Black Barbie: A Documentary

Last updated
Black Barbie: A Documentary
Black Barbie poster.jpg
Film poster
Directed by Lagueria Davis
Written byLagueria Davis
Produced byLagueria Davis
Aaliyah Williams
Edited byHeidi Zimmerman
Music by Dara Taylor
Distributed by Netflix
Release dates
  • September 2023 (2023-09)(SXSW) [1]
  • June 19, 2024 (2024-06-19)
Running time
94 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Black Barbie: A Documentary is a 2023 American documentary film about the creation of the first black Barbie doll in 1980. [2] [3] The film is directed, written, and produced by Lagueria Davis. The film premiered at the 2023 South by Southwest film festival [4] and was released on Netflix on June 19, 2024. [1]

Contents

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 96% of 27 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7/10. [5]

Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film three out of four stars and wrote, "Davis deftly weaves together archival footage with informative graphics, clever use of Barbie dolls to illustrate certain points in anthropomorphic fashion, and interviews with historians, public figures and three Black women who were instrumental figures at Mattel and who are the heart and soul of this story." [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Roeper</span> American writer and film critic (born 1959)

Richard E. Roeper is an American columnist and film critic for the Chicago Sun-Times. He co-hosted the television series At the Movies with Roger Ebert from 2000 to 2008, serving as the late Gene Siskel's successor. From 2010 to 2014, he co-hosted The Roe and Roeper Show with Roe Conn on WLS-AM. From October 2015 to October 2017, Roeper served as the host of the FOX 32 morning show Good Day Chicago.

<i>Bad Company</i> (2002 film) 2002 film

Bad Company is a 2002 American action-comedy film directed by Joel Schumacher, produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and starring Chris Rock and Anthony Hopkins. Based on the script for a cancelled sequel to Blue Streak, the film became somewhat famous for its connections to the September 11th terrorist attacks; amongst other things, it was the last major production to film inside the original World Trade Center. The film plot, written years before the attacks, involved a variety of Serbo-Balkan extremists planning a huge attack in New York City. The film's release date was moved out of its late 2001 spot and into a summer 2002 release, similar to several other films with terrorism or violent crime-related stories, including Collateral Damage.

<i>Mansome</i> 2012 American film

Mansome is a 2012 documentary film directed by Morgan Spurlock, and executive-produced by actors/comedians Will Arnett and Jason Bateman, and Electus founder Ben Silverman.

Lesley Chilcott is an American documentary film director and producer. Notable feature documentary films include Watson, Waiting for "Superman", CodeGirl, It Might Get Loud, and An Inconvenient Truth which won two Academy Awards. Chilcott is known for documentaries about social justice issues such as climate change, the environment, women's equality, and education. She directed the audience-favored Netflix docuseries, Arnold (2023), about the life of Arnold Schwarzenegger as a bodybuilder, movie star, and politician.

<i>Magical Universe</i> 2013 American film

Magical Universe is a 2013 documentary film directed by filmmaker Jeremy Workman about reclusive outsider artist Al Carbee who created elaborate dioramas and collages featuring Barbie dolls. The title of the film is taken from Carbee's own voluminous writings about his wondrous art.

<i>Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey</i> 2020 American film

Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey is a 2020 American Christmas musical fantasy film written and directed by David E. Talbert. Choreographed by Ashley Wallen, it stars Forest Whitaker, Keegan-Michael Key, Hugh Bonneville, Anika Noni Rose, Phylicia Rashad, Lisa Davina Phillip, Ricky Martin, and Madalen Mills. The film, which was originally planned as a stage production, received 10 nominations at the 52nd NAACP Image Awards, which was the overall most to be held by a motion picture tied with Black Panther and The Best Man in previous years. This record was succeeded by The Color Purple who surpassed the number of nominations four years later. The film was released on Netflix on November 13, 2020.

<i>The Bill Murray Stories: Life Lessons Learned from a Mythical Man</i> 2018 documentary film directed by Tommy Avallone

The Bill Murray Stories: Life Lessons Learned from a Mythical Man is a 2018 American documentary film written, edited and directed by Tommy Avallone.

Somebody Somewhere is an American comedy drama television series starring Bridget Everett and created by Hannah Bos and Paul Thureen. It premiered on HBO on January 16, 2022. In February 2022, the series was renewed for a second season, which premiered on April 23, 2023. In June 2023, the series was renewed for a third season.

<i>History of Swear Words</i> American documentary series

History of Swear Words is an American documentary series hosted by Nicolas Cage. The series was released on January 5, 2021, on Netflix.

<i>Beef</i> (TV series) 2023 American comedy-drama television miniseries

Beef is an American comedy-drama television miniseries created by Korean-American director Lee Sung Jin for Netflix. It stars Steven Yeun and Ali Wong as Danny Cho and Amy Lau, respectively; two strangers whose involvement in a road rage incident escalates into a prolonged feud. Appearing in supporting roles are Joseph Lee, Young Mazino, David Choe, and Patti Yasutake.

