Rating: 5/5 stars

After months of waiting and weeks of fabulously pink-fashioned press touring, “Barbie” arrived in theaters on July 21 and did not disappoint. Director Greta Gerwig (“Little Women”) spun any preconceived notions of the film on their heads and kicked them into the perfect blue skies above Barbie Land.

Gerwig co-wrote the film with her partner Noah Baumbach (”White Noise”), and it is clear that this work was born from careful, loving navigation so crucial in handling a behemoth of pop culture. One could certainly argue though that this production was truly Gerwig’s baby, given that she often centers womanhood and its tribulations in her work. What sets Gerwig apart is how deftly and delicately she brings her craft to life through passion and thoughtfulness.

In an interview with Michael Strahan on “Good Morning America,” Gerwig said that she threw a slumber party with all the Barbies and Kens of the cast before filming began to get in touch with the childhood nostalgia entwined with the character.

“Because so much of making a Barbie movie is remembering your childhood,” Gerwig said. “It was the most amazing and fun time, and it made everyone feel like a kid again.”

Mattel’s crown jewel has been on countless adventures in animation but this time, Barbie breaks new ground in being live-action.

Gerwig and Baumbach challenged Barbie to tackle something bigger than being a doctor, president, or astronaut. Barbie (Margot Robbie, “Babylon”) looks inward and experiences emotions that are not neat and normal for a doll named “Stereotypical Barbie.”  Instead of princesses and fairy magic, viewers are in for a winning combination of humor and existentialism tied with a hot pink ribbon of humanist themes.

It is something no one would expect from a franchise deemed girly and insignificant compared to more rugged movies, which is absolutely the crux of it all and Gerwig has played on this in a very masterful way.

Like any truly well-made movie, “Barbie” came with a core message for the masses. It went beyond solely naming the difficulties of being alive. It instead took more than a few steps further and peered behind the mask of perfectionism worn by women in society, constantly walking the tightrope of likeability.

Gerwig and Baumbach did not at all shy away from naming Barbie’s flaws. While revolutionary in giving young girls something besides motherhood to aspire to, Barbie also set unrealistic and non-inclusive beauty standards for them. There is just the right amount of self-awareness in the film and it is able to execute this without tripping over itself. This brings a lot of the comedy in alongside the other funny moments, such as scenes with Weird Barbie (Kate McKinnon, “The Spy Who Dumped Me”) and especially, Ken (Ryan Gosling, “The Gray Man”). Who, by the way, was born for this role.

A good amount of laughter could be heard throughout the theater after most lines, sometimes followed by gasps or a silence holding back tears. Barbie has everything, so it is only fitting that her movie does too.

Gerwig and Baumbach’s writing left no stone unturned, allowing audiences to connect with Barbie like never before. The threads of mother-daughter relationships combined with an examination of personhood are trademarks of Gerwig’s work, and they work so harmoniously with “Barbie.” Without a doubt, “Barbie” can and should be recognized as a powerful humanist film because it showed that the icon could be more than her near-infinite span of careers. 

“Barbie” is not inherently spectacular because it is “Barbie,” but a triumph because it is made with true heart and honesty.