After the world's longest and most committed promo tour, the Barbie movie starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, is finally in cinemas this weekend, from Friday 21 July. Arguably the biggest movie of the year (sorry, Oppenheimer) it opens just as the school holidays start. But the big question is - is the Barbie movie suitable for children?
Yes, the film is about a child's toy - but Greta Gerwig has built out Barbie's universe to tell a (very funny) satirical tale of gender politics, the pressures of modern womanhood, and taking down the patriarchy. Maybe not themes younger children will necessarily be super interested in - but there's still plenty of slapstick comedy and Barbie delights (the costumes, the Dreamhouses, the dance routines) that will entertain them.
The plot is simple enough to follow: Barbie and Ken travel to the real and bring back all the problems of the human world to the pink utopia of Barbie Land, which Barbie then has to unravel, while finding her 'true' purpose in life.
There's also a surprisingly moving subplot about the tensions between a (human) mother and her teenage daughter, which tween girls - and their mums - will undoubtedly respond to.
What is the Barbie movie age rating in the UK?
The Barbie movie is rated a 12A, which means it's suitable for children aged 12 and over, but children under the age of 12 can still watch it in the cinema if accompanied by an adult. The official line is that films classified 12A are not generally suitable for children aged under 12, and adults planning to take a child under 12 should consider 'whether the film is suitable for that child'. Which is pretty tricky.
The best way, of course, is to see the film yourself first and then make a judgement based on what you know about your individual child. But if you've got an under-12 begging to go and you can't preview you it first, here's what might be useful to know.
Barbie's 12A rating is due to ‘moderate innuendo, brief sexual harassment and implied strong language’.
In the BBFC's guidance notes, they detail: 'There is a scene of sexual harassment in which men catcall a woman and make inappropriate comments about her appearance. A man slaps a woman's bottom, however, his behaviour is immediately challenged and results in negative consequences.
'Moderate innuendo includes occasional gags about "beaching off" and "sugar daddies".
'There is a use of bleeped strong language ("motherf**ker"), as well as moderate bad language ("bitch") and milder terms such as "crap", "God", "hell" and "damn".'
What have parents said about the Barbie movie?
So that's the official guidance - but what have parents who have already seen the film got to say about it?
Rachel, who has two children, says: 'My kids are 8 and 6 and plenty of the jokes in Barbie would go right over their heads. But I do think they’d enjoy it. It’s a visual spectacle, with a ridiculous plot that is over-the-top cartoony mayhem, and a couple of excellent dance numbers. The fact that they’d miss some of the references wouldn’t bother them.
'When I was a kid, I loved watching Grease. Only when I watched it again as an adult did I realise that I’d been completely oblivious to a lot of the innuendos (and sometimes overt sexual references - straight over my head!). I think that’s a good comparison because it’s a lot of fun on a child’s level, too.
'In a way, I’d quite like my kids to see it - as a very fun, simple explanation of gender roles. They’d probably learn more about the patriarchy from Barbie than from my daughter’s book about Emmeline Pankhurst.'
However Nate, who has a 7 year old, is more hesitant: 'I think it's too wordy and the themes will go way over their head. They might like the brightness and more zany scenes, but overall, this is for tweens and above.'
Ultimately, every child will respond differently, so if you aren't sure and are lucky enough to be able to enjoy a solo cinema day to watch it in peace first, that might be your best option.