Recently, the Motion Picture Association released its rating for Barbie, which comes out on July 21. Barbie is now officially rated PG-13, earning the “Parents strongly cautioned” rating. The film reportedly contains material that isn’t appropriate for audiences under the age of 13, including “suggestive references and brief language.”
Barbie, starring Margot Robbie as the titular doll and Ryan Gosling as Ken, tells the story of Barbie’s journey from Barbie Land into the real world, where she’s confronted with realities like death and aging. So what are the “suggestive references” in the Barbie movie? What is the “language” in question?
We can glean a few details from the trailer, which shows all the Barbies and Kens living together in Barbie Land. Two Kens (Gosling and Simu Liu) challenge each other to a “beach off,” in which they’ll presumably beach each other off. There’s Barbie and Ken’s fumbling overtures toward sleeping together, even though they don’t know what sex is. Plus, Barbie may come across some cuss words when she ventures into the real world.
So is Barbie family-friendly or not?
To put things in perspective, here are some recent films that are rated PG-13: The Flash, Avatar: the Way of Water, Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret, and M3GAN.
M3GAN is about a knife-wielding murderous doll, while Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret is frank about puberty and sexuality. For the record, my ten-year-old saw both those movies in the theater and loved them. If you’re wondering whether you can take your kids to Barbie, remember that “appropriate” is a highly subjective term, and every family is going to have a different idea of what’s appropriate for their kids. For some parents, the beach-off joke may be too much. Other parents may have already had The Talk with their kids, or just hope that the innuendo goes over their heads. In the end, you’re the one who has to decide what you’re comfortable with.
(featured image: Warner Bros.)
