I don’t want to beat around the bush too much here, so I’ll just come out and say it. Barbie is the most surprising movie I’ve seen so far in 2023. I left the theater with some fresh tear stains, a full heart and an overwhelming urge to make my entire wardrobe pink...

Greta Gerwig created a masterpiece by not only tying in the history of Barbie full of iconic accessories and discontinued dolls, but also with the entire mindset of why Barbie was created in the first place. To help young girls imagine a future for themselves and allow them to be anything they want to be.

When Margot Robbie's Barbie starts experiencing some pretty dark thoughts at the beginning of the film, her perfect world begins to crumble (i.e she learns what cellulite is!), which forces her to seek answers in the real world. This aggressive nudge outside of her comfort zone shows her what life outside Barbie World is like and how even though her fight for women’s equality was over, the real world isn’t quite as progressive as she thought it was.

Alongside Robbie, America Ferrera gives us one of the best monologues of the year by breaking down what it actually means to be a woman. My prediction is that I will be seeing lip syncs of it all over my TikTok in the next few weeks. The lines so perfectly capture the struggles women face everyday trying to balance everything while under the impression that we also have to be perfect while doing it.

Gerwig broke boundaries with this movie by bridging the gap between doll and human. She brought the audience to the conclusion that while life in plastic may seem fantastic, the emotions and highs and lows of being a real woman are what make life worth fighting for. I loved the end seeing Barbie realize what she was made for and finally coming to the understanding that her purpose is not just about being perfect.

This movie was also sprinkled with some very self aware jokes about Barbie and Mattel as a whole, while being narrated by Helen Mirren that gave the film some much needed lightness. I didn’t have a lot of knowledge about every single Barbie doll and idea that the company had for the brand, but instead of trying to bury those mistakes (aka Midge), they were super mindful to be, like “yeah we don’t know what this is either”, which was hilarious.

There is already a lot of talk about if Barbie is a “feminist” movie or not and I think it depends on who you ask. This movie made me feel seen and reminded me I’m not the only one that struggles with self doubt or momentary lapses in confidence. The way I wanted to run through a brick wall at the end of this film in the name of woman made this feel very feminist to me.

But a lot of people will probably miss the point of this movie and try to simplify it down to it being an hour and a half of women shitting on men. If you’re someone who gets easily offended and can’t see the gaps in society women are still trying to fill, then save your money and don’t bother with this. Your time and energy will be put to better use by doing some self reflection and taking a good hard look in the mirror.

In the meantime, I’ll be at the theater re-watching this movie as many times as I can and while I’m normally pretty bad at watching award shows, I promise I’ll tune in if Barbie gets nominated for anything. This movie alone won’t solve the world's problems, but continuing to bring awareness and create opportunities for women will.

That’s all I have for you. Now go buy a ticket to see this movie right now. Bye Barbie!