Witty, whimsical and surprisingly heartfelt, Greta Gerwig’s much anticipated “Barbie” has finally arrived, and is on track to be the biggest three-day debut of 2023.

“Barbie” owes some of its success to the unlikely pairing of the film with its box office buddy, Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer,” a three-hour biographical thriller about the man behind the atomic bomb. The internet phenomenon known as “Barbenheimer” has people spending whole days in the movie theater to create their own double-feature experiences. I was not one of those people, but even I couldn’t escape from the faint sounds of explosions coming from the theater next to me.

Starring Margot Robbie as Barbie and Ryan Gosling as “just Ken,” the comedy follows the doll as she must travel from the perfectly plastic Barbieland to the real world – where it turns out the Mattel dolls didn’t fix all the world’s problems, after all.

In an entertainment age where intellectual properties (IPS) are seemingly pulled out of a hat to decide the newest remake or reboot, “Barbie” could have easily been a glorified toy commercial. Of course, with six decades’ worth of Barbie merchandise to pull from, the movie has ample product placement, but there is a sincerity to the pink-hued world the dolls inhabit. From the perfectly sculpted plastic beach waves to the way Barbie floats down from her roof every morning because no kid actually makes their dolls use stairs, the film’s attention to detail needs multiple viewings to fully appreciate. 

The actors aren't afraid to commit to the bit, either. The stellar cast generates many laugh-out-loud moments but Kate McKinnon’s “Weird Barbie” and Micheal Cera’s awkwardly sincere “Allan” were personal highlights, although parents may want to keep an eye on “Barbie’s” PG-13 rating due to the more crass humor and keep the little ones home for this one.

Spoilers ahead for the rest of the film! 

However, while “Barbie” comes swinging out the gate with its campy antics, as the film dives into more serious topics the pacing can start to feel uneven. It’s not an easy task wrestling with the complicated history of the Barbie brand, and I have to credit Gerwig for including deeper themes rather than going the mindless blockbuster route. As the film discusses, what began as a doll meant to empower little girls to aspire to careers beyond just motherhood has evolved into an often-criticized model for unrealistic beauty standards. 

I think the fast-paced satirical tone set up in the first half could have still served these discussions but instead, the film seems to drag during these moments. Barbie’s third-act “call to action” speech about the contradictory standards society places on women—while making good points—also felt a little ham-fisted, as if the movie has to stop and explain itself to the audience. 

I was also left questioning Ken’s character arc. After discovering what the patriarchy is from the real world, Gosling’s Ken rallies his fellow Kens to take over Barbieland. While any true maliciousness is undercut by a hilarious musical and accompanying dance number, his motivations feel discordant from his previous hopeless devotion to Barbie. 

The real gem of “Barbie” was its celebration of humanness. This was an essential plot element for Gerwig who felt it was important to combat the otherwise impersonal branding of Barbie. As she explained in an interview, “This is only ever made by human beings. The movies, dolls, human beings make them. They're not handed down from on high.” 

Barbie was created out of love by inventor Ruth Handler for her daughter, Barbara, and the iconic doll’s name is a reminder of that love. When Robbie’s Barbie enters the real world, she’s exposed to the full breadth of human experiences from happiness to sadness to anger, and she ultimately embraces all of it. Barbie can do anything and, more recently, look like anything. But Gerwig’s Barbie is one who can feel anything. 

The message felt even more relevant as I sat in a packed theater surrounded by young girls to old women, all donned in pink, all with their own experiences with the Barbie brand.