After what has felt like an eternity (yet realistically, more like a full year) of strategic marketing, the Barbie movie from Warner Bros. Pictures and Mattel is finally arriving in movie theaters. With its PG-13 rating, the public moviegoing audience in my theater’s early screening was less the type of young girls and boys who are most likely to be seen playing with a Barbie (and/or Ken) doll right now and were more so teenagers, young adults and nostalgic Barbie enthusiasts. Fortunately, these are the ages that will likely value the overall tone and message of this live-action comedy.

Starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling as Barbie and Ken and written by Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach, Barbie starts out as a playful and intriguing spectacle, with a cheeky opening narration from none other than Dame Helen Mirren right out of the gate. What follows are cute dance numbers, lots of tongue-in-cheek humor and the astonishing visual of Barbie Land that is an absolute marvel to be properly experienced in all of its pink glory up on the big screen.

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Speaking of pink, one of the most memorable parts of this movie is the impeccable Barbie Land set. The production value is truly on another level, as it effectively transports the audience into this pink-powered, larger-than-life fantasy world. It’s no surprise that there were reports of the pink paint color having a legit shortage worldwide at one point, due to the excessive use of that color on its London set.

Robbie, who is also a producer on the project, brings Barbie to life in more ways than one. She fully immerses herself in all of the silly, confident and happy-go-lucky ways that Barbie fans will hope for and expect from the titular character, but she also beautifully embodies a more vulnerable and thoughtfully evolving side of the iconic Mattel doll.

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Gosling completely transforms into his Ken character. From his hilarious facial expressions, his over-the-top “Ken-rgy” mannerisms and his witty delivery of a sometimes outrageous script, Gosling is nothing short of genius in his pursuits of playing a character that presents himself to others as being collected and conceited, but is actually so painfully insecure in not knowing his true purpose within Barbie Land. The various personality levels that Gosling goes through as Ken in the movie’s just under two-hour runtime is nothing short of an on-screen tour de force that deserves some serious supporting actor Oscar consideration come awards season.

Other notable performances from this engaging ensemble cast include Issa Rae, Simu Liu, Michael Cera and Kate McKinnon in roles that show off their comedy timing and talented acting chops rather well. The only downside is that their limited screen time makes it difficult for Barbie moviegoers to entirely understand and appreciate the story arc and history of these characters, though it leaves the door wide open for possible spinoff movies.

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Alongside Baumbach, Gerwig, who also directs Barbie, successfully crafted a sharp, fully-realized screenplay that packs plenty of purpose. What begins as a whimsical yet inspiring tale surrounding the hardworking female creatives who lead Barbie Land quickly becomes a much more layered story that will make moviegoers think about our real world’s questionable, longstanding traditions of having predominantly men in top positions of power. Barbie not-so-subtly highlights many hot topics within our society today, from female body choices to the damaging effects of toxic masculinity.

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Barbie goes far beyond just the multi-generational struggles of the male gender. Its story does not shy away from shining a rather call-to-action spotlight of acknowledging mortality, the female body image and downplaying one’s intelligence and full potential for the sake of pleasing the male ego. America Ferrara, who plays a human named Gloria in Barbie, gives one of the most profound and heartfelt speeches in the movie about the pressures of being a woman today and the unrealistic standards that society has placed upon women, generation after generation.

Some might argue that the timely lessons stereotypes and other themes Barbie strives to instill into the minds of its moviegoers takes too much of a hold over the fun-loving entertaining value many seek out of this summer blockbuster, but the overall message is well-intentioned, alongside a narrative that is unafraid of laughing at itself, while still pushing for progress. The accountability for their past actions that Barbie and Ken take individual ownership over by the end of Barbie is my favorite and one of the most sincere parts of this quality movie. So, come for the satisfying fun of Barbie, but expect to leave the theater knowing that its message will likely stick with you far beyond what is sure to be a big opening weekend for the long-anticipated movie at the box office.

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