The Big Picture
- Life-Size is the best Barbie movie without Barbie, showcasing a doll named Eve who comes to life and asks deep questions about humanity.
- Eve, although a knock-off of Barbie, shares many similarities with the iconic doll, from her career choices to her love for fashion and positivity.
- Life-Size explores themes of femininity, grief, and personal growth, making it a memorable film that goes beyond its outlandish plot.
Barbie is one of the most well-known toys around and is far from camera-shy. The character herself has several TV shows and appears in her own series of films where she “plays” different characters. These appearances are all directed at young children, but Greta Gerwig‘s take on the character changes that. Barbie is the doll’s first official live-action appearance, but that’s not to say there’s no competition. Despite the doll’s lengthy film career, the best Barbie movie is actually a knock-off. Yes, Disney’s 2000 TV movie Life-Size is the best Barbie movie without Barbie.
Life-Size isn’t technically about Barbie per se, but she’s as close as they could come without rights to the official character. The story follows Eve (Tyra Banks), a doll who comes to life when Casey’s (Lindsay Lohan) attempt to resurrect her mother goes awry. Only Casey, who didn’t want the doll to begin with, knows what happened and must help Eve adjust to life in the real world. Despite the unconventional concept, Life-Size handles difficult subject matter and allows Eve to ask deep questions about what it means to be human. Life-Size allows Eve to grow, which isn’t common for dolls. That, and Tyra Banks’ performance, is what makes Eve the best on-screen Barbie, despite the thinly veiled nature of it.
Life-Size
A widower’s daughter accidentally brings her doll to life while trying to cast a spell to resurrect her mother.
- Release Date
- March 5, 2000
- Director
- Mark Rosman
- Cast
- Lindsay Lohan , Jere Burns , Anne Marie DeLuise , Garwin Sanford
- Runtime
- 101 minutes
‘Life-Size’s Eve Is the Best Barbie Even Though She’s a Knock-Off
Life-Size couldn’t use Barbie, but Eve is undoubtedly based on the famous doll. It’s not just that she’s a doll that is roughly the same size as a Barbie, but the characterization of the doll is clearly a reference to the famous toy. Throughout Life-Size, Eve says her purpose is to inspire girls, and she does so by performing every career known to man. That may be a slight exaggeration, but the long list of professions is varied enough that she is accused of lying on her resume. The list includes an astronaut, doctor, cop, and lawyer. Barbie’s career list is as extensive, if not more so. But the similarities don’t end there. Both dolls love to shop, as seen in Eve’s fashion montage. They dress in bright colors and stay up-to-date in fashion trends, if nothing else. They share their enthusiasm and over-the-top positivity as well.
But more to the point, Eve and Barbie are based on an antiquated representation of women. In Life-Size, Eve is hit on by almost every man she encounters and fits a stereotypical definition of beauty, much like Barbie. However, unlike Barbie, the Eve doll has fallen out of favor. Granted, Barbie dolls have received criticism for supporting unrealistic body images and frivolity, among other things. But the ultimate popularity of the toy remains. Even with one important difference, the similarities accomplish their goal. The audience sees Eve and instantly thinks of Barbie, which is what the filmmakers of Life-Size wanted.
Feminism and Grief Are Explored In ‘Life-Size’
Life-Size may be based on an odd concept, but it works surprisingly well. The story addresses subjects like femininity and healing from loss, resulting in a deeper film than the plot may suggest. With the girly Eve and tom-boy Casey colliding, they must learn to see the similarities between the two of them. Eve faces the constant pressure to be perfect throughout Life-Size. She seems to believe that it is required to inspire others, but as she spends time in the real world and fails, she changes her tune. Eve discovers the beauty of imperfections, learns about emotions, and becomes much more human before realizing it’s not the life she wants. Banks’ portrayal of Eve’s journey from a naive doll to a well-rounded and relatable woman is well done and adds the layer of complexity that the character needs.
But not only must Eve learn to be better herself, but she also helps those around her grow. Casey begins Life-Size with unresolved issues surrounding her mother’s death. (Why else would she be attempting to resurrect her?) Over the course of the story, Casey is forced to face her grief through Eve’s arrival. Casey struggles with her father moving on, especially when he takes an interest in Eve, but the father and daughter are able to make up in the end. And when Eve decides to turn back into a doll, Casey finds the strength to say goodbye to her new friend, like she had to do with her mother. These deep themes explored in Life-Size make the film memorable for more than its outlandish plot.
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‘Life-Size’ Allows Eve To Be Human
Life-Size received mixed reviews and, as a TV movie, has no box office numbers to point to either success or failure. But Life-Size did inspire a sequel, Life-Size 2: A Christmas Eve, which premiered in December 2018. Despite the 18 years since the original, the Life-Size sequel caught the attention of fans, who tuned in to help the CEO of her toy line during Christmastime. Since then, there have been rumors of a third Life-Size film, though no concrete news has been released.
Life-Size is unique among Barbie movies, as prior to Gerwig’s Barbie, it was the only one that allowed the doll to be human. When brought to life in the real world, Eve is forced to evolve, making her more dynamic and relatable than other representations of Barbie. The complexity added through her human struggles makes her grow and learn lessons that people can relate to. She’s not perfect, and she knows it. Banks’ performance in Life-Size is a huge part of that. Her portrayal shows the character’s growth from a ditzy doll to a thoughtful and caring woman. It’s the same reason why we loved Barbie so much. That transition is what makes the character so memorable. When Eve decides to become a doll again, it isn’t to run away from the horrors of real life, but to better accomplish her purpose of helping girls. She uses her experiences to modernize her toy line, solidifying her relevance in both the film’s world and our own. And that’s the point. Life-Size acknowledges the problematic parts of Barbie and attempts to change them, in a way, long before Gerwig’s Barbie did.
Life-Size 2 is available to rent or buy on Amazon Prime in the U.S. (Unfortunately, for now, the original Life-Size is not digitally available.)
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