<i>Audrey</i> (2020 film) 2020 British film

Audrey is a 2020 documentary film about the life of British actress and humanitarian Audrey Hepburn. Directed by Helena Coan, it was produced with the involvement of Hepburn's elder son, Sean Hepburn Ferrer, and granddaughter, Emma Ferrer. Originally slated for a theatrical release, it was released on DVD and Blu-ray on December 15, 2020, as well as digitally and on Netflix on January 5, 2021. The film has received generally favorable reviews.

<i>Penguin Town</i> 2021 Netflix Original documentary television series

Penguin Town is a 2021 Netflix Original documentary television series narrated by Patton Oswalt. It follows a group of endangered penguins in Simon's Town, South Africa as they search for mates, raise their young and interact with other penguins. The series was released on June 16, 2021.

<i>537 Votes</i> Documentary directed by Billy Corben

537 Votes is an HBO original documentary directed by Billy Corben and released on October 21, 2020. The documentary discusses the controversial 2000 United States presidential election in Florida and was released in the run-up to the 2020 United States presidential election. The film premiered at the 2020 GEMS Film Festival.

<i>Cocaine Cowboys: The Kings of Miami</i> 2021 US television documentary series

Cocaine Cowboys: The Kings of Miami is a 2021 six part docuseries chronicling the rise and fall of Miami drug lords Sal Magluta and Willy Falcon. The two were eventually indicted in one of the largest drug cases in United States history, accused of illegally smuggling 75 tons of cocaine into the country. The series is directed by Billy Corben who previously directed three Cocaine Cowboys documentary films, each featuring a different set of criminals associated with the cocaine trade.

<i>Justin Bieber: Our World</i> 2021 American film

Justin Bieber: Our World is a 2021 American documentary film centering on Canadian singer Justin Bieber as he prepares for his first full concert in three years, directed by Michael D. Ratner. It was released on Amazon Prime Video on October 8, 2021. At the 65th Annual Grammy Awards "Justin Bieber: Our world" received a nomination for Best Music Film

<i>Jennifer Lopez: Halftime</i> 2022 American documentary film

Jennifer Lopez: Halftime is a 2022 American Netflix original documentary film directed by Amanda Micheli. Its story follows the career of Jennifer Lopez, with a heavy focus on her performance at the Super Bowl LIV halftime show and her film Hustlers (2019). The film premiered at the opening night of the 2022 Tribeca Film Festival, and was released on Netflix on June 14, 2022.

<i>The Recruit</i> (American TV series) American spy-adventure TV series

The Recruit is an American spy-adventure television series created by Alexi Hawley for Netflix. The show follows Owen Hendricks, a CIA lawyer who becomes involved in massive international conflicts with dangerous parties after an asset tries to expose her relationship to the agency. The series was released on Netflix on December 16, 2022. In January 2023, the series was renewed for a second season.

<i>Wicked Little Letters</i> 2023 British film by Thea Sharrock

Wicked Little Letters is a 2023 British black comedy mystery film directed by Thea Sharrock, written by Jonny Sweet and starring Olivia Colman, Jessie Buckley, Anjana Vasan, Joanna Scanlan, Gemma Jones, Malachi Kirby, Lolly Adefope, Eileen Atkins and Timothy Spall. Based on a true scandal, it follows an investigation into the anonymous author of numerous crudely insulting letters sent to the residents of seaside town Littlehampton.

<i>The Greatest Night in Pop</i> 2024 American film

The Greatest Night in Pop is a 2024 documentary film directed by Bao Nguyen. The film is about the creation of the renowned pop song "We Are the World" and its recording in 1985. The film features new interviews with various people involved in the song, including Lionel Richie, Bruce Springsteen, Huey Lewis, Dionne Warwick, and Cyndi Lauper.

<i>Stevie Van Zandt: Disciple</i> 2024 biographical documentary film

Stevie Van Zandt: Disciple is a 2024 American documentary film on the life and career of Steven Van Zandt as an actor, musician and activist. The film is directed and produced by Bill Teck. It follows Zandt's career from Asbury Park, New Jersey clubs to stadiums to starring as Silvio Dante in The Sopranos. The film includes interviews with Bruce Springsteen, Darlene Love, Eddie Vedder, Paul McCartney, and Bono.

References

  1. 1 2 "All the New Netflix Movies You Can Watch This Summer". Netflix Tudum (Press release). Retrieved May 2, 2024.
  2. León, Concepción de (2024-06-19). "'Black Barbie: A Documentary' Review: Becoming the Main Character". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2024-06-19.
  3. "'Someone who looked like me': the women who created Black Barbie". The Guardian . Retrieved 2024-06-22.
  4. "'Black Barbie' Documentary Acquired by Netflix and Shondaland". Variety . 2023-10-10. Retrieved 2024-07-23.
  5. "Black Barbie". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved 2024-06-30.
  6. Roeper, Richard (2024-06-18). "'Black Barbie': Netflix doc collects insights about the importance of relatable dolls". Chicago Sun-Times . Retrieved 2024-06-30.