7 Movies Like ‘Barbie’ If You Find Yourself In Need Of A Dose Of Girl Power

If you haven’t been obsessed with all things Barbie lately, have you seriously been living under a rock?

Director Greta Gerwig brought everyone’s favorite doll to life in a release that raked in $155 million during its opening weekend alone. This mind-blowing premiere made Barbie the highest-grossing debut of 2023, as well as the top contributor to the fourth-largest weekend at the box office in United States history.

Are you wondering what this fan-favorite film is all about? Throughout Barbie, the titular character (Margot Robbie) leaves the picture perfect town of Barbie Land to enter the real world, due to a series of unfortunate malfunctions. Alongside her sidekick, the one and only Ken (Ryan Gosling), the duo unexpectedly embarks on a journey of self discovery, making for a complex, thought-provoking plot that nobody saw coming. 

Known for telling stories from a female perspective, as well as capturing the struggles women face within their lives, Greta Gerwig approached the character of Barbie from an entirely different angle, creating a plot that might even have you shedding a few tears.

Nonetheless, Barbie is primarily lighthearted movie that is fun for the whole family, featuring an ensemble cast consisting of America Ferrera, Kate McKinnon, Issa Rae, Rhea Perlman, Will Ferrell and more, a soundtrack consisting of Nicki Minaj, Billie Eilish, Dua Lipa, Lizzo, Sam Smith and more, as well as TONS of other surprises.

Even though binge-watching the animated Barbie movies is definitely a must, the Decider team compiled a list of some of our favorite movies that draw similarities to Greta Gerwig’s Barbie, from Legally Blonde to Princess Protection Program to La La Land and beyond.

If you need a night brimming with girl power, just keep scrolling!

1. Legally Blonde

   Aside from Barbie herself, another character who paints the town pink is the one and only Elle Woods (Reese Witherspoon) from Legally Blonde.

   Elle Woods has been compared to a Barbie doll ever since the film’s release back in 2001. With her ditsy personality, bleach blonde hair, superb fashion sense and love for all things pink, Elle proves to everyone that there’s more to her than what meets the eye throughout the duration of Legally Blonde.

   The classic rom-com follows Elle’s journey as a student at Harvard Law School, which she enrolled in strictly to win back her ex-boyfriend, Warner Huntington III (Matthew Davis). Throughout the movie, we see Elle evolve as an individual, and this growth is reminiscent of what we see throughout Barbie. 

   In addition to this, Elle Woods shows true girl power, allowing every female viewer to feel on top of the world by the time the credits roll at the end of Legally Blonde. While she is definitely considered a “girly girl,” she proves that women can be intelligent and driven, and they should know their self-worth.

   Serving as arguably the most similar film on our list, Legally Blonde is definitely a must-see for all Barbie-lovers.

   WHERE TO WATCH LEGALLY BLONDE

2. Miss Congeniality

   Miss Congeniality is another movie that proves that no matter how much of a “girly girl” someone is, there is so much more to them beneath the surface.

   The 2000 film tells the story of Gracie Hart (Sandra Bullock), an FBI agent who is forced to go undercover as a contestant when a terrorist threatens to bomb a beauty pageant. Forced to look the part, ultimately channeling her inner Barbie, Gracie dives headfirst into the beauty pageant, growing as an individual and creating genuine friendships along the way. 

   Gracie experiences a great deal of self-discovery throughout Miss Congeniality, which draws quite a few similarities to the journey of Margot Robbie’s character throughout Barbie. In addition to this, the theme of “girls supporting girls” is evident within each of the respective plots, and the female-centered nature is sure to have all women beaming with pride by the time the credits roll.

   If you loved Greta Gerwig’s Barbie, you should definitely watch Miss Congeniality, regardless of whether or not it is April 25th (If you know, you know.)

   WHERE TO WATCH MISS CONGENIALITY

3. Enchanted

   If the fish-out-of-water element is what you loved about Barbie, Disney’s Enchanted is definitely a film that would be up your alley. 

   Within the movie, Princess Giselle (Amy Adams) travels to New York City after being pushed down a well by Queen Narissa (Idina Menzel), ultimately being forced to leave her fairytale town of Andalasia behind.

   Much like we see in Barbie, Giselle is very out of place when she gets to New York City and is forced to adapt to the real world, which proves challenging when she can’t resist singing and dancing in public, talking to animals and creating clothes out of whatever fabric she can find.  With a divorce lawyer named Robert (Patrick Dempsey) finding Giselle and taking her under his wing, an unexpected love story begins to brew, despite his hatred of the idea of “Happily Ever After.” 

   Both Barbie and Enchanted are female-focused stories that show a great deal of self-discovery for their respective protagonists. Featuring the perfect amount of Disney charm, Enchanted is fun for the whole family, and it is sure to captivate you right from the start.

   (Pro Tip: Enchanted’s highly-anticipated sequel, Disenchanted, hit Disney+ back in November 2023, so you can turn it into a double feature to beat the heat!)

