The one line in Barbie making women sob and call their mothers to say thank you

The film is a mother-daughter movie at heart, but not in the way you'd expect. Warning: Some spoilers.

3 min read

July 24, 2023 - 4:05PM

Lifestyle

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Never before has there seemed to be as much hype, internet reactions and marketing around a new film like there has been for Barbie.

You can’t look anywhere or scroll for long online without being smacked in the face with hot pink or pictures of the film’s stars Aussie actress Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling.

When previews and sneak peeks of the blockbuster rolled out people assumed the film would be a fun, pink, “silly little doll movie” - maybe even for kids.

Now it has opened in cinemas, and reviews are pouring in, it’s clear director Greta Gerwig has delivered a deep, emotionally-charged film with themes that are staying with viewers well after the credits have rolled.

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Barbie is a much deeper film than first thought. Source: Supplied.

"I left needing to call my therapist"

Since the film’s premiere on July 21, fans have shared their reactions to the movie on social media, praising Gerwig’s production and the actors’ performances.

Viewers are also full of admiration for the film's powerful messaging, calling the movie a “masterpiece” and a “cinematic triumph” with clever displays of girl power, self-love and existentialism.

One of the loudest opinions online has been that fans were taken aback by what the film was about - as it was nothing like they had anticipated.

Many confessed to being caught off guard by poignant scenes which left them sobbing in theatres, and questioning their existence hours and days after watching the movie.

“I went in expecting a silly goofy time and left needing to call my therapist,” one fan wrote online.

Fans are sharing their tears for Barbie on social media. Source: TikTok.

“I cried so hard watching Barbie"

One of the more thought-provoking scenes is a stirring monologue by America Ferrera’s character Gloria.

The human and Mattel employee from the real world comforts Robbie’s Stereotypical Barbie from Barbie Land in a speech centred on the societal expectations that weigh down women.

And it’s leaving women weeping.

“I cried so hard watching Barbie, never has a studio film so expertly explored the burden women carry in everyday life, as a mother, a working woman, a woman. I had a mini breakdown."

A second person shared on Tikok, “No, but I literally blacked out at the end of Barbie, I couldn’t process what was happening and I was not expecting to walk away questioning my existence and purpose in life, I thought it was just going to be a silly little doll movie”.

Others said the movie changed their life and "brain chemistry".

One line drops jaws and stomachs

There is one line delivered in the film that is hitting female viewers particularly hard - especially mums and those with difficult relationships with their mothers.

Some are so affected, they are warning others not to watch it if they miss their mums, while others encourage people to watch it with their parents.

Towards the end of the film actress Rhea Perlman portrays Ruth Handler, the creator of Barbie, and tells an upset Barbie, “we mothers stand still so our daughters can look back to see how far they have come”.

The line is only short, but it's causing visceral reactions among hundreds of women as they pause and think about what their mothers have given up for them.

Fans react to a scene in Barbie about mothers and daughters. Source: TikTok.

"I couldn't stop crying"

Tiktok is filled with videos of reactions to the gut-wrenching statement accompanied by the rousing tune from the film, Billie Eilish's What Was I Made For?

“The quote about mothers standing still made me want to call my mother and thank her for everything she has ever done in her entire life," one person wrote.

Another said, "My mum crying about the mother part literally had me in tears".

A third person confessed, "I had to cover my mouth cause I couldn't stop crying and I didn't want to disturb the people next to me."

Someone else shared, "I watched the Barbie movie and then called my mum crying" while one person tweeted, "I need to hug my mum."

Another user wrote, "Never did I ever think that in 2023 a movie about a plastic doll would make me consider everything my mum did for me as a kid."

One viewer explained the power of the statement perfectly, “Sitting in the theatre watching the Barbie movie with my mother at the same age she birth me ripped my heart to pieces. The ‘mothers stand still’ line had me crying for hours after the movie ended just thinking about it.”

“Knowing at 22 years old a girl become my mum and forever stood still to give me what I had now... To laugh and to cry with her was the greatest and most bittersweet part of this day.”