Abstract
Unlike her earlier films, often “little movies” typical of “women’s cinema” as it emerges within the independent sector, Greta Gerwig’s Barbie is a “big movie” that draws on the tradition of popular films financed by the Conglomerates, the major international corporations currently controlling Hollywood. Building on the formulas and strategies of late twentieth century popular films directed at a female audience, Gerwig’s film highlights the complexity of neoliberal feminism—caught between politics and consumerism. Speaking to women across a number of generations, from Baby Boomer to Gen Z, the film poses questions rather than serving up answers. This introductory chapter contextualizes Barbie as a significant film that offers a contemporary female Bildungsroman that captured a wide and diverse audience: it was the top-grossing movie of 2023, an unprecedented feat for a film targeting a female audience and helmed by a woman.