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'Barbie' review: Sometimes corporate propaganda can be fun as hell

Aisha Harris

Based on one of America's most emblematic pieces of intellectual property, Greta Gerwig's Barbie starring Margot Robbie, above, was never going to be just a movie, because Barbie was never just a doll. Warner Bros. Pictures hide caption

Based on one of America's most emblematic pieces of intellectual property, Greta Gerwig's Barbie starring Margot Robbie, above, was never going to be just a movie, because Barbie was never just a doll.

At some point long before the film was unveiled to us critics, Greta Gerwig's Barbie became more than just a movie based on one of America's most emblematic pieces of intellectual property. Maybe it kicked off in the wake of oh-so-many memes , or in being pit against another highly-anticipated movie deemed its aesthetic and ideological opposite in a silly box office showdown. Then again, nearly every retailer catering to femmes has jumped on this bandwagon , too, either directly or indirectly. (My inbox and Insta feed are currently flooded with weeks' worth of shameless promos for blazing hot pink and fluorescent items I'll never wear; even my local barre studio is getting in on the action with a forthcoming Barbie-themed class.)

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In any case, Barbie is officially and unequivocally The Moment™, The Vibe™, The Toy™ so many of us suddenly wish to play with again, even if it's been decades since the last time. It was never going to be just a movie , because Barbie the doll was never "just a doll"; its creator Ruth Handler had grand ambitions for this free-spirited plastic woman, ones which, famously, haven't always aligned with the public's perceptions. Gerwig's offbeat technicolor fantasy (co-written with her partner, Noah Baumbach) builds upon this historic push-and-pull to imagine a more harmonious ideological relationship between the brand and the consumer of today.

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Movie Reviews

Go see 'barbie' and 'oppenheimer' in theaters — doubleheader or not is your call.

That doesn't make the movie's existence as a corporate propaganda piece any less fraught – Mattel Films is a producer – but to its credit, Barbie is eager to at least try confronting its own conundrums. And let's be real: sometimes, corporate propaganda can be fun as hell.

Cleverly riffing on the " dawn of man " sequence in 2001: A Space Odyssey , the opening scene positions its product as the ultimate game changer in the doll universe, expanding the playtime horizon for young girls beyond the maternal default. The film's cheeky unseen narrator voiced by Helen Mirren channels the ghost of Handler (and, perhaps, Chaka Khan ) by noting Barbie can be anyone and everyone: a doctor (Hari Nef), an author (Alexandra Shipp), a president (Issa Rae), brunette, Black, and so on.

After months of marketing, memes, and a sense of momentousness, we unboxed the Barbie movie: It is both a delight and at times, too much. Warner Bros. Pictures hide caption

After months of marketing, memes, and a sense of momentousness, we unboxed the Barbie movie: It is both a delight and at times, too much.

Her symbolic malleability and ambition have led to a sort-of utopia called Barbie Land, where every version of Barbie lives blissfully in their own perfect Dreamhouse. There are many versions of Ken, too, though he's merely "superfluous," an accessory of lesser importance than Barbie's many flashy outfits or prized convertible. Patriarchy? Where? (We'll find out soon enough.)

The main Barbie is Stereotypical Barbie, played with verve and bite by Margot Robbie; she spends days at the beach and evenings throwing slumber parties, while awkwardly side-stepping the persistent advances of Ryan Gosling's Ken – "just Ken" – much to his chagrin. One night, in the middle of a fabulous, elaborately choreographed ensemble dance number, she's suddenly overcome by "irrepressible thoughts of death" she can't shake off, try as she might. Those thoughts give way to other wonky occurrences that upset Barbie's perfect world, which in turn set her and Ken on a journey to the very imperfect real world. There she searches for answers from her human owners, a jaded tween named Sasha (Ariana Greenblatt), and her mother Gloria (America Ferrera), a Mattel employee.

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This rundown only begins to touch on the myriad of ideas and metacommentary funneling throughout Gerwig and Baumbach's Barbie vision, which is both a delight and, at times, a bit much. The jokes are plentiful, and the cast, which also includes Kate McKinnon as – who else? – Weird Barbie and Will Ferrell as Mattel's unnamed CEO, looks as if they're having a blast. This is most true of Gosling, whose handsome himbo, deeply insecure about Barbie's indifference toward him, is the movie's secret weapon and an unsubtle, pitch-perfect rumination on American masculinity. Gosling makes Ken more than "just Ken" – he's an instantly recognizable dude, exaggerated enough to fit in at Barbie Land, and relatable enough to evolve as a character apart from his far more famous and beloved counterpart.

