"Barbie" (2023 release; 114 min) opens with a nice twist/spoof on "2001: A Space Odyssey" regarding the arrival of Barbie dolls (as opposed to baby dolls). We then go to "BarbieLand" as Barbie wakes up and starts a new and perfect day. Alas, the next day is anything but perfect, and Barbie must go to the real world to fix things...

Couple of comments: the long, long awaited real life action film adaptation of "Barbie" is finally here, and to be honest I had no idea what to expect. Surely I am not the target audience and I almost certainly would not have bothered to even check this out, except that this is directed (and co-written and co-produced) by Greta Gerwig, for whom I have tremendous respect as a film maker (and not just as an actress). In fact, it turns out that the script, co-written with her real life partner Noan Baumbach) is clever (but not too clever) and socially self-aware (but not too much and hence not preachy). The script is in fact what propels this movie, although of course there are many other aspects which make this film a good movie experience. The cast, led by Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, is top-notch. The production set is great, and the song contributions are tops. In all, "Barbie" is an enjoyable movie, in the same way (for me) that "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" was unexpectedly enjoyable.

"Barbie" has been a critical and commercial smash since its release in theaters earlier this year. It is the top box office movie for 20232 (earning close to $1.5 billion (with a "b") worldwide. The movie started showing this weekend on HBO and streaming on Max, where I caught it. If you have been curious but on the fence, I'd readily suggest you check this out, and draw your own conclusion.