Not everyone has been shouting the praises of Barbie after the film’s opening weekend (Picture: Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures)
Barbie is finally here and fans are flocking to the cinema dressed in their best pink outfits to see the Greta Gerwig film. However, not everyone has been left feeling warm and fuzzy as the anti-woke brigade has been quick to slam the film.
Starring Margot Robbie in the titular role alongside Ryan Gosling as Ken, the film has smashed box office predictions alongside Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, released on the same day leading many to see the films in a chaotic Barbenheimer double bill.
Also starring Simu Liu, Will Ferrell, Emma Mackey, Michael Cera, and Kate McKinnon in its jam-packed cast, Barbie has received overwhelmingly positive reviews from fans and critics alike, with many praising its feminist themes.
On the flip side, some cinemagoers have criticised the film, which sees Barbie go to the ‘real world’ to right wrongs that have begun to occur in Barbie land, for being ‘anti-men’ and ‘too woke.’
Conservative political commentator and internet personality Ben Shapiro videoed a 43-minute meltdown in which he melted Barbie dolls in protest of the film.
Ben Shapiro ‘destroyed’ Barbie in a wild 43-minute rant posted to YouTube (Picture: Jason Kempin/Getty Images)
Ginger Gaetz (l) has called for a boycott on the film (Picture: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
During his tirade, he said the film is ‘one of the most woke movies I have ever seen,’ and branded it an ‘angry feminist claptrap that alienates men from women.’
He went on to complain about Gosling’s Ken, describing the character as ‘annoying and ridiculous’, while also packing in digs at Issa Rae, who plays President Barbie, and trans actor Hari Nef’s Doctor Barbie.
Human Events editor and alt-right political activist Jack Posobiec similarly aired his upset over the film, calling it a ‘man-hating Woke propaganda fest.’
‘They teach Barbie fans about rising up against “the patriarchy,” and Ken is portrayed as beta and borderline retarded. It’s a horrorshow,’ he said in a Twitter post.
He also posted a clip of Ken’s I’m Just Ken song that features in the film as he questions his ‘blond fragility,’ with Posobiec calling it ‘possibly the most anti-male film ever made.’
Ginger Gaetz, wife of US representative for Florida’s 1st congressional district Matt Gaetz, went all out and called for a boycott of the film for failing to ‘address any notion of faith or family’ and trying to ‘normalise the idea that men and women can’t collaborate positively.’
This is despite the pair attending a premiere event for the film decked out head-to-toe in pink outfits alongside the rest of the attendees.
Senator Ted Cruz also weighed into the debate, accusing Barbie of being ‘Chinese communist propaganda’ for depicting the South China Sea as Chinese territory on a map, a claim that has seen the film banned in Vietnam.
Conservative author Peachy Kennan also made a horrific dig at the film over the casting of Nef in a Fox News segment, calling the film an ‘insidious packaging of feminist cliché and trans grooming.’
Gerwig has previously spoken out about the film’s feminist themes, telling ABC’s 7:30 Report: ‘It most certainly is a feminist film. But it’s feminist in a way that includes everyone; it’s a ‘rising tide lifts all boats’ version of it.’
Not everyone has loved the pink-tinged sensation that is Barbie (Picture: AP)
Some have criticised the film for being ‘too feminist’ (Picture: AP)
Margot Robbie also gave her verdict on the film, saying that ‘it might be feminist.’
‘I think some people hear the word “feminist” and think that means it doesn’t mean men… And I’m like, anyone who believes that men and women should be equal is feminist.
‘If you look at Barbie Land from the beginning… the Barbies are on top and the Kens are kinda disregarded… that’s not equal.
‘So, whatever the opposite of misogynist is actually what Barbie is, Toward the end when they balance things out..then it might be feminist.’
Despite its critics, the film smashed box office predictions this weekend amassing $300million (£233m) in worldwide sales after its release on Friday.
Gerwig has broken records with the film as it has the highest-grossing opening weekend for a film by a female director, claiming the top spot from 2019’s Captain Marvel.
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