Ryan Gosling makes Ken more than "just Ken." Warner Bros. Pictures hide caption

Ryan Gosling makes Ken more than "just Ken."

American masculinity will never not be ripe for ribbing, but conflict inevitably arises in considering Barbie 's blunt self-critiques, sealed as they are with Mattel's approval. Stereotypical Barbie is rendered exactly as her name suggests: blond, thin, [presumably] straight, and Margot Robbie ... i.e., the first image that likely comes to mind when anyone thinks of Barbie, as she herself proudly admits early on. Pointing this out is subversive, to a point. For all the brand's exaltations about representing everyone – in recent years, to combat plummeting sales , Mattel has expanded the doll's shapes, shades, and facial features – the movie is also admitting that the symbol that still looms large is white and supermodel-esque. And there's a case to be made that Stereotypical Barbie is a sly swipe at superficial white progressivism, and in particular, the #Girlboss era; I wouldn't put it past Gerwig, who's proven an astute thinker and filmmaker in her previous works.

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Yet Barbie 's limitations as a vehicle for substantial commentary are two-fold. For one, the execution is sometimes awkward, like a long, stilted monologue about how "impossible" it is to be a woman because, The Patriarchy. (Nevertheless, this speech elicited claps of approval from my audience, which I saw coming as soon as the character started going in on unrealistic beauty expectations.)

The other rub is inherent – critique can only mean so much when the entity under the microscope also happens to be the one writing (and cashing) the checks. Even the sillier and less overtly self-referential punches come off favorably for Mattel, breathlessly burnishing the brand's legend in nearly the same fashion as Marvel's ongoing exaltations of Stan Lee.

Issa Rae, Scott Evans, Simu Liu, Emma Mackey and Ncuti Gatwa as Barbies and Kens. Warner Bros. Pictures hide caption

That being said, Barbie isn't just a movie that could never fully escape out from under the weight of its artistic compromises. It's a hoot, a feast for the eyes and ears. Sarah Greenwood's production design is sensorially astounding; Barbie Land is conceived as it's appeared in kids' imaginations for decades – both tangible (plastic shower, toaster, or car) and intangible (invisible water, toast, or motor). The makeup team confidently balances an essence of plasticity without drowning in it to the point of the uncanny. There are musical numbers and A+ cameos. (I'd love to get Lizzo to sing-narrate my life, too, please!)

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And did I already mention Ryan Gosling? RYAN. GOSLING. YES.

It's a movie that sits at an interesting inflection point in moviemaking and movie consumption, when almost every idea seems born from a pre-existing product. While it's easy to balk at – and believe me, I have; many, many times – the truth is, the tension between filmmaking and commerce has and always will be present in the work itself, be it a broad Hollywood blockbuster or the most idiosyncratic and Terrence Malick-y of endeavors. Something like Barbie lays that tension bare and exposed in its unabashed commercialism and heightened sensiblities, so that you can't not think about how its aims may be at odds with its execution.

But that's also part of what makes it such an interesting oddity to witness. It's a Barbie world you'll be more than happy to have visited, even as it confounds.

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Barbie (2023) Parent Guide

Creating a witty, campy, original film about plastic dolls is a genuine achievement..

Theaters: When Barbie's perfect life is rocked by unexplained phenomena, she and Ken go on a trip to the real world to save Barbie Land.

Release date July 21, 2023

Run Time: 114 minutes

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The guide to our grades, parent movie review by kirsten hawkes.

Barbie (Margot Robbie) is living her dream life in her bright pink dream house. She enjoys non-stop validation and entertainment in a world where her fellow Barbies can achieve anything – winning Nobel prizes, flying into space, or being President. Secure in the conviction that the success of Barbies inspires girls in the far-off “real” world, she’s able to party enthusiastically with Ken (Ryan Gosling) and her friends, at least, until she has sudden, irrepressible thoughts of death.

