Well, if a film like The Lego Movie can come out and be clever and great, I guess a Barbie film can as well. I will always hesitate when a product receives a film based on it because it just seems shameful in terms of marketing. Audiences will always receive a few diamonds in the rough though, and Barbie is just that. It's definitely the most fun I've had at the movies this year. It's a lot more than just bright colours so let's get into it.

To keep it simple, the film follows Barbie (Margot Robbie) as she realizes there is more to life than just living in Barbieland. Accompanied by Ken (Ryan Gosling), they venture to the real world. With many revelations about how awful our world is, the two of them discover what is both good and bad about life. I'm keeping it vague because what helps this simple story become a more complex one is the social commentary and incredibly funny humour. I was laughing hysterically throughout and I was genuinely moved by the end.

Certain viewers may find some of the messages to be heavy-handed, but I didn't. In fact, I found that the messages actually made the film better overall. Yes, it's a film that explores equal rights, but it does so in a fashion that doesn't downgrade anyone, but rather puts others on a higher pedestal. I really liked how the film handled all of the issues it presented. I shouldn't have been too surprised though, because Greta Gerwig as a director is just fabulous.

Having liked both Lady Bird and Little Women, Gerwig has continued to impress me as a director, even if I haven't exactly loved any of her films yet. Well, I believe her efforts here made the best film of her career to date. There are so many different variations of Ken and Barbie and the performances she pulls out of each and every one of these performers was nothing short of great. I mean, with that said, it didn't hurt that the cast was perfection.

Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling are terrific as always and are obviously the main reason to see this film on the surface, but America Ferrera and Simu Liu were also standouts to me. Each character either had a dramatic or comedic moment that stood out and I couldn't get enough of the whole cast. Michael Cera as Allen is gold as well, but in the end, this is a film that all came down to the screenplay. Yes, the set design is award-worthy, the musical number is worthy of an Oscar-nomination, but Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach crafted a genius script here. The nuances throughout are what sent this film over the edge for me. Their attention to detail was perfect here. I highly recommend Barbie to all ages and genders.