   WHERE TO WATCH ENCHANTED

4. Princess Protection Program

   If Barbie reminds you of your childhood, then you will love the Disney Channel throwback, Princess Protection Program. 

   Starring Selena Gomez, Demi Lovato and more of our favorite childhood actors, the beloved DCOM follows the budding friendship between Carter Mason (Gomez) and Princess Rosalinda María Montoya Fioré (Lovato), also known as Rosie Gonzalez.

   After crisis strikes in her country of Costa Luna, Carter’s father, a member of the Princess Protection Program, rescues Princess Rosalinda and has her stay at his home in Lake Monroe, Louisiana. Obligated to take on a new identity, “Rosie Gonzalez” is forced to act like a normal teenager, ultimately befriending (and often butting heads) with her new roommate, Carter.

   With strong themes of female empowerment, self-discovery, resilience, friendship and more, fans have drawn similarities between Barbie and Princess Protection Program. In addition to this, with Rosie being taken from her country and thrown into a life of normalcy, we see a similar fish-out-of-water plot to that of Barbie. 

   If you are in need of a good throwback, definitely check out Princess Protection Program for yourself and reminisce on the good old days. 

   where to watch princess protection program

5. Aquamarine

   Speaking of throwbacks, i​f you want a literal fish-out-of-water story, then Aquamarine is the movie for you.

   Based on a novel of the same name, Aquamarine tells the story of two teenage girls named Claire Brown (Emma Roberts) and Hailey Rogers (JoJo), who discover a mermaid in their swimming pool named Aquamarine (Sara Paxton). Aquamarine explains to the girls she ran away from home because her father is forcing her into an arranged marriage, however, the engagement can be called off if she is able to prove to him that true love is real.

   With the ability to grow legs during the day, Claire and Hailey befriend Aquamarine, with the sole mission of having her fall in love with someone in the real world. The real question is, will their mission be successful?

   Much like Barbie, as well as Princess Giselle, Princess Rosalinda and some more notable characters on our list, Aquamarine is forced to adapt to a life of normalcy within the film, which proves to be difficult given that she has only ever lived under the sea. Nonetheless, this aspect is just one of the many similarities between Barbie and Aquamarine.

   Much like we see with America Ferrera’s character and her daughter within Barbie, the girls within Aquamarine emphasize the idea that friendship is stronger than anything, regardless of time, distance or any other factors. 

   If you want a film that is filled with nostalgia, and might just even tug on your heartstrings, Aquamarine is perfect for you. 

   WHere to watch aquamarine

6. Little Women (2019)

   Even though it may be lacking that signature Barbie pink, a star-studded predominantly female cast, consisting of Saoirse Ronan, Emma Watson, Florence Pugh and more, as well as incredible directing by Greta Gerwig allows Little Women to take a spot on our list of must-see films.

   Based on a novel of the same name and serving as the seventh film adaptation of the beloved story, Gerwig’s adaptation of Little Women showcases a group of four sisters as they navigate the realities of growing up, as well as the drama that inevitably comes with it, all in an extremely poetic way. 

   Taking place in the early 1800s, Jo March (Ronan) demonstrates true girl power throughout the entirety of the movie, pursuing her passion of being an author and not falling victim to the gender stereotypes of this time period. Her independence and her “I don’t need a man” attitude are sure to have all women feeling triumphant as soon as the credits roll. 

   If cottagecore is totally your thing (or if you’re just obsessed with Timothée Chalamet), then you need to watch Little Women ASAP.

   WHERE TO WATCH LITTLE WOMEN (2019)

7. La La Land

   Aside from Ryan Gosling appearing in both films, La La Land is reminiscent of Barbie for an entirely different reason than just girl power. 

   The 2016 film depicts a beautiful love story between a jazz musician named Sebastian “Seb” Wilder (Ryan Gosling) and a struggling actress named Mia Dolan (Emma Stone) through a series of musical numbers. It has been said that the beloved musical serves as a “love letter to Los Angeles,” depicting the city as a place of perfection throughout La La Land, just like Barbie Land throughout Barbie. 

   Featuring a star-studded cast, a heartwarming plot and super saturated colors, similar to that of Barbie, La La Land received critical acclaim as well. The acting performances of both Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone were nominated for Academy Awards, with Stone taking home the win, as well as several other accolades.

   If you are looking for a colorful, picture perfect film (or if you just can’t get enough of Ryan Gosling), La La Land is the last, but certainly not least, movie that you need to add to your watchlist. 

   WHERE TO WATCH LA LA LAND

Born and raised in Orange County, California, Melanie Rooten is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma. Melanie has a true passion for all things pop culture, and she tends to spend her free time going to concerts and music festivals, binging her favorite TV shows, spending time with her friends and family and cheering on the Oklahoma Sooners (of course). You can connect with her on Twitter (@MelanieRooten) to see all of her recent articles.