When Does the New Barbie Movie Come Out 2023? Cast, Movie Review

Are you ready for a revolution in the color pink? I assume you wouldn't think that the reason behind the beginning of a change could be a doll, but life is full of surprises. The new Barbie movie made a global impact in the summer of 2023. Released on July 21st, the Barbie movie filled all the theaters with people of all ages dressed in pink. With the perspective of the talented director, Greta Gerwig, this Ken Barbie movie portrays Barbie, who has adorned our childhoods, facing the real world while making us, the viewer, confront our own realities.

When Does the Barbie Movie Come Out in 2023?

The question that both children and adults have been asking incessantly for the past few months is: when does the new Barbie movie come out in theaters?

The film that premiered on July 21st is now available in several theaters worldwide. It's important to mention that the movie is not in 3D, but the stunning cinematography and Barbie movie outfits boast a captivating color palette that makes up for the lack of 3D. It's also worth noting that this is the first-ever live-action Barbie movie.

Barbie Movie Cast 2023

Knowing that it is a big Hollywood production, it is not a surprise that the cast of Barbie 2023 is full of Hollywood stars and pop culture icons.

1. Margot Robbie (Barbie Roberts)
   Choosing Margot Robbie as the lead role in the Barbie movie, I believe, was definitely a very wise decision. The talented actress, whom we have admired in challenging roles like Harley Quinn and Tonya, delivered an enjoyable performance while bringing our childhood toy to life.
2. Ryan Gosling (Ken Carson)
   The famous name of romantic comedy movies, Ryan Gosling, shares the lead role with Margot Robbie in the movie. One of the criticisms I heard among the film reviews was that Margot Robbie (33) and Ryan Gosling (42) were considered too old to play Barbie and Ken. Barbie and Ken dolls have smooth and youthful skins and unlike us, they don't age. However, since this film is already a critique against the notion of perfection, it was quite clever of them to choose lead actors who are over 30 years old.
   
3. Will Ferrell (The CEO of Mattel)
   Will Ferrell, known from Saturday Night Live and frequently seen in comedy-family movies, portrays the CEO of Mattel, the symbol of capitalism, in the new Barbie movie.
4. America Ferrera (Gloria)
   America, whom I loved and got to know through watching the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series, plays the role of the girl's mother who plays with Barbie in real life. Gloria also works for the Mattel company, and this information plays a crucial role in shaping the plot of the film.
5. Michael Cera (Alan)
   You may recognize the internationally renowned Canadian actor from his role in the comedy series "Arrested Development." In the Barbie movie, he portrays Ken's friend, the character of Alan.
6. Ariana Greenblatt (Sasha)
   Young actress Ariana portrays Gloria's daughter, who is the owner of the Barbie doll, Margot Robbie, in the movie.

The movie included Tyra Banks, Dua Lipa, John Cena, and Simu Liu (Shang Chi) as well. You could see the all iconic Barbie dolls, from the Pregnant Barbie doll that was released in the 90s to Palm Beach Sugar Daddy Ken in Barbie movie characters , which was definitely exciting for the fans. Putting all of these controversial dolls in the movie was definitely an answer to the criticisms against Mattel, but we will get to that later.

Barbie Movie Plot 2023

In general, the plot of the Barbie movie revolves around the clichéd Barbie doll, played by Margot Robbie, who has a perfect life in the Barbie world but suddenly experiences some abnormalities as her mind is filled with negative thoughts like death. She discovers that the reason behind this is the unhappiness of the person playing with her. Upon this revelation, Barbie and Ken embark on an interesting journey toward the real world. This journey leads the characters to self-discovery and ultimately changes their lives forever.

The New Barbie Movie Rating 2023

Barbie movie 2023 rating age is PG-13, which means it is more suitable for children above the age of 13 but in my opinion, you can watch the movie with your child younger than 13 because it doesn't include anything extreme that can badly influence the kid. There are some adult jokes hidden in the movie, and some men making comments about Barbie's body in the real world, however, I don't believe they would badly affect any child because the messages and the theme of the movie are too good. Of course, it is up to you to decide.

A Detailed Barbie Movie Review: The New Step for the Feminism and Capitalism

*In order to make a detailed analysis of the movie I will give some spoilers. If you haven't watched the Barbie movie yet, you can skip this part.*

Men are ruling the world!

Along with the intriguing plot of the movie, important themes are explored through Barbie's boyfriend Ken's character, containing thought-provoking messages about gender dynamics and women's societal roles in the real world.

