Customer Reviews

The Barbie Diaries

5 star:		(31)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(14)

 

 

I am the mother of a six year old girl and she loves Barbie. When this movie came out I was skeptical. The movie is deffinitely aimed at an older audience than the previous Barbie movies. I got it, and sat down with my daughter because I had a feeling it was not going to be what she expected. Of course some questions came up as a result of the storyline, and I answered them in a way she could understand. (why are they so skinny? was one of them, also why do they have boyfriends?) The truth is that she ended up getting bored and walking off to play.

That being said, I enjoyed the movie as a mature adult. It reminded me of the brat pack type 80s movies like Pretty in Pink and Sixteen Candles. It was fun for me to watch. I think that older girls will relate to this Barbie movie more than any of the other Barbie movies released so far.

The Barbie Diaries has a sweet story, not very original but deffinitely entertaining for an older audience. The animation is not great but it does have a style all its own (very different from the Barbie princess movies). The DVD has some extras but for the most part nothing that is very impressive.

There is one outstanding feature of this movie that must be pointed out and that is the soundtrack. Even my daughter loved it. In fact she asked to watch the Skye Sweetnam video over and over, "playing" along with her guitar and pretending to be a rock star. The sountrack is catchy and is really good if you like girl pop-rock music. I would love to get these songs on a CD. This is a soundtrack I would deffinitely buy. It's a real shame that so far the soundtrack is not available for purchase.

All in all, I would say that for older girls this movie will probably be fun to own. For grown-ups who enjoyed the high-school crush movies of the 1980s this movie will also be enjoyable. If you are looking for something a little girl will like, you will probably be better off with one of the other Barbie movies, or you should wait for the next one this fall: The 12 Dancing Princesses.

I gave the movie 4 stars because although it is not as good as the other Barbie movies, it does cater to the interests of its intended audience, and it addresses issues that they relate to. Bottomline - It's better than many other teeny bopper movies out there and it has a better soundtrack than most standard pre-teen fare.

Warning to Moms of young children. I let my 4 year watch this movie. She adores it and I did not think I had anything to worry about with it until she started saying "I Hate My Life". When I asked her where she learned to say that and she said from the Barbie movie. Sure enough, that's what Barbie says in it. I am shocked phrases like this were in a Barbie movie and I am very disappointed

Very disappointed by the preview. My daughter loves all of the Barbie videos and is now very interested in a video that highlights "sophmore year," and "did he kiss you?!" comments.

Up until now Barbie videos have been based on fantasy play and imaginative play and this new viedo applies to real life situations that are too old for the crowd of girls it has always appealed to.
Lions Gate or Mattel has, in my opinion, missed the mark on this one. Any parent who buys this Barbie Diaries video for their young daughter is just wishing their youth away.

My biggest complaint with this Barbie movie is the line from Barbies guy friend expressing excitement at walking in on a "girl hug". Do we really need that kind of suggestive remark in a Barbie movie aimed at girls ages 5 to 12?

I was about 11 or 12 when this came out. So I've already been exposed to similar things like Lizzie Mcguire (sp?) and Mean Girls. I think this was on that road, just notched down a few levels. I was fine with the movie, but I'm getting kind of tired of this:

A girl, has guy friend, guy friend likes girl, girl likes popular guy, mean girls try to ruin her life, girl is friendly and smart, girl wants to be popular and forgets about her real friends, she realized her mistake and learns her lesson.

I love Barbie, I always have. My friend and I secretly play when we go to each other's houses. Honestly, I think most of the girls at school still play with dolls. But I dont think its right for little kids. For example, when I used to watch Lizzie when I was about 7, my Dad thought it was a good lesson for kids. Yes, but I was too young. Lizzie would say how "embarrassing" her parents were. I used to get mad at this. If the thought of my parents being embarassed ever crossed my mind, I would feel so guilty I couldnt stand it. I think until kids get older, they dont understand the movies/shows. Its too far over their heads. And they think of Barbie their role model, and copy her. If they copy these phrases, they will think its ok, and say mean stuff. They will say they hate people, and they want to be popular. Why does it matter? If you want to be popular, go do some acting and become famous. There. Your popular. Everybody at my school is popular. Why? BECAUSE EVERYBODY KNOWS WHO YOU ARE. The pretty girls dont get much more attention than everybody else. Everybody knew me, and I was a goody 2 shoes smarty. And in High School, you dont have these problems. There are teen pregnancies and other things instead. This is more Middle School based.

I know my friend's little 4 year old sister has learned from her big sister stuff like "That's stupid." or "These toys are all mine and you cant have any." I notice when I go to family get togethers, when my cousins and I are talking, the younger cousins always repeat stuff we say. And not everything my cousins say is good.

All in all, the movie was good, but not for young kids.

Summer is over...Barbie and her friends navigate the perils of self-discovery. At the dawn of a new school year, Barbie wants big changes, and with the aid of her new magic bracelet, things really do start to happen--she starts a band "CHARMZ" and learns to rock, makes new friends, got a secret admirer and even captures the eye of her crush Todd, the most popular boy in school!...

