get the job
Just wanted to say that I’m having a horrible day and seeing this reaction made it a lot better. Thank you!
Glad this brought a little joy to your day. Hope everything is ok. 🤙
While I of course agree that many experiences are universal amongst humans like struggles mental health and body image, part of that point is that women do not have a space to see that recognized without men coming in and saying “what about me.” To me it’s very evident in the movie about how as women, we do see the struggles men face and want to uplift them to feel seen and validated in a world that doesn’t because of the standards out there by the patriarchy. Rarely can you have a conversation of the struggles of women without recognizing the struggles of men or many men won’t even listen because it’s not about them. Take for example the conversation of sexual assault. Women try to express their experiences to just be heard or to try and find justice for themselves. But many of the times we hear the echo “men are victims of it too.” We know, and we don’t push you away, but men want to use that as a reason to put down the experiences of women who statistically are more likely to experience sexual harassment/abuse.
Even more so part of America’s speech on wasn’t just about how women physically look, but the societal expectations that are just not placed on men. Men can be a boss and be authoritative but when a woman acts the exact same way, she’s too “bossy” or “bitchy.” Women can be mothers, but if they work all the time they’re “neglectful” whereas men who work all the time are supposedly breadwinners. It’s the simple fact that a woman can do exactly what a man does but women are much more restricted in how they can act in these roles, lest they are ridiculed and squashed by both men and women.
And I agree with what many others have said in the comments that never in this movie does it express men don’t have problems and unrealistic standards set upon them by the patriarchy. And the movie even takes it a step further by acknowledging the way men are expected to be in society but showcasing how it’s typically women being there to support him. Barbie apologies to Ken at the end for not returning his feelings and shows him that he is worthy by just being himself and doing the things that bring him joy. But Ken never apologizes to Barbie. He never acknowledges that he’s the one who put Barbie on a pedestal and made his actions about winning her affections. He never tells her he’s sorry for taking her home, her friends, everything she’s built and replacing it with his things just because he never received her love back. The Barbies didn’t get mad at the Ken’s for trying to takeover at the end. Instead they listened to everything they had complained about and decided to make sure the Ken’s didn’t have to be in the shadows anymore so they could all be celebrated.
👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽
Ooof. Im 24 minutes into watching this and I’m so sad. I really thought some of the symbolism and deeper meanings would be hitting the guys by now. When I heard Quinn say “I don’t think that’s how that happened” after the bit in the beginning about how Barbie fixed inequality, I was concerned. Note- it hasn’t happened. Talking about the plastic ties and being put in the box as if it’s all about the plastics and not the fact that it’s a room full of men literally confining her and putting her in her place. I’m still holding out hope that as we go along the movie will sink in a bit to all 4 of the men. I’m especially curious about The Oak’s take as he often sees deeper into things and really pulls out the meaning of things. Even just watching him he’s reacting differently than the rest. I’ve tried not to look at the rest of the comments so I don’t spoil myself, but I did see a few “but this applies to men too” comments. All I can say to that is I really hope they didn’t actually say that. Fingers crossed I don’t have great disappointment in my future. I was really looking forward to this one. Though it is a perfect example of how many men and women viewed this movie differently. And how subversive sexism is in our culture that men don’t see what’s right in front of them. It would be super interesting to watch them watch this movie with a women who gives a commentary on her thoughts while watching. Ok- off to watch the rest!
Your entire comment 🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻
Disappointing, huh?
Same! I figured maybe he meant that’s not how the progress came about or something (even though we’re constantly regressing) but that was my first feeling too. And Oak’s body language throughout said everything.
i love this movie because it also shows men's struggles; mostly how the society expect them to react, lead, etc. But not only that, but how every single human has their own expectations on how they 'should' contribute in society. Yes I know the main focus is how the world treat women in real world, but with how everything is upside down (in gender role) between two worlds, we can place ourselves in either men or women's shoes in order to understand their positions (and expectations from society).
I always have my own principle on how we should be support each other to make balance in society, not to step on each other and the movie teaches us about it; at least as far as I interpretate it.
