I am not a huge Barbie fan. I want to say that right out of the gate. My mom, however, has a massive collection. She was at just the right age when the dolls came out that Barbie was a huge part of her life. Knowing that, I took her to see Barbie yesterday morning.

Parents of young children, there's nothing majorly inappropriate going on but you may want to wait on this one. While it's visually stunning, I wouldn't call it a kids movie. There are lots of complex themes woven into it that younger kids may not understand.

Production design is stellar! In scenes where some of the infamous Barbie dream house is involved, the props behave just like Barbie toys do. It's a subtle reminder that the team understood the assignment & did not disappoint.

The costume design is also amazing. There are joking references to costumes that were discontinued that fans of the toy line will enjoy. The end credits also do a great job of referencing deep cuts in the Barbie lineup.

Diversity is on full display here & it works to the film's advantage. Girls & women watching this film will find a Barbie that looks like them. And gents, they didn't forget you either. There are also diverse Kens in Barbieland. In fact, I'm going to have trouble watching Kingsley Ben-Adir in Secret Invasion as Gravik, because he makes a great Ken. The whole point is representation. Barbie can be anything. The movie does a great job of driving that home.

The marketing mentioned if you loved Barbie or hated Barbie, this is the movie for you. It doesn't shy away from Barbie's detractors. Gloria's daughter delivers a scathing referendum on Barbie's impact on society. But later on Gloria delivers a monologue that had my whole theater cheering when she finished. As a middle aged woman, I related to everything she said. I didn't find it preachy as some have said. It felt heartfelt & reflective of what most women deal with every single day.

It's fun. At times, it's plain old goofy. The dance numbers are on point. I don't know what I was expecting but I walked out of the theater still chuckling.

It's okay to revel in the fun of it. It's okay to dive into the deeper themes. There were tons of "Barbies" & "Kens" in my theater, wearing their favorite shade of pink, be it subtle or neon. The fans are all in & even a reluctant movie goer like me can get on board. Lots of laughs with enough real world to make it relatable. One of the better movies I've seen in a very long time.

No post credits sequences.