Barbie Gets 12A Rating in the U.K. for Strong Language, Mild Innuendo and Dangerous B

June 2024 · 4 minute read

While this summer’s hotly-anticipated “Barbie” movie has only dropped the vaguest hints about what fans can except, the British Board of Film Classification has offered some more clues after awarding the film a 12A rating on Monday.

The org, which is responsible for age rating films in the U.K., cited “bleeped strong language,” “moderate innuendo” and “dangerous behavior,” referring to a scene in which “a child melts a doll’s hair using a lighter” to explain the 12A classification.

Among the details that made the BBFC decide the film’s younger audiences would require adult supervision are “comic fight scenes” including “punches, kicks, headbutts and use of improvised weapons” and “occasional verbal references to death and mental health.” According to the organization, fans can also expect to see a car chase.

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A scene that is briefly shown in the trailer – where Barbie punches a man after he slaps her butt – is also highlighted under “sexual violence and sexual threat.” “There is a scene of sexual harassment in which men catcall a woman and make inappropriate comments about her appearance,” says the BBFC report card. “A man slaps a woman’s bottom, however, his behaviour is immediately challenged and results in negative consequences.”

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While most of the film’s language is pretty tame, the BBFC warns it does includes “bleeped strong language” and “moderate bad language” — citing the words “motherfucker” and “bitch” — as well as terms including “crap,” “hell” and “damn.”

The BBFC’s classification adds there are also “gags about ‘beaching off’ and ‘sugar daddies.'”

The U.K.’s 12A rating means children under the age of 12 can still see the movie if they are accompanied by an adult.

On the same day the BBFC awarded “Barbie” its 12A rating, on the other side of the globe Vietnam’s ministry of culture banned the film entirely after ruling the film violates the country’s “sovereignty.” The offending scene reportedly features a map with the “nine dash line,” representing China’s territorial claims in the South China Sea.

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