Really insightful take. Thank you ! I had a similar reaction.
Thank you for this comment!! You explained the point of the movie very well
The sets for traveling from Barbieland to the real world were all practical! They used early Hollywood "movie magic" to do it!
I think all the Mattel employees are escaped Allans 😁
It was so much fun watching this with y'all.❤
I think Will Ferrell is an escaped Ken and the rest are Allans
What a great theory; I'm adopting it. 🤗
I didn't know those were practical sets! One more thing I love about this movie.
Not many movies pass the Bechdel Test and those that do sometimes only pass with one or two scenes. When you analyze how many movies come out that do not pass the Bechdel Test, this movie's success is no surprise. It filled a huge hole in Hollywood cinema.
*edited for misspelled word
What is the Bechdel Test?
@@ct6852 Basically it requires that two female characters have conversation/interaction in the text, where they are not discussing men or a man. Most Hollywood movies do not pass this test. Barbie on the other hand passes with flying colours.
Despite how useful a tool the bechdel test is, it's by no means the be-all-end-all of whether a movie is good or (going to be) successful
@@Mirrorgirl492 Oh interesting. Thanks. Have heard the term before...just never knew what it meant. Maybe there should be a term/test for men discussing money or sex.
@user-es7ui5mc1m Of course not. Harry Potter, for example, is a massive franchise that doesn't pass along with a looooong list of other successes. That was my point though. There is a huge hole that this movie filled. It has nothing to do with the quality of movies that don't pass.
I find it so funny, that no one get the joke of magic earring Ken and it being discontinued.There was controversy over magic earring ken being a gay character and it’s said his “Magic Earring”, which he wore as a necklace was actually a cock ring.( lol)
FYI: Ruth Handler (Rea Pearlman)is actually the woman who created Barbie & named her after her daughter.
Almost nobody recognizes those Kens and it makes me sad. I laughed so hard lol
@@71lizgoeshardt - I know right? I mean, I guess straight men wouldn’t, but at least some of us were in in it.
I watched a reference video afterwards and it made me appreciate the film even more
May I say, I love this comment section! Literally spent over an hour reading, so much inside, validation, food for thought.
It was a powerful message for men too. That the patriarchy is damaging to men as well. As a man, I thought it was very sympathetic and understanding of men and their own identity struggles. Especially in the 21st century. So many of us were raised to exist in a very old fashioned society that doesn't exist anymore. And we're told to be mad because the real world is not the fantasy we were raised with. And we don't know what to do with ourselves.
And, yes, men have unrealistic expectations as well. But, a lot of those are put on us by the patriarchy. Not feminism, but we're told feminism and women are the source of our troubles. Further, her statement that women are held responsible for men's behavior is very accurate, and there's not really a correlary experience there for men. And that's a doozy of one.
And I LOVED that the message at the end that the answer for Ken and for Barbie was not each other. "You're not your girlfriend." YES!!! Men are raised to root so much of their identity in their relationship with women and how women view them and rely on them.
I did not see it as just the struggle of women. It criticized the patriarchy and how it harms everyone. People whose identities are rooted in the patriarchy are going to feel it's a personal attack. But, it's not.
YES! Thank you!
the standards that are set for men were also created by the patriarchy. being physically strong, the pressure to be the bread winner, not being allowed to cry, it was other men in power who set those expectations. so yes, patriarchy hurts men and women, and everyone has standards they’re expected to meet. but appearance-wise, the standards set for women are not even close to what is set for men. there is a reason more women feel they need to get plastic surgery, to wear makeup, to starve themselves. society puts value on appearances for everyone, but look at celebrities and see how often women are criticized and when they supposedly “hit the wall” and then how it is for men. look at the real world and see how women are overly sexualized and objectified not just when they have to look good for a movie, but in the work place, in schools, within their own families. Men can say that if they’re ugly, they feel insecure or unvalued, and that is absolutely true. But for women, being ugly is treated as though it is the worst thing in the world. Even if you are smart, successful, rich, strong, etc, it doesn’t matter. If women don’t look like they appeal to men, they are treated by their peers and by things like the media as if they are not even people. It is a horrible, horrible feeling that men should feel lucky they will never have to experience. There’s so much I could say but the last thing I’ll add is that the consequences of the overall standards set by patriarchy are very different for men than women. They are not comparable. Why? Because the whole point of those standards is that men are superior and women are inferior. Men are superior therefore they have to work jobs and make money. Women are inferior therefore they have to stay home and cook and clean for their husbands. Men are superior therefore they cannot cry. Women are inferior there they aren’t logical enough to go to school or be a leader. Men are superior therefore they feel the pressure of being in charge. Women are inferior there they cannot be in charge. Of course times have changed especially in the western world, but still. Men may feel like they have standards and unfair expectations as well (which they do) but those were set by the patriarchy. While men now still have to worry about not showing emotions or about working out so women will like them, women are still terrified about walking alone at night because something horrible might happen to them. That is the difference.
