Barbie's PG-13 Rating Suggests That Kids Aren't The Real Audience Here
The "Barbie"/"Oppenheimer" battle going on right now might seem surprising, given their many obvious differences, but the movies do still have a surprising amount in common. Not only are they released on the same date, but they're both extremely promising, unique-looking films by widely respected directors. What's more: They've both earned an MPA rating that's slightly higher than what the average viewer would expect. "Oppenheimer" is rated R, making it Nolan's first R-rated film in over 20 years. Meanwhile, "Barbie" is PG-13; this makes sense to anyone familiar with director Greta Gerwig's work, but not to anyone who'd expect a movie based on a kids' doll to be rated G, or PG at the very highest.
The reason given for the PG-13 rating is the movie's "suggestive references and brief language," which seems sensible to anyone who has seen the trailers. Already, we've seen a joke about Barbie (Margot Robbie) and Ken (Ryan Gosling) not knowing what sex is, and another scene where all the Kens angrily threaten to "beach" each other off, playing off on the long-running joke that Ken is gay. Barbie dolls may famously be popular among small children, but this doesn't seem like a movie made with small children in mind. Most people with vivid Barbie memories are now firmly in adulthood, and they're clearly the target audience.
Not the first time a toy-based movie has done this
The first comparison this brings to mind is the "Transformers" movies of the 2000s, which were also PG-13 despite being based on toys and cartoons intended for kids. Michael Bay took that PG-13 rating further than Greta Gerwig likely will, with far more explicit sex jokes and over-the-top violence. The "Transformers" features got increasingly lewd and child-unfriendly throughout the series, culminating in that insane scene in "Age of Extinction" where 20-year-old Shane pulls out a copy of Texas' Romeo & Juliet statute to justify why it's okay for him to date his 17-year-old girlfriend Tessa. It's an unnecessary sequence — couldn't they have just aged Tessa up a year and cut the whole conversation? — and it made it clear that the writers involved had zero interest in providing any good role models for any kid Transformer fans in the audience.
Gerwig's "Barbie," meanwhile, does still seem interested in providing healthy messages to kids, even if some of their parents might not be comfortable bringing them to the theater just yet. "I think it's a great opportunity to put some positivity out in the world," Margot Robbie told Variety about the film. "A chance to be aspirational for younger kids."
Gerwig herself talked about her respect for the famous toy's aspirational messages, which she hopes to pay tribute to (to some degree at least) in the movie: "The kind of amazing thing is that Barbie went to the moon before women had the ability to get credit cards," she told The Guardian. "That's crazy. She was always a kind of step ahead." Although "Barbie" isn't specifically for kids, it'll likely be far more kid-friendly (and far kinder in general) than the many gritty toy-based movies we've gotten over the years.
"Barbie" (and "Oppenheimer") premiere in theaters on July 21, 2023.