Leading up to Barbie, my anticipation was sky-high, given my strong admiration for Greta Gerwig. Being a big fan of Lady Bird, Barbie ranked pretty high on my list of summer must-sees. My girlfriend and I were both pretty excited; she made us T-shirts using her Cricut. The shirts read, “Directed by Greta Gerwig", with Greta’s name written in that iconic Barbie font we all recognize. Both of us wore those shirts to the theater, that was a cute and fun little memory for us.

The “Kenergy” in the theater was alive; this was the first time in ages that I had witnessed such an engaged crowd. The pink-clad audience embraced their inner Kens and Barbies, coming together for a hilarious comedy accompanied by clever political commentary.

Barbie played by Margot Robbie and Ken played by Ryan Gosling are living in Barbie Land, a seemingly perfect world, however, when Barbie and Ken leave Barbie Land and visit the real world, Ken and Barbie discover just how different the things really are in regard to the roles men and women play in the real world. Ken wants to bring elements and ideas from the real-world to Barbie Land, while Barbie aims to understand why the real world is the way it is.

Barbie is currently my top comedy of 2023. Countless jokes from the movie have stuck with me, and I'm still dropping "Ken" puns to this day. The set design, casting, and soundtrack left a lasting impression on me. Moreover, the film's potent message on equality, gender roles, and the daily experiences of women really struck a chord.

The backlash the film received, especially from men, caught me off guard, but then again, I probably shouldn't be too surprised. I think that the men who weren't pleased with the movie's jokes and portrayals might have missed the comedic exaggeration aspect. It's clear that not all men behave exactly as depicted in the film; after all, some exaggeration is essential for humor. All in all, this film is really special, and I know I will very likely give this a rewatch in the future.

Three things really stood out to me in this film, the set design, the costume design, and the soundtrack. First, I thought the set design was really brilliant. Everything in Barbie Land was so cool to look at and vibrant, especially elements of Barbies Dream House, I was very surprised to find out after watching the film that there were no green screens used at all, this kind of felt a bit like a Wes Anderson film, especially with the moving sets when characters were traveling between Barbie Land and the real world.

A Barbie movie wouldn't feel right without some incredible costume design. The outfits worn by all the Barbies were top-notch. Kate McKinnon 's costume for Weird Barbie truly captured the essence of the worn-out, slightly eerie toy we all had lurking in our toy boxes. Even the Ken’s sported many stylish outfits that helped with the immersion, my personal favorite costumes were the clothes that Barbie and Ken thrift while they are first visiting the real world.

It's been quite some time since a song made strictly for a movie made it into my downloads, "I'm Just Ken " is a banger. I've found myself playing it several times since watching the film. Every now and then, the tune just pops into my head—it's that catchy. The entire soundtrack for Barbie was incredibly well-executed. The songs that Barbie sings when she wakes up in the morning and also when she’s driving to the real world, are perfectly timed and fitting. Plus, they contribute to some of the film's comedic highlights. Going into the film I didn’t think I’d walk away praising the soundtrack, that was a nice surprise.

Will Ferrel didn't quite seem like the right fit for this, and his character wasn't enjoyable to watch on screen. The Mattel plotline didn't appear necessary. While I understand the humor in having an all-male board running the Barbie company, I didn't feel they needed to have as prominent a role as they did—maybe just for one joke. There might have been a chance to introduce a more natural and engaging point of conflict, along with other methods to build tension in the film. All I know is that Will Ferrell and the Mattel subplot just didn't click. Those characters have so much screen time that it really brought down the whole film a lot for me, I couldn’t wait for them to be off the screen.

I'm glad I caught this movie; it genuinely deepened my appreciation for Greta Gerwig. I'm hopeful that its success opens doors for her to take on more projects. Additionally, I’m hoping this film can pave the way for more women directors. With so many male directors in the industry, it's truly refreshing to see talented women showcasing their work on the big screen. I strongly recommend giving Barbie a watch, especially while it's still playing in theaters. If you enjoyed this review, follow me on Letterboxd and we can connect.