That’s not all. The next morning, Barbie wakes up with (horror of horrors) flat feet and is unable to drift down the levels of her stairless house. After she lands with a thud on the sidewalk, our protagonist visits Weird Barbie (Kate McKinnon) to uncover the cause of these disturbing phenomena. She learns that her answers can only be found in the real world, so she hops into her convertible to save Barbie Land. Unable to exist outside Barbie’s gaze, Ken insists on coming along, but their experiences in Los Angeles have dire consequences for their pink, plastic reality…

When Barbie arrives in LA, she discovers that not only do women not enjoy the female successes found in Barbie Land; some of them resent Barbie and her fellow dolls for fostering unreasonable expectations. Barbie is horrified to encounter both misogyny and patriarchy – but these attitudes give Ken a sense of visibility and respect. This cognitive divergence drives the rest of the plot and leads to an existential crisis for both characters and their entire community.

Jaded critic that I am, it’s not often that I get excited about a film, but I want to give two big thumbs-up to Greta Gerwig for co-writing and directing a movie that kept me guessing for its entire runtime. I honestly did not know how this movie was going to end, and that’s such a refreshing change. The script is also laugh-out-loud funny – Depression Barbie binge-watching Pride & Prejudice was a particularly rich moment for me, but theatergoers at my showing burst into laughter at frequent intervals.

There’s no doubt this film has been written for adult audiences (particularly women) but it can also be enjoyed by teens. Negative content is limited to minor innuendo, infrequent profanity, and some farcical violence. This is more than balanced by the movie’s positive themes. Barbie doesn’t just dissect the harms of structural misogyny; it drives home a strong message of female empowerment. When disillusioned Barbie moans that she’s “not smart enough to be interesting”, real world mom Gloria (America Ferrera) delivers an impassioned plea for female self-acceptance in a culture of unattainable, often contradictory expectations.

More impressively, this isn’t just a film about female disempowerment or rage. The script has the courage to look at the Kens and the consequences of ongoing marginalization, even when it results from cluelessness instead of malicious intent. As Barbie and Ken look beyond social constructs and examine their own interests and priorities, the movie becomes a tale of self-acceptance and maturation. Barbie is more than an advertorial for a child’s plaything: it’s a parable about individual agency. And stories don’t get much deeper than that.

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Kirsten hawkes, watch the trailer for barbie (2023).

Barbie (2023) Rating & Content Info

Why is Barbie (2023) rated PG-13? Barbie (2023) is rated PG-13 by the MPAA for suggestive references and brief language.

Violence: There are chase scenes involving reckless driving. There are scenes of physical fighting involving hitting, kicking, and shoving. Male characters have a “war” in which sports equipment is used in place of weapons. A man is put in a headlock with the handle of a shovel. A woman punches a man for slapping her backside. A man hits himself hard enough to fall over. Sexual Content: There is a coded reference to masturbation. Doll characters reference the “blobs” inside the male dolls’ jeans. There is some mild sexual innuendo. A main character refers to a “penis” and “vagina” and says that they don’t have any genitals. A man slaps a woman’s backside. A doll “grows” breasts when her arm is turned in circles. Song lyrics bemoan a character’s permanent state of virginity. Profanity:   A sexual expletive is bleeped out. There are a half dozen terms of deity and minor profanities. Alcohol / Drug Use: None noted.

Page last updated July 20, 2023

Barbie (2023) Parents' Guide

What effect does Barbie and Ken’s relationship have on the rest of the film? What does their relationship say about power differentials? How does that influence the way Ken reacts to his experience in the real world? How do you think Barbie can remain unaware of Ken’s feelings? What does their relationship say about real-life relationships?

What do you think of Barbie’s choice at the end of the movie? Would you make the same decision? Why or why not?

Related home video titles:

If you’re looking for a teen-friendly story of female empowerment, you can try Moxie . This Netflix production tells the story of a teen who launches an anonymous zine to protest the sexualized misogyny prevalent in her high school.

In Misbehaviour , a group of British feminists plan a protest against the 1970 Miss World beauty pageant to highlight the misogyny of their culture.

Ruth Bader Ginsberg’s long climb to the bench of the Supreme Court of the United States is depicted in On the Basis of Sex .

'Barbie' Review: Greta Gerwig Delivers a Fierce Feminist Statement Dressed in Pink

"Women... They have minds, and they have souls, as well as just hearts," said Saoirse Ronan's Jo March in Greta Gerwig's dazzling Louisa May Alcott adaptation. "And they've got ambition, and they've got talent, as well as just beauty. And I'm so sick of people saying that love is just all a woman is fit for. I'm so sick of it!"

Who knows if writer-director Gerwig was already thinking of making a Barbie doll movie someday when she plucked the above quote out of Alcott's novel, "Rose in Bloom," and ingeniously plugged it into her inventive take on "Little Women," concluding it with the punchline, "But I'm so lonely."

