Barbie has all the subtlety of an atomic bomb, but maybe that’s a good thing. It wants to make a statement on so many things – identity and humanity, womanhood in a patriarchal society, manhood in a matriarchal society, corporate branding and influence, superficiality versus substance, and quite a bit more – and for the most part, it does well, relying on its intelligence to circumvent its need for eloquence.

This is a movie for modern times. It’s feminist, it’s self-referential and breaks the fourth wall frequently, and it overuses or misuses words like “patriarchy” and “fascist”. Despite your personal views on some those things, Barbie is a lot of fun. It’s beautiful to look at, vibrant and very pink. Think of Set Design and Cinematography come Oscar season. The introduction to Barbie Land, complete with an opening song from Lizzo (because, duh) that describes the jokes we’re seeing onscreen, is so cute and bubblegum-pop, it might make you nauseous, like the kid who eats all their candy and then gets on the loopiest of rollercoasters. But, hey, wasn’t that cotton candy delicious?

The very beginning of the film includes a parody of the opening scene of 2001: A Space Odyssey, replacing the apes for little girls with baby dolls, and the obelisk with a giant Margot Robbie that is sure to give the film’s detractors some very weird fantasies. From that introduction, we’re introduced to our lead character, Barbie, or “Stereotypical Barbie”, as she is sometimes referred to. Her life is perfect. Everyday, she gets up, and goes to the beach with the other Barbies and all of the Kens, and then every night is Girl’s Night. Though, maybe all is not as it seems, because in the middle of a nationwide dance party, Barbie asks the question, “Do any of you ever think about dying?”

From here, the movie becomes a blend of The Lego Movie (Will Ferrell even plays another CEO of Business-type), A Matter of Life and Death, and Wings of Desire (the Wim Wenders film about an angel who just wants to be human – if you haven’t seen this one, you may have seen the John Travolta-led, romcom remake, Michael). Barbie must find out why she’s having this existential crisis by traveling to the Real World and confronting the girl who is playing with her. Ken, whose entire existence is made on acknowledgement from Barbie and whose occupation is simply “Beach”, sneaks into her car and joins her on her venture of self-discovery.

Ryan Gosling as Ken is the highlight of this film. He’s so funny and charming, even when he’s tiptoeing towards misogynistic or incel behavior. In the Real World, he discovers that a world dominated by men can be fun and exciting, and you can’t help but love him, even as he gleefully returns to Barbie Land and transforms it into Kendom, or explains the necessity of referring to his takeover of Barbie’s Dreamhome into his “Mojo Dojo Casa House”.

Meanwhile, Stereotypical Barbie has to get back to Barbie Land and fix what Ken is doing with the help of a mother-daughter duo that have their own problems to work out. The director, Greta Gerwig, whose other films include Lady Bird and the most recent remake of Little Women, usually shines with the mother-daughter dynamic, but in Barbie, it gets lost amid the jokes and winks to the audience. They really don’t bring much to the table until the mother, Gloria (played by America Ferrera), has an epiphany and monologues all the well-trodden issues that women face in a male-dominated society, thus breaking all the other Barbies out of their patriarchy-induced trance. This is where the lack of subtlety actually works in the movie’s favor. In another movie, this speech would have completely stopped the film. The things Gloria says are true, but they are delivered in the most awkward, parent-scolding-their-child-way possible.

In the end, Barbie is nothing like its critics have described it. It is not antithetical to its feminist grounding, but it is also not man-hating “woke” garbage. The film is smart enough to be critical and understanding of both sides – maybe too understanding at times to be overly critical (Stereotypical Barbie apologizes to Ken for not giving him enough attention at one point). Legally Blonde maybe did it better, but that doesn’t diminish the enjoyment of this movie. It has a little something for everybody. It’s cool, it’s fun, it’s hilarious. It’s cotton candy. Closer, it is, to “fine” than “great”, but that still means it’s “good”, and sometimes, that’s Kenough.

Rating: 6/10