'Barbie' review: Pretty pink plastic fantasy is one of the year's best films

Isn't there supposed to be a mirror in that frame, Barbie?

The Barbie movie is everything you thought a Barbie movie would be. It is also everything you NEVER thought a Barbie movie could be.

Believe it or not, director Greta Gerwig (Lady Bird, Little Women) has arguably come up with almost the perfect Barbie movie – instead of turning it into a two-hour long toy commercial, she has chosen to make a movie that is just as much about what the IDEA of Barbie means, as much as it is about the doll itself. It’s an approach that pays tribute to all the things people love about Barbie, but is also not afraid to talk about the darker and more controversial sides of the toy line.