Still, it's pretty safe to assume she's been carrying these words around with her when working on her disarming, astute and altogether bitingly brilliant "Barbie," a thoughtful and uproarious film whose marketing has been so loud and ceaseless that the skeptics who've been turned off by all the hoopla might be surprised to find a soulful film underneath all the persistent fuchsia they've been served out of context. One that has heart and ambition as well as abundant beauty, inside and out.

Then again, they shouldn't be surprised, should they? Not at this point, when Gerwig--once a staple of indie mumblecore and, for quite some time, the major writer-director of numerous sharp and confidently feminine pictures--has delivered something shrewd, unexpected and expressive with every single one of her outings in the last decade.

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Her motto has always been to rethink things: the high school movie, a classic novel we thought we knew so well, all the narratives about young women in search of their voice and so on. From the Noah Baumbach-directed "Frances Ha" (which Gerwig didn't direct but co-wrote with Baumbach) to the Oscar-nominated "Lady Bird," Gerwig's filmography managed to freshen up all of these familiar packages in ways both inviting and timeless.

Starring a luminous and gradually heartbreaking Margot Robbie as an original stereotypical Barbie and Ryan Gosling (a shattering physical comedy genius between this and "The Nice Guys") as Barbie's casual fling Ken, "Barbie" is no different in regard to those previous features. Once an equal parts fascinating and controversial Mattel toy, both loved and hated--a tiny-waisted, vacuously smiling, slender doll designed like a straight-male fantasy--is now the complicated feminist symbol of empowerment in Gerwig's hands. But we aren't talking about an empty you-go-girl kind of empowerment here. That would be too simple-minded for Gerwig, whose articulate and accessible feminism has always been fiercely multifaceted and complex.

For evidence, just look at her jumping off point for "Barbie" (also co-written by Baumbach), a premise authoritatively narrated by Helen Mirren via an early nod to Kubrick and founded on the very conundrum of femininity and womanhood. Gerwig's "Barbie" reminds us that despite the doll's unrealistic beauty standards and grossly dust-pink world, the very idea of this stereotypical pretty blonde figurine (which, thankfully, became more inclusive of different races and body types later on) was a woman who had it all.

Before Barbies came along with their dream houses, sports cars and chic wardrobes, little girls only played with baby dolls in their pretend-games, we are told. They had no choice but to be mothers and caregivers. But the Barbie doll changed all this: the "girly" pretend games could now include stylish soirees, luxurious self-care bubble baths and big, empowering leadership roles in medicine, law, government, astronomy and so on.

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In other words, in their safe and peaceful perfect world where Ken dolls were nothing but afterthought boy-toys, the Barbies were like the enviable women of "Sex and The City," sans genitals (a hilarious fact Gerwig never lets you forget). They had hearts, souls, ambition, talent and beauty. They were anything but lonely, and love was hardly all they were fit for.

Guided by Rodrigo Prieto's shiny lens--both appealing and knowingly stark--we meet the Barbies as they flaunt their classically luscious (and sometimes, knowingly ridiculous) costumes, designed by the legendary Jaqueline Durran, inside the delectably imagined sets of production designer Sarah Greenwood and set decorator Katie Spencer. Firmly believing that they've fixed all the sexism in the world for good, the ladies are played by the likes of Issa Rae, Sharon Rooney, Dua Lipa, Emma Mackey, and an uproarious Kate McKinnon as "Weird Barbie"--the product of a bored adolescent girl who started to cut her Barbie's hair and paint her face (a phase this woman critic vividly recalls, for all her sins).

They are having so much fun holding all the positions of power in their land that who could blame them for treating the Kens (John Cena, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Simu Liu, Scott Evans and others) as pretty objects, and casually dismissing the harmlessly sweetie-pie Allen doll (Michael Cera in his most lovable role since "Juno")?

Then again, no amount of girl-boss fun amid all the Barbriarchy can prevent Robbie's stereotypical Barbie from having an existential crisis with thoughts of death. Discovering that she's activated a portal between the real world and Barbie Land, she decides to go on a journey to the equally make-believe Los Angeles and reclaim her worry-free life back once and for all.

