Now that boys and their toys (G.I. Joe, Transformers, et al) have essentially turned the cineplex into a giant sandbox, isn’t it time to let the girls play? Never fear, ladies; your time is near: Universal just signed a deal with Mattel to make a live-action movie starring the biggest—in sales, not waist size—of all girl toys: Barbie.
None of the project’s details have been worked out yet, but we’re already a little skeptical. Isn’t the whole point of Barbie that she’s got a personality as blank as her expression? That works fine for a doll, but 90 minutes of pretty hair and pool parties does not a movie make. (Or does it?)
Time for you to sound off, PopWatchers. Take our poll below to let us know what you think about the idea of Barbie on the big screen.
We also want to hear your plot ideas for the movie: Should Barbie get evicted from her Malibu dreampad and have to move in with her bratty lil sis Skipper in the big city? Or maybe they go for comedy and make Barbie a distaff Don Quixote who sails through life thinking everything is as perfect as her smile (à la the post-modern masterpiece known as The Brady Bunch Movie)? Go ahead and leave your best (short!) pitches in the comments below!
Image Credit: Zhang Yuwei/Xinhua Press/Corbis
Comments (1-30) of 44 Add your comment
Women don’t have the same nostalgia for their childhood stuff like boys do with their toys. Just look at the box office of Transformers compared to Bratz. Frankly, for this film to succeed, it would have to take a blueprint from Sex and the City. However, that would probably be too risque for a child’s doll. I just don’t see how this can work.
We do have nostalgia, or at least some of us do. Then again, I also played with a lot of “boy” toys growing up. I always wanted to be Scarlet in GI Joe and my favorite of all time is still Voltron. That being said, why Barbie (never was a fan)? Why not one that translates a bit better like She-Ra or even My Little Pony or Rainbow Brite?
Amen! She Ra and/or Rainbow!
Clearly you’re speaking for yourself, Q. I am highly nostalgic for my Barbie days! Bratz was not a movie based on nostalgia, as the line came out in 2001 and the movie was marketed to the little girls who had those dolls in their hands as their mom or dad drove to the theatre.
Barbie has been around for 50 years; although she has never been given a decisive storyline for her life that would translate into a concrete idea for a movie (however cheesy it might wind up being) part of her charm is the fact that she has been and done everything. She has embodied the zeitgeist decade after decade providing a historical record of American culture – and yes, sometimes that includes focusing on a girl’s obsession with pool parties and brushing one’s hair.
Personally, I don’t care what this movie winds up being about, I am so there.
I don’t know. I’d still watch a really great movie with pretty little ponies. I am 32. Barbie was fun but hard to really love. You liked her and her cool stuff–but I don’t think anyone in my ‘hood really loved her.
I think it is safe to say that the creativity well in Hollywood has officially run dry. Sequels, prequels, remakes, “reimaginings,” movies based on books, movies based on old TV shows, movies based on amusement park rides, movies based on board games, movies based on children’s toys…nary a single ORIGINAL idea amongst them. What’s next? BRATZ THE MOVIE?! Oh yeah-that was done already…
I think this movie has already been made. It was called Mean Girls. Though comparing a Barbie movie to Mean Girls may be giving it too much credit.
ya tho in Mean Girls Cady calls Regina the “barbie doll she never had” or something like that!
I’m pretty sure I already saw the Barbie movie. It was called “Legally Blonde.”
Exactly!
Hahaha, yes, I think that’s kidda what a Barbie movie would look like. Hollywood is going down in creativity really fast.
This.
Ha. That was the first thing I thought of too.
No, no, no… just, no.
Time to buy stock in companies that make pink paint.
Barbie will be a hard sell. She was never really given a storyline so they wont have anything to build the character on. A better movie would be Jem!!! Jem had a doll and a show, not to mention the character ran her own record company, fronted a rock band, opened a safe house for homeless and abused young girls and had a decent love life. She would actually be a good role model for young girls.
Jem was freakin’ awesome!
Jem would be a truly truly truly outrageous movie
Me and my friends used to pretend we were JEM. My name starts with J, the other E (emily), the other M (mary)! We would totally get together to see this movie!
Yo Barbie, I’m really happy for you and Imma let you finish, but Bratz was the great doll-based film of all time!
oh yes! good call…
A movie about people owning Barbie dolls would be fun. Little girls projecting on them, adult collectors/fetishers, the blatent marketing (first as the ultimate female, later movie tie-ins, girls who chop off Barbie’s hair, chew on the plastic shoes, dogs who bite ther heads off, and of course girls who had naked Barbie and Ken going at it. THAT kind of movie, a look at how a cultural icon has been interpreted and regarded through the cultural history of the past 50 years would be fun.
Unfortunately, I think they’re planning her to be a real person, beautiful (thin, blonde) that can be ANYTHING she wants! Sorry, I saw that filmstrip 20 years ago.
And everyone knows the real Barbie gave her best movie performance as Karen Carpenter in Todd Haynes’ “Superstar”.
There actually are a few documentaries about Barbie that depict what you describe.
