Apparently, Amy Schumer is going to headline Sony's new big-budget live-action BARBIE movie. Here's the official synopsis:
"[I]n a perfect land of Barbies…one woman slowly awakens to the fact that she doesn’t fit it. She is expelled from the idealistic land and journeys to the real world, where she discovers that being unique is an asset."
Okay. So this project just got sort of interesting.
As a boy my only interactions with Barbies were either to laugh at the lack of genitalia or to burn and mutilate them. I'm surprised I'm not a serial killer. So I'm not really one to comment if this sounds like something a fan of Barbie would enjoy or not. Hell, I'm not even sure I like the idea myself. But I will say it's at least a unique take. Honestly, I thought it was just going to something like HOUSE BUNNY or LEGALLY BLONDE or something, about a perky hot blonde girl who teaches some snarky, boyfriend-less feminist types to let loose and put on make-up and stuff. The fact that it's not that is refreshing alone. In fact, according to the initial report, that was one of the rejected ideas being pitched: "a buddy comedy…that teams Barbie with an overworked bureaucrat looking for an assistant." Ugh.
Honestly, it seems that the production team is earnestly trying to "take a contemporary spin on beauty, feminism and identity", which is a good start for a project like this. I like that the story and the casting of Schumer is actively addressing the controversial body image that the popular toy regularly promotes. Let's hope the script (one of three that were separately commissioned, one reportedly by Diablo Cody) lives up to that promise. A director is currently being sought after for the project.
So any fans of BARBIE out there? And if so, what do you think of the proposed film?