Not denying what you’re saying but you’re also minimizing the experience for men as well. I do agree patriarchy is responsible for these problems for both men and women, but that said there are many women regardless of patriarchy who hold men to these standards too and that’s the reality of the situation. I would also argue society has gotten to the point where women are the ones who uphold the societal expectations for beauty standards against other women. Most men hate lip fillers and unnecessary plastic surgery like the cheek bone thing with the fat, yet women believe it looks good and pursue it based on what they see other women in media doing.
This was a great movie and great messaging for men and women, and while I believe men have unrealistic expectations too, the monologue in this movie is pretty iconic and rare for something like this to be for woman and this mainstream, so it’s great to see it
@@bamflyer her point exactly. Women can also perpetuate patriarchy. That's why it affects everyone. But the struggles of men will never compare to that of a woman. Socially we were, are and probably will be at a disadvantage compared to men. That's a fact. It's not a competition of miseries, it's that really in the century we are in all this continues to happen.
@@valerie..839 I get that women perpetuate the patriarchy too. But again, while theres no debate that women have it really difficult theres a whole side to men’s struggles that are not acknowledged by society at larger and that is my point too that it’s okay to say that without “taking away” from the struggle of women, it’s not saying more or as much it’s saying that the struggles men deal with are more than women think as well. Women’s problems have been vocalized well before, (although what I love about this movie is how it brings them all together in a concise message in one movie, which we havent seen before). A lot of men’s problems are only recently being uncovered and talked about because people are becoming more open sbout men’s mental health. And not all of our problems stem from patriarchy either.
@@bamflyer well that’s true too
@Tom-km8dd If you already read the first comment and are still asking this, I can't help you. It was well explained
Woman: lists all the contradictory messages in society
Man: But we have to work out, though!
Can we point out, that all genders have their struggles but that there are definately differences? Great.
I went to see this movie at the theater with my mom and I came out a different person, crazy as it sounds my relationship with my mother feels better
There was something that felt so special to see the barbies i played with and wanted in the movie and saying oh my god i remember that one when i saw it in the cinema
I watched this in theaters with my 10-year-old son who asked to go with me to see this (he prepped by watching Barbie: Life in the Dream House for it because Barbie isn’t a phenomenon over here in Japan so he was lacking a lot of culture context) and it was honestly the best movie going experience. Less about actually watching the movie but the discussions we had after. He understood that this movie wasn’t about bashing men at all but rather how societal norms and the systems in place are hurting everyone. I was a bawling mess in theaters during THE speech because I have never felt so seen and understood in film before.
For me, the Mattel “goons” were the least interesting part for me.
Wow! You did a great job with your boy 😊
Personally, when I was watching this movie, I wasn't super wowed. I was starting to think it was overhyped and overrated... Until the scene where Barbie was crying and said she wasn't pretty anymore and that she was not good enough. That hit me so so hard. And when the mom started going off, I had never felt so seen in my life. As the movie progressed, I realised exactly why it did so well and why people loved the movie so much. Would I say this is the best movie in the world or even the best movie in 2023? No. Was it what I was expecting it to be? Hell no. But it touched me very deeply and I'm so so happy I watched it.
