Finally stepped into the Barbie-verse with my wife and sons. The film is both simple and ambitious, which deftly allowed us to enjoy on a variety of levels. Probably best for you to see this before too long, and before you hear too much (indirectly or incorrectly) about the film imho.

Plenty of humor, cinematography and music. Notably the humor is often taking a good look in the mirror and then making a self-deprecating joke. That is quite a trick mirror for the old notion of Barbie. All four in our family shed a few tears at times, the film's plastic fantastic elastic aspects cast aside, there's a sweet heart beating beneath it all.

I'm not just talking about the "you go girl" vibe that one would expect and is definitely delivered. Ryan Gosling's Ken-ergy steals scenes but will he steal the vote in Barbieland? Personally, I don't buy the idea of this as an anti-man movie.

Yet it is a feminist movie, built from a base of durable individuality.

Another trick turned by this new Barbie is to take the old production line uniformity and humanize each of the many Barbies in this film. And yes, even Alan too!

Tempted to title this review as "God Bless America" as America Ferrera nails the most vital message here in a wonderful monologue. Ferrera really is excellent in this. The movie could become a Mother's Day tradition in a lot of homes.

You can find that monologue online along with so many other intricacies that went into this film, like who the lovely lady at the bus stop is in real life, and the fact that Margo Robbie via her Lucky Chap company chose Greta Gerwig and not vice-versa. That was a Frances A-Ha moment for me!

The last line of the film was a different kind of a-ha moment, a touch or two of humor but also maybe the one uniting aspect for a very diverse Barbie-verse of feminists.