Alex Ragonesi

First of all, this film’s fantastic costume design must be pointed out. It was top notch and brought audience’s back to their childhood bedrooms as little girls played with their favorite dolls and dollhouses. Secondly, the community aspect of seeing this film in theaters, surrounded by other girls and guys dressed in pink, was a thrilling experience. Watching the “Barbie features” such as floating as if being held by a hand, and the ability to consume invisible food and milk, was truly compelling. I felt like I was 5 years old again creating Barbie stories with my imagination. Ryan Gosling was definitely the showstopper with his comedic timing. I felt his character through and through. However, the lead, Margot Robbie, was a little disappointing. While her story had an arch, it did not seem to captivate me the way I was expecting based off of Robbie’s talents. I found myself watching the other Barbies and Kens instead, or focusing on the human characters and their tales as they seemed to have more gumption. Although this was a fun flick and imaginative world brought into reality, this film’s grace will fizzle with time. It is not an instant classic worth a rewatch, though I would still argue it is worth seeing once. 3.5 stars.