Barbie was always about taking the doll and using your imagination — my Barbie was a detective in love with Remington Steele. Why do they want to take that story-telling away from little girls and put Barbie into some ridiculous plot? Ugh!
barbie dolls freak me out
i dont kno what a barbie movie would b about, because when i was little i had a hundred barbies n spent the majority of the time trying to fix their hair (same w/ my American Girl Doll who had terrible hair)
Hate to break it to you Popwatch, but there have already been 3 Barbie movies. All direct to DVD, and all nothing but a 90 minute commercial for Barbie.
They already did this movie. It’s called Life Size w/ Lohan and Tyra Banks. Tyra was a Barbie-like doll that became a human and could not get a grasp on the real world. Thought she had held every job, was a perfect cook, lived in a Malibu beach house where she held innumerable parties, and drove a red convertible with her group of perfect friends.
Made for TV and could be made into a feature film.
Who do you see as Barbie? Pam Anderson has the right physique, but is too old. And who plays Ken?
Life Size was such a cute movie!
Wait- I have seen this one, it’s called “Legally Blonde”. Seriously, gorgeous blonde defies her critics and proves that blondes can be brainy and fashionable all at the same time?
The thing with GI Joe and Transformers- they were popular cartoons, THEN toys… built in storyline. I LOVED my Barbies- but I made up my own stories- how can hollywood beat that?
they already made that movie. it’s called “legally blonde”.
I have to agree with previous posters- there are plenty of other girl-centric toy lines that would work better as movies: Jem, She-Ra, Rainbow Brite, Care Bears. They all had good guys and villains, whereas Barbie has never really had a rival of any sort. She has no story line, which made her the perfect toy because you could give her any story line you wanted.
They should stick to the Barbie movies they are already making. My daughter loves them and we can rent them for $.99 at our local movie gallery.
Ummmm, if we want to bring dolls to life I would rather have JEM come out as a live-action movie instead. Jem has a story, Barbie wants to be a doctor, an astronaut, Cher, Beyonce, Lucille Ball and even a fairy… And are we bringing back Ken? As far as I know they broke up…
I think the story should be Barbie and her gazillion “little sisters” trying to figure out who their parents are…and Ken dealing with coming out of the closet.
Since Barbie has gone through different face transformations over the decades, wouldn’t it be interesting to have different actresses playing Barbie(for each decade) for example: In 1959, when she debuts as a “chanteuse” with the classic black dress, have someone who can emulate the 50’s look. As I’ve been thinking of the 80’s Barbie and the 90’s, I could think of Madonna, Kim Basinger, Daryl Hannah, Cameron Diaz, Natasha Henstridge, Gwyneth Paltrow and Uma Thurman. The face mold that is out now(in the present) resembles that of Piper Perabo’s.
Barbie gets a sex-change operation to become Ken leaving Barbie’s evil twin Darbie in a plot to kill them both.
Wasn’t there an episode of Bewitched where Barbie became a human? Barbie should be computer-generated like Bob Zemeckis’ movies now. No mortal woman could possibly play her.
if they do go through with this disaster.i think the only suitable actress for this movie would have to be jessica simpson. brainless effort, plus it gives the guys something to gawk at for 90 minutes if they hapen to get suckered into seeing this crap.
I’m sad about this. It’s just like when they made the Tiker Bell movie – it ruined Peter Pan for me. She suddenly had a voice and it wasn’t the same. I’d hate to have Barbie ruined for me too. I want to remember her as I did as a child. I see a Barbie now and I’m happy and have good memories. After this, I’ll probably see Barbie and think of some dumb movie.
I think it could work if Barbie was portrayed as a woman who COULD have every job imaginable. I mean if Barbie is a doctor and a pilot and whatever she has to be fairly intelligent, so why can’t she be that on the screen instead of a dumb blonde?
how can mean girls compare to barbie since when has barbie been protrayed as mean seriously she is a doll who people think they compete with take a rain check its not barbies unattainable figure we should be dissing but the fact that some stupid cow is trying to get it grow up and get some brains shes a freaking doll and the movie is way past due but parents need to shut up and let kids enjoy it instead of critizing all the time..
Couldn’t the movie be about anything? Barbie, more than any other doll, was whatever little kids wanted her to be.
She’s physically a female caricature with the largest and widest collection of clothing and accessories.
Of course, that’s probably more flexibility than Hollywood knows how to handle.
I mean, isn’t Laura Croft just Barbie outfitted with an Indiana Jones-like storyline and accessories? (judging by her proportions)
Okay, I think it is a great idea! Do you know how many people will go to see that movie?(A lot!) People LOVE Barbie and so do I! i will for sure go see it if it comes out! And it isn’t gonna be boring! Barbie isn’t a stupid blonde bimbo as she is clearly stereotyped as, she doesn’t need to be ugly to be smart! Haven’t you seen any of her anime movies, all of them deal with a problem that she fixes. And, she has been a pilot, a vet, a hotel manager, and many other things over the years! And really, all of you people shouldn’t be hating on her just because she doesn’t need botox to stay beautiful looking. And, also, she can pull off any hairstyle, so don’t be jealous of that either.