Interesting. I actually felt the opposite. I loved all the small quips about gender role differences and Barbies, but the monologue felt kind of heavy handed to me.
@@Evija3000yeah same. Could've done without that. But I like that it served a purpose in the story, that this was what made all the other Barbies snap out of their brain washing.
The fact that you thought Ruth (the creator of Barbie) was a doll, just proves this movie was needed.
I agree with oak, men's mental health awareness is extremely important. People of all genders struggle constantly with societal pressures. My only grief with his comments is the need to bring up men's problems when discussing women's issues. If someone is discussing one issue I think it's a bit odd to respond by making sure people are aware that another issue also exists. I am only sharing my opinion and am open to constructive criticism.
This is a very fair criticism of my review and I appreciate your viewpoint. -Oak
@@davidbaye3758 Glad you can see it. I don't think what you said was wrong or untruthful, and you could certainly build a whole speech around men's issues; but I do think it was a little misplaced, because the movie wasn't about us guys. As I mentioned in a different comment, it's like complaining that "Fight Club" only took the time to deal with male issues. Well, yeah, that was the whole point of the movie.
Having specific viewpoints and topics in a piece of media doesn't invalidate that there are other important things out there. And when attention is called to one set of issues, especially in a 2-hour movie, there's nothing wrong with just acknowledging it for what it is, without feeling the need to interject a whataboutism in there.
They were iconic
Before seeing this movie I saw reviews and thought it was going to be a male hate movie but oh was I wrong..
And now I'm kinda impressed by the way people can not get a message and distort it so much lmao
It's like they didn't even watch the same movie
The scene where the movie says "the kens have to start somewhere and will eventually have the same power women have in the real world" is pretty self explanatory and I can't believe some men (rttv💀) were angry about the kens having less power and didn't understand that the kens are literally depicting women in the real world, who also started from nothing and still don't have equality
Tbf rttv have never been the most observant reactors
Exactly!
Completly agree anyone who thought this was anti-men is being purposefully obtuse
I cannot believe Earing Magic Ken got a cameo shout out in this movie. I literally said to my friend that Mattel were too cowardly to reference the time they accidently dressed Ken in gay club rave gear and a cockring necklace, but low and behold there he was. They replaced his necklace tho, boooo.
Check the credits - he gets his necklace back!
I was disappointed with the replacement necklace. But was not expecting Sugar Daddy Ken, that was a delight.
The line about mothers standing still is a knife to my heart every time! Very, very fortunately that scene was spoiled for me on tiktok. If I had seen that for the first time in the theater I would not have made it. I would have been asked to leave because of how loudly I would have been crying. The montage of real women almost took me out too.
I had to wait for the Cinema to empty, then put on my sunglasses, just to make it out of the building. When I got into my car I cried for half an hour solid. Such an impactful film.
I've been so excited for you guys to do this one! Best reaction channel out there by far
You’re right! This message was exemplified through Ken in order to get men to pay attention and relate it to them. Patriarchy hurts everyone and the key difference here is that MEN created and are committed to advancing the patriarchy. Let it go and we’d all be better off. Now I will say that women’s prices is much heftier and it’s almost always charged by a man. Please don’t insult the writers, they meant for you to feel all of this. Glad you enjoyed it clearly Greta didn’t forget men would also be watching, unlike most male filmmakers who don’t bother to research the women’s issues they make so much money off of.
Tell it! I happened to watch Wonder Woman and The Justice League close together and the difference between showing her strength in one movie and showing up her skirt in the other was just 😑
Soooooo many movies (especially in the 80s and 90s) are allll about what it’s like to be men. Men also complaining about being subordinate to other men in systems of power. As a little girl, I had no choice but to see those men in those movies and pretend I was being included in their rhetoric. Doesn’t help that “men” is used to incorporate men AND women (“all MEN are created equal”). Yet this movie comes out and she specifically calls out WOMENS issues and men are all “but what about meee?”
She didn’t have to give Ken his own arc at all and she made sure she did and was kind to him at the end.
So…. Boo-hoo.
You're absolutely right.
Exactly!!