Dying to impress her, Gosling's himbo Ken--not good for anything other than looking dreamy on a beach--joins her across land, air and space to find Barbie's owner and negotiate with the Mattel CEO (an uproarious Will Ferrell), who talks a lot of nonsense about female empowerment in male-dominated meeting rooms. Joining them in the real world is a scene-stealing America Ferrera as the loving single mother/one-time Barbie owner Gloria and her cynical daughter Sasha (Ariana Greenblatt) who hates the Barbies' guts for destroying feminism.

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It can't be overstated how far both Robbie and Gosling push their facial muscles and star power to chart their respective dolls' real-world awakening, in ways both laugh-out-loud funny and heartbreaking. In Robbie's case, her angelic Barbie gets genuinely startled the second she realizes she's being objectified while rollerblading in Venice. Embarking on the opposite journey is Gosling: previously doing as he's told by Barbie, craving her gaze and getting kicked out of her house on her schedule, now overjoyed by his discovery of the real-world concept of patriarchy. And as if Barbie Land hasn't been rocked enough, the now mink-wearing haughty Ken dares to take the patriarchy with him back home, downgrading his once-pretty mothership to frat houses of mini fridges, sports memorabilia and cheap six packs.

On paper, the feminism of "Barbie" isn't necessarily new or groundbreaking. Yes, we know being a woman often feels like a lose-lose scenario in a misogynistic world. And yes, we know that sexist men often vampirically feed on being admired by women they can mansplain things to. But once Gloria delivers the film's (and one of the year's) best scenes in a monologue about womanhood, you (hopefully, regardless of the gender you're born with or identify as), might just hear something click deep inside of your soul. Her gentle outburst boils down to all the ways we know how impossibly hard it is to be a woman--it's one thing if you're not image-conscious, it's another if you are worried about your weight, no matter how above-it-all you claim to be.

It's one thing if you prioritize your career, it's another if you make your family your main focus. It's one thing if you want to be all the things, it's another if you don't. And let's not even mention trying to stay afloat with all these conflicting goals and feelings in a man's world, where women aren't always allowed to be allies to one another. This woman critic didn't realize she started crying in gratitude as Gloria went on and on. Turns out, one does want to hear the reality spelled out sometimes, however obvious it may be.

Still, it's not the aim of "Barbie" to darken your mood as a fun and abundantly populist studio picture, in which Gerwig presents the audience with various Kentastic musical tracks and in one stupendous instance that shouldn't be spoiled, a friendly middle-finger to Matchbox Twenty through Gosling's fearless performance. Thanks to Gerwig's imagination, this "Barbie" is far from plastic. It's fantastic.

'Barbie' LA Premiere: Margot Robbie Looks Like a Living Doll on the Red Carpet (Photos)

Movie Review: Barbie

Barbie isn’t as bad as it could’ve been. But it will still require some hand-holding to ensure teens glean the right message from it.

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Warner Bros.’ latest foray into nostalgia is colorful, musical and … controversial as it explores feminism and masculinity in ways that are likely to leave viewers with very different reactions.

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Barbie: mermaid power, common sense media reviewers.

Sweet animated musical promotes friendship, acceptance.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Believe in yourself. Be accepting of others who ar

Brooklyn, Barbie, and her sisters try to help othe

Diverse, mostly female cast. Mermaid characters of

Some mermaid characters bully and speak unkindly t

Not on-screen, but tie-ins to toys, games, books,

Parents need to know that Barbie: Mermaid Power is an animated musical in the Barbie movie franchise. It follows Malibu Barbie (voiced by America Young), her sisters, and Brooklyn Barbie (Tatiana Varria) as they transform into mermaids and learn how to wield their mermaid powers and prepare for the once-every…

Positive Messages

Believe in yourself. Be accepting of others who are different and realize everyone is more alike than it seems. Everyone feels out of place sometimes, and that's OK. Take care of the planet.

Positive Role Models

Brooklyn, Barbie, and her sisters try to help others realize how it feels not to belong. They help them to remember that even if people look different, inside everyone is the same. Even in competitive games, Brooklyn and Barbie work together to help each other. Malibu Barbie helps characters who were working against her when they're faced with danger.

Diverse Representations

Diverse, mostly female cast. Mermaid characters of all colors and sizes. Lots of female scientists. Aquaryah is a mermaid who was born without a fin, and her dad made one for her "fin difference."

Did we miss something on diversity? Suggest an update.

