From a far, I can see why people would absolutely hate this movie. Just the concept of "Barbie: The Movie" is enough to make people feel like the art of cinema has been compromised by corporate America. But, as a whole, this movie was very well received. It made over a billion dollars at the box-office and was nominated for 8 Oscars including "Best Picture", so clearly it some people really liked it.

There is a lot to enjoy in this film. The movie does a good job with poking fun at the Barbie brand without it feeling too much like a spoof. This is a comedy, so the fact that the film is really funny is kind of an important element. Understandably comedy is a subjective thing, so all I can say is for me, I laughed out loud several times through the movie. The movie is clever in how it treats its "worldbuilding" and nicely avoids any firm answers about how this world works. Because, yeah, if you think about that sort of stuff in the film there is a LOT that doesn't add up.

It is nice that they don't spend too much time in "the real world" and focus on the creative fun of "Barbie World". The movie is more visually unique and can do more gags when that is the case.

When the movie is focusing on being a bizarre comedy, that is when some of the best and most memorable things happen. When it tries to have a more serious message, that is where it loses some momentum. Don't misunderstand me, the movie needs some serious stuff in order to make the comedy work. And the stuff with Ugly Betty and her daughter is good emotional stuff. But towards the end, they realize that Barbie needs to have a character arc and feel like they tack one on last second. There are some very funny jokes towards the end, but it does become a little repetitive and the message feels heavy handed by the 5th time it's brought up. Side note: I wanted a cameo from the voice actress of Barbie, Kelly Sheridan, but she wasn't there.

I will emphasize this because Hollywood will learn all the wrong lessons from this movie's success. We do not want a "Polly Pocket" movie or an "Uno" movie. What made this film a success, beyond its brand or its marketing campaign, is that it was uniquely Greta Gerwig's vision. The movie wasn't concerned with mass audience appeal, it would tell jokes that they thought were funny and hoped others would enjoy as well. If you want to duplicate Barbie's success, give creative people control to make some out there stuff.

Wrapped in plastic, it's fantastic.