Yes. The fact that ken needed his own arc and that she had to even aid in it really speaks to the way women are seen and expected to be.
And Barbie acknowledged and apologized for her mistakes and took steps to make changes. Ken never acknowledged or apologized for his behaviors or for what he did.
Aaaaaah I was so hoping you'd do a Barbie reaction!!!
Edit: awww man I'm so sad you didn't really enjoy it that much - thanks for being open minded though, always appreciated!
they were kinda closed minded if you think of it tbh. If they were open minded they'd actually get the point of the movie instead of feeling attacked
America’s monologue moved me deeply. Oaks comments are like hearing black life matter and responding all lives matter. When someone opens up and tells you something deep and profound about themselves or people like them, you should listen. Not say “well we have problems too.” That’s dismissal, not understanding.
One lesson I took away from the movie was that you can't just change your surroundings or society and expect that it will fix everything. It's not about having everyone look up to you or having the perfect job or whatever, if you're not experiencing the fulfillment you want then you need to do the work on the inside.
Well said.
Very well said!! Although changing the environment is a part of it but the work starts on the inside. And you can only change your environment up to a certain limit. Maybe then you reach a place where you can create your own environment 😅.
I love how Dave explains to Oak “they’re in Barbie world 🙄 ” as if that’s a complete and self evident explanation 😆
At least Oak (mostly) gets it, and I guess that's gonna have to be good enough, though this channel as whole definitely doesn't pass the Barbie litmus test. Imagine trying to say "both sides are valid" on a discussion about rampant misogyny.
I agree.
"Rampant Misogyny"- EXACTLY, Thank you!- Why is no one here mentioning: "You're not doing patriarchy very well", "Oh we're doing it well!, we're just HIDING IT BETTER"! Yeah, please stop men, THIS IS THE POINT FOR WOMEN'S EXPERIENCE RIGHT HERE"
Yes, the OG Barbie was wearing that striped swimsuit with the sunglasses and curly ponytail. I own one.
What's really notable here is that for a movie called Barbie you still listed Ryan Gosling first.
Really hope you guys are really taking in and hopefully respond to the message in this comment section
America's monologue works for both men and women. Greta Gerwig, who wrote and directed the film also said that in an interview. Perfectly casted. Ryan definitely was a stand out. I think we are all "Kenough".
Oak thought he was criticizing, but he was missing the point.
I'm curious, after reading some of these comments, have they altered your guys' perspective at all on the movie? I always wonder if reactors reflect much on the comments. Some of these have been so brilliantly expressed I would think it might widen your perspective or give you some more insight that could change your minds a bit.
If so, I'd be down for a video of you guys reviewing your comments and discussing any reflections or changes of opinions (like a recap of initial response vs reflected response).
Same
I think this comment section has the least interaction from the guys of all their videos so I wouldn't be surprised if they havent altered their perception, i wouldnt be surprised if they're actively avoiding the criticism and introspection. disappointing
@@FountainWeeperExtremely disappointing. I've lost a lot of respect for these guys, and I was just on the cusp of subscribing. No longer.
I was confused about the gyno visit too but then...when you first get a "car" (a huge responsibility that could end a life if not used correctly) wouldn't you want to take it to a "car" person to make sure everything's all good and functioning/healthy? This being the "first point of business" for now-human-Barbie was significant to me because I was f*ckin' terrified when I first got my period, knowing all the life-altering decisions I might have to make or I might be forced to make about another life (that came from me). But Barbie goes into that appointment calm, cool, collected, and maybe optimistic? And with her full agency, taking responsibility/charge of her own body. I didn't realize how important that ending was to me until now.