Violence & Scariness

Some mermaid characters bully and speak unkindly to one another. Talleigha and Sareena are sometimes boastful and rude to younger mermaids and the visiting "land dwellers" who are different from them. Brief peril when an underwater vehicle begins to break down and flood.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Products & Purchases

Not on-screen, but tie-ins to toys, games, books, and more.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Barbie: Mermaid Power is an animated musical in the Barbie movie franchise . It follows Malibu Barbie (voiced by America Young ), her sisters, and Brooklyn Barbie ( Tatiana Varria ) as they transform into mermaids and learn how to wield their mermaid powers and prepare for the once-every-100-years Mermaid Moon. Animated violence includes characters bullying and speaking unkindly to one another. Two mermaid characters are sometimes boastful and rude to younger mermaids, as well as to the visiting "land dwellers" who are different from them. There's brief peril when an underwater vehicle begins to break down and flood. Expect clear, strong messages about acceptance and finding your talents. One character was born without a tail fin and has a "fin difference." She's strong-willed and shares how she doesn't want people to treat her differently. Characters also learn that it's important to take care of the planet. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

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What's the Story?

In BARBIE: MERMAID POWER, it's time for the Ceremony of the Mermaid Moon that happens every 100 years. Malibu Barbie (voiced by America Young ) is cleaning up trash in the ocean along with her little sisters and Barbie "Brooklyn" Roberts ( Tatiana Varria ) when she gets a message to travel to the mermaid world to participate in the competition. The mermaids are each learning to wield their new powers of earth, fire, wind, and water and find out which one of them is to be the Power Keeper, who's able to control all four powers. Some of the mermaids aren't too happy to see "land dwellers" as a part of the competition. Meanwhile, back on land, Marlo is trying to prove that mermaids are real. She's setting out to capture proof during the Mermaid Moon event. All of this occurs while a floating island of trash threatens to destroy Pacifica. Will the mermaids be able to set aside their differences to help save Pacifica? The story shows what happens when humans and mermaids embrace their inner powers and try to do what's right.

Is It Any Good?

The Barbie franchise continues to evolve as Barbie: Mermaid Power showcases a diverse cast and positive messages, with talented girls and women discovering their inner powers. The colorful setting and straightforward story make it fun and enjoyable. The songs are catchy and tout messages of kindness and confidence that are simple enough for the youngest viewers to understand and enjoy. Barbie fans who have seen the previous mermaid tales will recognize some familiar faces from Pacifica. Others new to the mermaid storyline might miss a couple of references to previous movies, but those aren't not necessary to follow along. Viewers new and old will still be able to jump right in and enjoy the story and characters.

Each character experiences their own set of growth during the story. Brooklyn Barbie gets to experience being a mermaid for the first time and she adds a dose of realism to the mix, often calling out the bizarre scenario while also being able to embrace the situation. Malibu Barbie plays a little more of a supporting role than she usually does, often taking a backseat to the other characters and allowing them to shine in their own way. But when it comes down to it, the characteristics people love most about Barbie (her loyalty, kindness, and empathy) still radiate.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about a time they've felt like a "fish out of water." How did it feel at first? What things did you do to try to feel comfortable? How did it feel the longer you spent in that situation?

What do you think it means to say "we are all the same on the inside"? How can this perspective help us be more accepting of others?

How did the characters demonstrate courage and teamwork ? Why are these positive character strengths ?

Different characters had different talents and skills in this movie. What are some of your unique talents?

Movie Details

• On DVD or streaming : September 1, 2022
• Cast : America Young , Tatiana Varria , Kirsten Day
• Director : Ron Myrick
• Inclusion Information : Female actors
• Studio : Netflix
• Genre : Family and Kids
• Topics : Magic and Fantasy , Princesses, Fairies, Mermaids, and More , Friendship
• Run time : 65 minutes
• MPAA rating : NR
• Last updated : September 6, 2022

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In Theaters

Content caution.

• April 12, 2024
• Alyla Browne as Charlotte; Ryan Corr as Ethan; Penelope Mitchell as Heather; Noni Hazlehurst as Helga; Jermaine Fowler as Frank; Danny Kim as Erik; Robyn Nevin as Gunter; Silvia Colloca as Maria

Home Release Date

• Kiah Roache-Turner

Distributor

• Well Go USA Entertainment; Diamond Films

Movie Review

Let’s just get the story’s most-important lesson out of the way now: Spiders do not make great pets.

Oh, I know—some of you are probably cradling your cute little tarantulas even as you read this, scratching their furry abdomens and doing your best to teach them how to play fetch. But let me be candid: Your tarantula does not love you. And it will never, ever learn how to play fetch.

