Unless you have very carefully been living in a tent with no access to the news, social media, or most people, you know that a movie about Barbie dolls has been much talked about, written about, and seen, frequently by the same person more than once. You can count me in the latter group.
There have been many think-pieces already written about it, and I’m sure there will be more to come. I’ll paste some of the articles I found interesting below.
Yes, I absolutely think you should see it. I just preached about how Unitarian Universalism is a transgressive religion, and this is a movie in which there are two worlds with very different norms, and what happens when those norms are turned inside out?
Given that, it is of no surprise to me that the writer/director, Greta Gerwig, was raised Unitarian Universalist. One of the pieces of music on the soundtrack is one very familiar with most UUs — Closer to Fine. It’s not in our hymnal, but probably should be, as frequently as it is sung in UU churches, including our own. That’s not a coincidence. In a New York Times article about the Barbie movie, the song is referred to as “a song Gerwig has loved since growing up among “hippie Christians” in a Unitarian church.”
It is a song about being on a spiritual journey, a quest, and learning, as Rainier Maria Rilke wrote, “to love the questions themselves.”
There’s more than one answer to these questionsPointing me in a crooked lineAnd the less I seek my source for some definitive(The less I seek my source)Closer I am to fine
Part of being a Unitarian Universalist, in my opinion, is about loving the questions, loving the quest for meaning, and when we find answers, holding them loosely, knowing that we may receive new information and new insights that change those answers.
This next church year (Sept-May), we’ll be diving into deep questions. Our Director of Lifespan Faith Development, Chris Jarman, and I are calling it “Orienteering Your Faith: Finding a Compass that Works for You.” You’ll have the opportunity to delve into what you believe, how you draw direction from your beliefs, and what it means for all of us to be on a shared journey.
Articles about Barbie: The Movie (Some of these contain spoilers)
Conservatives Predicted Barbie Would Flop. It’s About to Make $1 Billion
Is Barbie a feminist icon? It’s complicated
Greta Gerwig reveals the double meaning behind the ‘mic drop’ last line of ‘Barbie’
How the Indigo Girls Brought Barbie ‘Closer to Fine’
I wept for Ken: why men have the most to gain from watching Barbie