The quote mentioned above, along with Ken being portrayed as a character who feels solely attached to Barbie and lacks his own personality from the beginning of the film, draws attention. This situation beautifully reflects the balance of real-world gender dynamics. Unlike the Barbie world, we still live in a male-dominated aka patriarchal society today, which causes women to face challenges every day concerning their own identities and freedoms.

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Alan, like Ken, is also unhappy about not having his own personality. Created as Ken's friend and later not continued to be produced, the toy Alan lives his life as a side character literally.

Ken's dissatisfaction with his life serves as a reference to the consequences of the fact that some women have to live in the shadow of men or be dependent on them in the real world. Women's societal gender roles and expectations can hinder them from pursuing their personal goals, desires, and freedoms. Therefore, the Barbie movie conveys a message to the audience that women need to explore their own identities and passions without being confined by societal norms. 

Barbie has set back the feminist movement for 50 years!

When Barbie enters the real world, she faces a reality that is the opposite of those pink clouds and the perfect, flawless world she lived in her world. Unlike Barbie Land, where beauty, perfection, and eternal happiness reigned, and every day was flawless, the real world makes her confront an entirely new and challenging perspective.

Barbie came to the real world to find Sasha and make her happy. However, this journey completely changes Barbie's life. Sasha shows Barbie the challenges and struggles that women face in the real world. With Sasha confronting her with the realities, Barbie faces her own truth, and the feeling of dissatisfaction within her intensifies.

It was very impressive how Mattel responded to the biggest criticisms it faced in the last 10 years within the movie. Barbie products were heavily criticized for promoting an unrealistic, perfect body and life, which could set unrealistic standards for children. Although Mattel produced many Barbie dolls with different body types, appearances, and races, the original Barbie image is still deeply ingrained in everyone's minds. The movie addresses this issue multiple times, showing that the company acknowledges this reality. However, we also hear from Mattel's CEO in the film that their intentions were never malicious, and they always aimed to empower strong women instead of putting them down.

As for Ken, upon learning that the real world is dominated by men, he naturally desires to gain power in a patriarchal society. Tired of being personality-less, Ken experiences a sort of enlightenment in the real world because, in the Barbie world, men have no rights or influence.

Another excellent criticism made in the movie is about the entire Barbie company's board of management consisting of men. They add in the movie that there was a female CEO of Mattel in the '90s, however, while the company claims to support woman empowerment, the fact that it is entirely run by men and that female employees hold much lower positions summarizes the situation.

In addition, there was definitely a resemblance to the iconic 2000s movie "Legally Blonde" in the film.

*The part with the spoiler is over.*

By both critiquing their own mistakes within the movie and defending against claims of Mattel being anti-feminist, Warner Bros executed a highly successful marketing strategy with this film. As someone who grew up with Barbie dolls and wearing Barbie movie dresses almost every day until the age of 10, this movie certainly had an impact on me, and I highly recommend watching it. It was definitely exciting to play dress-up and wear pink to the theatres worldwide. Additionally, the movie is filled with many comedic elements, and there were moments when the entire audience burst into laughter. It is also good to mention that during the making of the movie, so much pink paint had to be used on the decors that it literally caused a pink paint shortage in the world.

You can read the Turkish version of this blog post here: Barbie filmi ne zaman çıkıyor 2023? Filmin Detaylı Analizi

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Where can I watch Barbie movies?
   The Barbie 2023 is not currently being streamed on any of the platforms, however, you can watch most of the old Barbie movies and series on Netflix.
2. When do Barbie movies come to Netflix?
   Old Barbie movies have been on Netflix for several years in several countries, including the US, the UK, and Canada, but Netflix hasn't made any official statements about when to upload the new Barbie movie 2023.
3. What is the Barbie movie rated?
   Barbie movie age rating is PG-13, however, younger kids can also watch the movie in theaters if their parents allow it.
4. How old is Barbie?
   The original Barbie doll was put on sale on March 9, 1959. However, the age of the Barbie in several movies is between 17-19.
5. How old is Ken Carson?
   The Ken Carson doll, Barbie's boyfriend, was released by Mattel in 1961 which is 2 years after Barbie was introduced to the world. Yet, the age of Ken in several Barbie movies is between 17-19, just like Barbie.
6. Who is Ruth Handler?
   Ruth Handler is the inventor of the Barbie doll. When inventing Barbie, she was inspired by her own daughter Barbara Handler. Barbara Handler is currently 82 years old and lives in California.