Charlotte would’ve disagreed. The 12-year-old girl thought that her spider—a mysterious arachnid that arrived via tiny meteor and landed in her apartment building—was the coolest, smartest, bestest spider ever.

And sure, Charlotte would’ve been about two-thirds right. After all, it’s not every spider who whistles when it wants food, or who can imitate the voice of your closest relatives.

But bestest ? An ill-fated, half-eaten parrot in Charlotte’s building would beg to differ … if it could.

Another disturbing element? The spider—which Charlotte names Sting, after Bilbo Baggins’ sword in The Hobbit—just keeps growing.

No, Charlotte’s beloved spider is not quite the pet that she imagines it to be. In the spider’s mind, the living creatures around it fall, ultimately, into two categories: breakfast and dinner . And as it gets bigger, so does its menu.

Positive Elements

Charlotte has more than a spider to keep her company, of course. She has a whole family to deal with. And while the adolescent girl often would rather not be bothered by them, they clearly love her. Indeed, Charlotte’s relationship with her stepfather, Ethan Miller (though, admittedly, I’m not sure if he and Charlotte’s mom are actually married), forms the emotional core of the movie.

Ethan is the building’s superintendent—hammering away at the finicky boiler and pesky pipes when necessity demands. But he’s also an artist, and he and Charlotte are working on a comic book that shows plenty of promise. And while Ethan worries that he falls short in Charlotte’s eyes to her birth father, her mom, Heather, notes that Charlotte never showed an interest in art before Ethan came along, and the young girl wants to spend time with him constantly. “You’re her biggest hero,” Heather says. “What do you need, a roadmap?”

Ethan and Charlotte’s relationship gets a little, shall we say, tangled. Charlotte’s birth dad split years ago and never visits, so there’s some abandonment anxiety lurking underneath Charlotte’s tough exterior. Some tell Ethan that Charlotte is worried that Ethan will leave her. One character essentially assumes that he will. But in a critical moment, Ethan reassures Charlotte that he’ll stick with her, no matter the cost. “I am never going to leave you,” he tells her. And he’s good for his word. In a film filled with blood, this is where it shows its heart.

Also surprisingly sweet in an otherwise not-so-sweet movie: the affection the whole family shows Helga, Heather’s dementia-riddled mother. While Helga is often used to inject a bit of comedy into the film, she’s also sweet, kind and as well-meaning as she can be. Heather cares for her from the apartment below, tucking her in at night and accepting, with a smile, when Helga tells her that she should meet her “daughter.” And Charlotte, when things look bad, gives Helga some strong, easy survival advice and a tender kiss on the head before leaving.

Charlotte and others show brave, can-do attitudes in some of the movie’s darker moments.

Spiritual Elements

A comic that Charlotte reads shows the main character—who may be based on Charlotte herself—holding her dying dad. Using all of her comic-book powers, the character manages to bring her dad back from death. Later, Charlotte tries to use the same technique on someone she loves, too.

When Heather’s aunt, Gunter, makes a demeaning comment, Heather asks her, “Isn’t there a broomstick that needs riding?”

Sexual Content

Heather and Ethan kiss once or twice. “You are so beautiful,” Ethan tells Heather. A woman wears cleavage-and-midriff-revealing sleepwear.

When an exterminator sees a dead, mauled parrot stripped of its feathers, he quips that it “looks like it tried to have sex with a blender.”

Which feels like a fitting place to move to the next section.

Violent Content

Sting’s eating habits start relatively small. Charlotte feeds him the occasional cockroach (of which there are many), which the spider traps and sucks dry before Charlotte can say, “cool.” But as you should know by now, Sting has bigger quarry in mind. In addition to the parrot, a cat meets its end, leaving behind a grotesque corpse strung up in a web.

But why stop there? Sting doesn’t.

We’re told that many spiders like to eat their prey while they’re still alive, and we see evidence of this. Human corpses, still living, are trapped in webs to await Sting’s pleasure. Many characters are paralyzed and severely bloodied before they’re dragged into the apartment’s venting system. (When they’re not so paralyzed, they scream as the arachnid yanks them into darkness.)

When the spider’s still relatively small, it makes its way in and out of someone’s (horrified, living) body before cutting itself out with one of its legs. Another victim lies motionless but still living, coughing up blood as he lays on his back. Still another victim essentially vanishes in an explosion of blood.