You've covered all the real-world points regarding the gynecologist appointment, but there's a separate point for Barbie. By the end of the movie, Barbie actually HAS the body parts for that kind of appointment! 😂
I have never seen a movie like this. I think it's a masterpiece!!! I saw it in the cinema and immediately wanted to watch it many more times. 10 out of 10
“We mothers stand still so our daughters can look back and see how far they’ve come”
Wow
What a quote
Damn that’s what I felt the most from all this (watching along to this reaction- it’s also my first time seeing this movie)
I'm glad you guys gave the movie a chance. And I understand that everyone's opinion is their own and they're entitled to it. That being said, respectfully, I also think Oak missed the point of the film and America's speech. IMO, countering her monologue with his own about how men have challenges and pressures too was a clear indicator of that. Her comments weren't a declaration that men haven't a care in the world. She was simply outlining why being a woman is hard. And like many in this thread have already stated...Ken's challenges are addressed in the movie and he goes on his character journey.
Finally, I think the movie made over a billion dollars because the writing and story were smart. And the film addresses topics and issues that a particular demographic have been wanting to see told on the screen for a long time.
Well you're wrong
You're definitely right about there being Matrix references, personally I just found it to have had so many incredible film references and call backs. The entire opening sequence is a freakin' incredible shot for shot take on 2001: A Space Oddessey, Matrix, Wizard of Oz, just so many great references. Plus, the dance sequence in "I'm Just Ken" just feels so reminiscent of those big studio movie dance sequences from back in the 50s and 60s but also reminded me of Grease. I love this movie so much, it's an easy 5/5 for me!
I like the callouts at the end with all the old Barbies. Yes there really was one with enlarging breasts.
Honestly I'm a little disappointed in their review after. The movie is so much more than the cast (GOSLING), cinematography, director, jokes, will Ferrell, etc. It is about womanhood, and for what feels like the first time women get a movie that summarizes the womanly experience, the good and the bad in abundance (I could go on forever about this). A little disappointed that you chose to focus on the men and their issues. While I understand that it is an issue that is of importance, there are many movies that highlight said issue (even fight club???). The whole point of the movie is to show that kens in barbieland are like the women in the real world, while also showing how women would flourish like the barbies if they had control over their freedom and had autonomy. Feminism in this movie is to show how both versions, where both men and women in the two different worlds are discriminated against is never the answer. I don't know if you noticed but when ken became obsessed with patriarchy, instead of building his own kendom he took over what was barbies dreamhouse. Even concepts of barbie being a long distance low commitment gf kind of show a pattern of how where even if ken finally became the one in power chose to degrade the barbies instead of having a role reversal of the initial barbieland. You can also see how at the end of the day ken does not apologize, its still barbie who apologizes. Its a movie where a lot of women came out of the theatre in tears because they never knew that other women were also having the same universal experience and that it is not necessarily that they are the problem. Usually when I have nothing good to say, I keep it to myself but I just need to say this. I watch all of your guys' videos and am a huge fan in general but maybe give it some more thought. (This is not a jab at men, its just give us the same importance - its barbie and its ken).
the fact that they put ryan's name first on the title of the video 💀
Just say that you want power over men. Equality is a fantasy, nobody really wants it. You either rule or become the ruled.
Yeah absolutely love this channel, and few male reactors have picked up on this point, but there is a key difference in what the kens/barbies in this movie/life go through. When the kens face discrimination they are ignored/rejected. When the Barbies faced discrimination they were subjugated, assaulted, harassed, and dehumanized (even though they were dolls their autonomy was literally stripped when the Kens came into power). A line that most reactors leave out is when Ken and Barbie first go to the real world and Ken says that everyone staring at him has no undertone of violence, but Barbie does feel that undertone. This movie is kind to men and does show how the Patriarchy hurts men, but it also points out that it is not harmful in the same ways/capacity that women are hurt by it. Even in the end of the film Barbie was left apologizing to Ken due to her not seeing the way he felt but Ken, despite leading the charge to subjugate all the barbies into servants that only serve their wants, NEVER apologized back. Barbie in the end was still doing the all emotional labor. Even after she rejects him in the end he also still tries to kiss her. There are so many layers to this movie but I see a lot of people missing key themes/messaging.
Exactly!
@@belb7083 im not even surprised at this point lmfao
Love the movie and love you guys
I really just wanna say one thing:
Why do we watch someone struggle and go "ok but I have issues too"?
Of course you can take the entire speech about expectations for women and apply it to men. Yes, of course!