The ANIMATION is ah-mazing and the MUSIC is so totally Ah-Mazing! This movie shows girls or boys that are pre-teens how Middle School and High school is like, trust me I've been there and done that. These are SERIOUS issues that pre-teens might face when they face these situations. Being popular, being cool, being bad, and being someone else is what most teens want these days because let's say it, We all hate to be LEFT OUT and be ALONE or feel like we are LOSERS (Which we truly aren't inside). I wouldn't recommend this movie to children under the age of 8. Only to the ones that are going to head to Middle School or High School.In the movie, Barbie's #1 wish on her wish list is to 'Get Noticed'. Barbie tries to be cool and keeps her REAL profile pretty low, she tries to fit in because everyone thinks she's a outkast with good grades and likes to study a lot, but later on...Instead of 'trying to be cool', Barbie starts a band with her two friends "Tia" and "Courtney", called "CHARMZ".

Barbie's #2 wish on her wish list is to 'Go Out With Todd'. Now Todd is known as the "Hottest Guy in School". He once drove Barbie home from school and is Todd her secret admirer??? Everyone, Barbie has an enemy in this movie it's Raquelle. Raquelle is the beautiful, popular, but she is a MEAN Girl and she tries to get most of the spotlight at school. Raquelle is also known as the "Queen Of Mean" in school. Raquelle has some problems of her own too! Like for example, since she's known as one of the most popular teens, she has to always be ON TOP, be #1 and it's pretty hard for her because there's another way to be #1, but she's SCARED to be herself! Oh yeah, and She soon steals Barbie's #3 wish, 'Be A News Anchor'!

The SPECIAL WIDESCREEN DVD contains a lot of fun extras! Like the talented rocker, Skye Sweetnam's music video "This Is Me" and her interview about the movie. There's a "OutTakes/Bloopers" area where you can see the characters mess up their lines. Also a Karaoke with Juke Box, so your little girl or boy can sing to the rockin' songs in this movie and to have more fun, there's a "Cootie Catcher Fortune Teller Game"!

***There's also a PEN and a SPECIAL DIARY that your little girl or boy will totally LOVE! (I LUV IT)

You might think that Barbie has copied the "Bratz Rock Angelz" because of the ROCK music and all, but "The Barbie Diaries" movie can really change people on how they see their self, others, and the world. Anyone who sees this movie can LEARN SO many things! There are SO much good reasons. Like for example, you should stand out from the crowd and be true to yourself. Don't forget the ones that are always there for you and always think what your best pals did for you before you ditch them. Life isn't about being cool and having the coolest stuff. If you want to be popular, you have to do it the right way. That means you have to be yourself, show people your talents or what you love, and being REAL to others. I mean, it's GOOD TO BE ALIVE! If you know who you are then that's the best thing! Remember to not follow others, set out your own future and if ANYONE brings you down in a very cruel way, you have to stay strong and hold on, you are SO much better than the mean things THEY say and maybe those MEAN people are having bad days, that's why they tease people or they aren't getting enough attention at home, so they use SCHOOL to get the attention (So you should also try to be friends with the MEAN people and try to change them into a BETTER PERSON!) So PLEASE EVERYONE! ~Don't be a Fake, BE REAL~...

++P.S. = If you LOVE the songs in this movie, GET THE SOUNDTRACK!

For a Barbie film this surprised me. It's a total write off of Mean Girls, so imagine Barbie as Lindsay Lohan, with a couple of sidekicks, including a band junkie and a typical clothes-obsessed brunette. Unusual to me, Barbie is not the typical "popular" stereotype as I grew up knowing her, she's simply a typical teenage girl wanting to fit in. Overall I'd say the movie isn't for the littler Barbie fans, it probably doesn't set the typical "popularity" values parents want their 6 year olds to see, but it's a lighthearted afternoon flick for all teenie-boppers at heart.

Im 24, i love Barbie and i love Teen Chick Flicks... so this Movie was all i could wish for and more! Loved it. im a big kid inside. but this movie has more of an adult feel to it. its very teen chick flick in the style of such movies as "A Cinderella Story" with Hilary Duff.
Its a great story about the meaning of friendship and a magic diary. The film really gives an important message.. that you dont have to have a magic diary to make things happen. if you Believe you can do it, you can! Its a heart warming movie.. with amazing DIGITAL Animation! Compared the other other Barbie movies the digital animation is STUNNING! Barbie's hair is gorgeous. every strand moves. unlike in the other barbie movies where it only moves as one whole piece of hair. The music was alright to. i liked the songs. quite catchy, surprisingly. very Hilary Duff style. Wonderful colourful movie. i loved it to bits!

This Barbie movie was not what I expected. It covered high school issues about fame and popularity. I just think that all the other Barbie Movies were in a fantasy world teaching lessons with a strong female figure (my children new it was a fantasy world but the lessons were deep). This dealt with petty issues. Barbie should have been out doing service work not getting involved with the gossip of high school. Even when you are in high school there is still a big world out there.

My 3-year-old daughter, as well as my 16-year-old daughter, loved this movie. I found the content agreeable.
So what if a girl has a crush on a boy, or had been asked if there was a kiss? It's a natural and human progression, afterall, don't parents greet each other with a kiss or affection in the presence of their kids? Barbie Diaries captured the youngest's attention with very good music, and most importantly, the story is a good lesson on being true to yourself, being studious, (Barbie is an honor student in this movie) loyal to your friends and following your dreams. Even the advice of keeping a diary is a good one, we get to see how far we have come, how our goals are realized, etc.. No dark and evil characters like in Barbie and the Magic of Pegasus, Rapunzel, Mermaidia, Fairytopia, etc.., just the nuisance of a self-centered, shallow, popular girl who tries to make Barbie miserable, but all is settled in the end for the benefit of all. It's all good.