The spider bleeds, too: A nail gun draws what appears to be blue fluid from the animal. In learning how to care for her new pet, Charlotte watches nature videos that depict some of the more unsavory habits of real spiders—including a massive tarantula devouring a lizard. The apartment of an amateur biologist contains a half-dissected fish. Blood coats many an apartment floor. Ethan’s comics and Charlotte’s artwork contain some violent, creepy imagery.

Someone bleeding heavily from the head—from the effect of injury, alcohol or toxin—falls and hits her head on the edge of a bathtub, where she lies bleeding and helpless.

It’s insinuated that Maria, a woman living in the apartment building, lost her family somehow, and one of her children died tragically. When Ethan quips that kids are like rubber balls and bounce back from many injuries, Maria grows sad, and Ethan—looking at Maria’s treasured family portrait—quickly apologizes. Ethan pounds a boiler in the basement, much to the consternation of the building’s owner.

Crude or Profane Language

About 20 uses of the f-word and another half-dozen of the s-word. We also hear “a–,” “b–ch”, “d–n,” “h—” and “p-ssed.” God’s name is misused five times (twice with the word “d–n”), and Jesus’ name is abused once.

Drug and Alcohol Content

Maria, we’re told, drinks heavily. We see her take massive, messy swigs out of a blender jar (which can infer contains alcohol). She also grabs a bottle of pills from a cabinet full of them.

Ethan drinks beer while working on his art. When he comes into Charlotte’s bedroom to tell her that he loves her, she asks, “Have you been drinking?” “Just enough to keep me honest,” he tells her.

Characters drink wine with dinner. Gunter appears to get seriously sloshed.

Other Negative Elements

Several characters vomit a bit—sometimes on each other—as a result of the spider’s venom. Ethan and Heather’s infant son throws food in his father’s face (earning a whispered profanity).

Gunter, who owns the building, seems cruel and unfeeling. She hires an exterminator, and when he finishes the job, she insists that she’ll only pay half of what was promised. (“You lack character,” the exterminator says.) She fires Ethan as the building superintendent, calling him a weak man. “And like all weak men, when the going gets hard, you leave,” she rails.

Charlotte idolizes her birth father, and she believes she hasn’t seen him for a while because he lives in Thailand. But Heather and Ethan have long kept the truth from her: He’s just a 25-minute drive away and has never come to visit.

Other characters lie, as well. Nasty, foul-smelling ooze permeates the building. We hear that Charlotte’s infant brother tends to eat things he shouldn’t—like paint.

You’ll never know how many movies you never wanted to see until your job is to see them. And the R-rated horror film Sting was perhaps one of the year’s shortest of short straws in the Plugged In office. While it boasts a 72% “freshness” rating on Rotten Tomatoes , not a lot of Plugged In reviewers long to watch a movie about a serial-killing, messy-eating giant spider.

And through that lens, Sting was still a mildly pleasant surprise.

I wasn’t expecting the film to have such a nice father-daughter message at its core—or for it to treat a dementia-riddled grandma with some respect. Even in horror flicks, it’s the human connection between characters that often makes for a compelling story, not the fake blood or quality of monster or number of screams per minute. It’s about relationship, and this film didn’t scrimp on that front.

But it also didn’t scrimp on any other front, either: the blood, the screams, the monstrosity at the story’s center. Sure, the film had some nice moments. But those moments were submerged in gore and ook and shlocky shock. It’s a pretty tawdry outlay of grotesquerie, and it forces a child actress—the excellent Alyla Brown—to stand at its center. She anchors a movie that, without an adult, she’d technically be too young to see. And while I know that films often take care to protect their young stars from the full weight of the content therein, it still makes me wince.

Sting fits its name. Its characters are stung by difficult relationships as much as its namesake spider stings with its bite. But the film stings its viewers, too—their eyes and ears. And the hurt just might last longer than you expect.

Paul Asay has been part of the Plugged In staff since 2007, watching and reviewing roughly 15 quintillion movies and television shows. He’s written for a number of other publications, too, including Time, The Washington Post and Christianity Today. The author of several books, Paul loves to find spirituality in unexpected places, including popular entertainment, and he loves all things superhero. His vices include James Bond films, Mountain Dew and terrible B-grade movies. He’s married, has two children and a neurotic dog, runs marathons on occasion and hopes to someday own his own tuxedo. Feel free to follow him on Twitter @AsayPaul.

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