Not a single line in this movie was "Women have it difficult and men do whatever they want"
The core message is "being human is difficult". Yes, the main focus was on women, it's a barbie movie after all. But, in my humble opinion, it really shows the struggle of humans
Taking the speech and applying it for men, doesn't make women's struggle any less real. Acknowledging that women struggle doesn't mean admitting that men don't.
Stop comparing, it's not a competition. It's life
mwah ❤
100%.
even as a guy it frustrates me when i see some don reply to a girl opening up about an experience with a man or a film about women’s struggles to go “but what about men?” so i can’t imagine how frustrating it is to see as a woman.
I just found your channel and find it so refreshing how you balance both validating how women experience the world and also sharing your own experiences as men living in a patriarchy. I have long said that our society creates unrealistic expectations for men too, that you must be masculine, physically strong, tall, make a lot of money, always love sports, bang lots of chicks, not enjoy anything that's too "girly" or targeted toward women. It's truly just as limiting and must be awful. I think the difference is that men have the lion's share of the power (and money) in the world, so as much as men suffer too, women suffer an additional layer of being powerless. This is not the say that men aren't powerless in many ways, but just moving through the world and not fearing being literally attacked or groped by a stranger, what a magnificent joy and privilege that would be for women. The other thing a lot of men get wrong about feminism is that we demonize men. Do all men have biases they aren't aware of because we live in our society? Sure. Just as I, a white woman, have many hidden biases about what it means to be a person of color. Admitting that you are influenced by and suffer because of the patriarchy does not mean you are admitting to being a bad person. It is just a reality that you inherited being born in our modern culture. The thing you can do about it is pushing back and questioning assumptions and listening when people without power (women, LGBTQ+ folks, POC, the disabled, etc.) tell you their experience. Don't take it personally AND do think about how you personally benefit from their subjugation and how you can use the power you have to uplift others. I think I just womansplained a lot (LOL) but, no shame here. I also appreciate you talking about mental health for men, so important for men to figure out their own selves. And lastly, as a woman who is just shy of 6' tall, I never cared much if a guy was shorter than me. It was always the men who had a problem with it. Don't discount us tall queens. If you're a good person, that shit doesn't matter.
I love y’all’s videos♡ I’ve been subscribed for about a year now and every time I see you posted something I drop everything and watch your videos :D thank you for bringing that joy to my life!
Thank you and we appreciate you spending some of your time with us!
I agree with the comment that Ryan Gosling was amazing in Barbie as Ken, but Margot Robbie's acting is also as amazing. She really nails down every single emotion, facial expression that Barbie starts to feel as the unsettledness from thoughts of death come during the dancing scene, and when she goes on her journey to the real world. If anything, everyone was perfectly casted, they all knew the character very well and did their job to create this huge phenomenon, so kudos to everyone!
Holy crap, I did not expect this movie to move me. It was absolutely INCREDIBLE.
I haven't seen this, but "Hold my ice cream" definitely deserves some sort of award.
They actually didn't animate the Journey To The Real World sequence, they used the same techniques that were utilized in silent films.
Anyone who thinks this movie was anti men missed the point ENTIRELY.
Honestly regarding Oak's comments, me and some other women I know have said that Barbie had more interesting comments on men than women which was more standard. Ken's progression of feeling lost as man, taking his problems out on women with dominance and still feeling lost, then fighting other Kens and _still_ feeling lost made his character way more fun to follow. He ends having to find a purpose independent of who he rules over, under, or tries to impress, and I think that's a nice message. And Michael Cera's character is pretty much the example of a guy that has found a steady confident place for himself.
Also why I think this movie made $1 billion:
- Mattel went really hard on the marketing
- Big name actors, big name musicians, Greta Gerwig is a well respected director
- It's one of the first proper summer blockbusters post-pandemic. 2022 was still feeling the pandemic related delays so this is the year where it felt like movies were truly "back".
- It's a recognizeable brand movie that isn't a superhero movie, with colorful corny sets and less muted CGI.
- It's targeted towards women. We're about half the population, but we don't get many movies so unapologetically made for us in a sincere way.