EntertainmentMoviesComedy MoviesPoor Things and Barbie are both surreal, feminine odysseys – and it makes them a surprisingly perfect double billWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
EntertainmentMoviesComedy MoviesPoor Things and Barbie are both surreal, feminine odysseys – and it makes them a surprisingly perfect double billWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Warner Bros.)
My questing self
(Image credit: Searchlight Pictures)
Where Bella and Barbie differ, though, is how enthusiastic they are to begin their respective odysseys. When Weird Barbie tells Stereotypical Barbie that she has to choose between the high-heeled pink shoe or the Birkenstock, Barbie quickly chooses the pink. But Bella is aggressively desperate to get outside, challenging Godwin and Max on a carriage ride and screaming in frustration when they block her attempts to make it through the door, until Godwin forcibly renders her unconscious.
Still, Bella and Barbie’s journeys run on parallel tracks: eventually, Bella finds a way to be free of Godwin’s home, and Barbie decides to leave her pink paradise behind and take the surreal journey from Barbie Land to the real world to uncover the cause of her flat feet and morbid thoughts. And, while Bella’s sexual awakening helps spur her journey of self-discovery, Barbie’s first brush with sexuality is uncomfortable, with an “undertone of violence.”
Not pretty anymore
(Image credit: Warner Bros.)
As part of their journeys, both women have their illusions shattered. In the real world, Barbie is horrified to learn that little girls don’t actually view her as a feminist hero, and that women don’t fill the boardroom at Mattel. But Barbie also finds wonder in sitting at a bus stop and watching the mundane intricacies of everyday life; she sheds a single tear after seeing the very ordinary memories of Gloria and her daughter.
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(Image credit: Searchlight Pictures)
It’s these sister journeys that make Barbie and Poor Things such a compelling double bill, encouraging us to discover our own questing selves – there’s one in all of us, after all.
You can keep up to date with 2024’s biggest films with ourmovie release datesguide.
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1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
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2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
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4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
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5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
5
Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
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1
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2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
2
Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
3
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4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
4
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5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”
5
Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”