The Worst Barbie Movie I've Ever Seen

Review of The Barbie Diaries

The creator, Layze, revisits The Barbie Diaries, a movie they remember watching as a kid. They discover that its jokes are much funnier—and its animation much stranger—than they remembered. They’re especially entertained by the side characters, arguing that Barbie’s “perfect” main-character status makes her less interesting than her rivals and friends.

Plot and tropes

Barbie starts high school and, instead of landing the school TV-hosting job, becomes Raquel’s assistant. She also develops a crush on Todd, Raquel’s boyfriend.

Layze pokes fun at the movie’s familiar teen-movie tropes, including supposedly exclusive school hangouts, over-the-top bullying, dramatic slow motion, and Barbie appearing immediately after Todd and Raquel argue. They also point out how much the film seems to borrow from Mean Girls.

The story’s biggest twist is a magical diary that makes Barbie’s wishes come true. She uses it to influence other people’s lives—including wishing that Todd would fall for her—before realizing the diary is causing harm.

Meanwhile, Barbie assumes Todd is sending her anonymous love notes. The secret admirer turns out to be her longtime friend Kevin. Barbie suddenly recognizes her feelings for Kevin and kisses him at the school dance.

Verdict

Layze jokes that Barbie is the real troublemaker for meddling in everyone’s lives, and that the movie’s lesson about romance is muddled. Still, they give it 4/10, mainly because the dialogue and awkward scenes made them laugh.

They promise to review Barbie: Life in the Dreamhouse if the video reaches 150,000 likes.

Characters mentioned

Layze, Barbie, Raquel, Teresa, Nikki, Kevin, Todd, and Ken—whom Layze repeatedly mistakes for Kevin.