The movie starts in one direction and then changes course half way through to a rushed and unsatisfying end. The second hour of the movie is a stark contrast to the first hour. There were funny moments mixed with thoughtful gender roles, views on our patriarchal society, self-worth, etc. That took a complicated subject and made it interesting in the first half. The problem is, the movie then begins to take itself too seriously and the second half loses the clever comedy and pushes stereotypes of male and female gender roles in our society to become a rushed mess of a story that becomes preachy. There are a lot of issues in today's society with regards to gender roles, feminism, our patriarchal society, etc. The problem is the movie seems to take on some of these issues with comedy, then takes a more serious tone, and rushes through the second half so that characters brought forward in the first half have no real resolution. Sure Barbie finds her purpose at the movie's end, but it becomes a mess to get there. The rich comedy common in the first half turns to slapstick and serious drama. Are there two more opposites than slapstick and drama? The first half had me rethinking my views on how women are treated with it's lighthearted comedy, while the second half had me bothered by pushing male stereotypes into a slapstick war and a rush to finish while also being preached to about male and female gender roles. The movie seems to lose it's purpose and then rushes for a resolution. The mom and daughter story would have been better explored with a light hearted comedy that touches on gender roles and a woman's self-worth, and making it for the whole family but especially focused on an audience of young girls and women who are trying to figure out who they are. It really should have explored the mother and daughter characters and how they each struggle with being a woman in society and used Barbie as a tool of them helping to better understand each other. The movie glosses over this and despite their differences their complicated relationship is easily fixed as the focus turns back to Barbie and the focus on her. The movie brings up good ideas and a good story to once again have Hollywood ruin it. It loses focus as too many ideas, issues, characters, and plots, are brought up, to have it rushed to a finish with only some resolved. All a common problem with too many Hollywood movies these days. What is the purpose of your story? Who is it written for? Why are you writing it? Focus on that, and don't let others over complicate it. It's sad that a movie that brings up important issues especially with women's self-worth with both older and younger women is ruined by too much of everything else this movie takes on.