All right, I’ve had just about enough of this baloney regarding the movie “Barbie” and everyone bashing Taylor Swift.  

Maybe the two aren’t related too closely, other than they both seem to be hot topics lately. 

So here goes, correlation or not.

I review movies. That does not make me an expert by any means, and just about any Joe Schmoe who can write a little bit and share an opinion can be a movie reviewer. So, I don’t take myself too seriously.  In fact, I stress quite a bit over the reviews I write and always wonder if someone is going to come to me and say “You are an imposter.  No more movies for you.”

“Barbie” was a neat movie. It was well done and had a great cast. I’m sure the film was a joy to make. It was entertaining.  It had great moments.  

Some people who want to fuss about it are constantly talking about how conservatives (Eek! What a nasty word) criticize the movie for its feminist and “woke” agenda. 

Those terrible, close-minded conservatives! Picking on poor Barbie! We need to be more open-minded!  

Here’s my opinion:  right-wingers, left-wingers, and everyone in between have said some stupid and insensitive things about the movie. 

For goodness sake. It’s a movie, folks.

Furthermore, it wasn’t anything groundbreaking or pivotal. A good movie, an entertaining movie and a fun movie. Scads of people are so butt-hurt that the entire cast wasn’t nominated for an Oscar.

Margot Robbie did a great job, but her role wasn’t necessarily one of the year’s best. Just saying.

Ryan Gosling got an Oscar nomination because he played the character as a bumbling buffoon, which is what many male roles are these days. So, great job Ryan Gosling! You played a blithering, incapable male quite well.  

Here’s an Oscar nomination for you, buddy.  

America Ferrera is a wonderful actress and I have loved her work since she starred in “Ugly Betty.” I am tickled pink that she got an Oscar nomination, but was it just for a monologue in a movie? I guess there have been actors nominated for doing much less, so OK.

And as I said, Ferrera is awesome.

Let’s talk about that monologue for a minute. It was brilliantly written and brilliantly acted. It should be hung on a wall somewhere and read often, by both men and women. I am positive it will go down as a classic movie moment, as well it should.   

The Barbie doll has meant so much to girls for decades. She helped them to dream. She helped them to aspire to great things.  She was an astronaut, a doctor, a teacher, a mother, a queen and so on. Her impact has been powerful.

There should have been a lot of conversations, though. We needed to be talking about “image” and accepting ourselves for who we are. Girls, there is no way your body will look like this manufactured doll.  Boys, you don’t have to have popping biceps and washboard abs. 

This would have been powerful, across the board, for girls and boys, men and women. It’s too bad we weren’t talking about how screwed up our society is with all the unrealistic images and ideals being thrown at us.  

Nobody talks about that stuff enough. We never have.

I totally get men-bashing. Men can be hellacious jerks, and I sure wish men could do a far better job across the board. I get that directors and producers of movies take opportunities to make men look like buffoons a lot – simply because there have been so many men who have messed up.

But there are still plenty of good guys out there who want to honor women, cherish women, sweep women off their feet, and take care of their families and the women in their lives.  There are men who want to be the kind of spouse, friend, colleague, father, and man that people respect for the right reasons. 

There are men who want women to be strong and confident, but who also want to be on hand to be a girl’s knight in shining armor when she needs  him to be.

So how about if we just like movies because they are entertaining, well-acted, sweet, poignant and meaningful? Can’t we just enjoy stuff without having all the political crap and sore feelings?

And how about we take care of one another a little better instead of trying to beat each other down to a pulp. Honor the people who are doing it right, and try to teach and minister to the ones who are not.

I’ve talked about Barbie so dang much that I’m neglecting poor little Taylor Swift.

So I will make this quick.

Leave the girl alone!  Her boyfriend plays football. She wants to go to his games to support him.  She registers voters at her concerts. She’s worked her tail off and is a billionaire. She can do what she wants.  

Buzz off, you sad little haters. 

Get some real problems to occupy your time.