Being … Barbie

I was among those who plunked down (in my case) $18 to see the Barbie movie. My measly dollars were added to the over $770 million already collected by movie goers who either were curious as to what the hoopla is all about or wanted to drift down Memory Lane, visiting those times when they played with the classic doll.

I was actually part of a group of people (12 in all, a mix of men and women) who went to the theater in the Americana to see the movie. I love being with these people and was eager to take part in the outing though I had few expectations of the movie.

I chose to wear a sparkly black top (the proper attire was a must) and after parking on the fourth floor traveled down to the first in an elevator. On my way down, I looked at the two women next to me; one was decked out in flared jeans, was wearing a bright pink top and had long blond hair. I looked at her and asked, “Are you a Barbie?”

She replied, “Yes!” with a big smile on her face. This was the second time she was going to see the movie and was so excited.

Her outfit was just one of the many Barbie fun ones I saw. Ladies of all ages, including some in our group of 12, were dressed in Barbie attire. While bright pink was the color of the day, there were several other eye-catching outfits. And we all had fun taking photos in the Barbie box that was set up in the theater’s lobby.

Now, when I was little girl I had a Barbie that I played with. My nana had made all of her clothes (of course I wanted the store-bought ones) and I was sad when our boat sank with her and her case on board. So I have fond memories of Barbie though I wasn’t nuts over her.

So I had few expectations of the movie. I thought that most of the beginning was really fluffy. Yes, I understood the angst that Barbie and Ken went through in trying to figure out who they were and what they were supposed to do with their lives. And there were parts that made me cringe (I won’t spoil it for you if you haven’t yet seen it). But a couple of scenes turned a somewhat mediocre movie into a great one. One was when America Ferrera made a rallying speech and the second was the conversation between the creator of Barbie and Barbie.

Words like “empowering,” “enchanting” and “compassionate” have been used to describe the movie as well as “fun” and “joy.” All of them are accurate, making “Barbie” a must-see movie.

Maybe I’ll don my sparkly top and go again…