Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fun Movie for Older Girls - Great Soundtrack, June 16, 2006
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.
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
~*The Barbie Diaries*~ ROCKS!, December 28, 2005
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!
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59 of 74 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Should be rated in advance, January 27, 2006
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.
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