Barbie is, without a doubt, going to define our generation for years to come. Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, knew this movie was coming out and theatres were inundated with hordes of fans dressed in pink. The marketing campaign for this movie was brilliant. It was massive and well thought out and has spawned massive sales in the retail clothing market. To say that this movie is a phenomenon would be an understatement. Everyone made jokes about this movie, but I don’t think anyone expected this film to be as unironically good as it was. Barbie is no joke! In under two hours, Greta Gerwig manages to tell a heartfelt and important story while retaining the campiness and charm that you would expect from a Barbie movie. Led by a fantastic cast and a sharp script, Barbie is going to be remembered for years to come and might snatch up a few awards along the way.

Let’s get the obvious out of the way: The cast is absolutely phenomenal! Margot Robbie plays Stereotypical Barbie with depth and charisma and gives us this wonderfully multi layered character that viewers come to care about very quickly. However, it’s Ryan Gosling who truly steals the show here. He plays Ken with everything he’s got and embraces the wackiness and insanity of the Barbie movie. He steals every single scene he’s in and will no doubt be getting an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor, and possibly a nomination for the wacky and beautiful song “I’m Just Ken”. But “kenough” about Gosling, let’s talk about the rest of this stellar cast. America Ferrera is another highlight and delivers one of the most riveting and important scenes in the film with one of the best monologues Hollywood has seen in a very long time. Simu Liu, Michael Cera, Issa Rae and Will Ferrell, who finally returns to his old comedic chops, are also highlights of this stacked cast.

Greta Gerwig’s direction in this film is superb. After Lady Bird and Little Women, Gerwig does something completely different with this film and implements her style and storytelling perfectly with the world of Barbie. She manages to tell a coming-of-age story but doesn’t let your forget that it’s still a Barbie movie. She stepped out of her comfort zone with this film and hit the mark yet again.

While not as good as Lady Bird (how could it be?), the film’s script is still extraordinary, especially considering it’s for a movie about Barbie. Written by Greta Gerwig and her partner Noah Baumbach, it’s exactly what you expect and more. It’s funny, wacky, campy, surprisingly emotional with LOTS of social commentary. It’s yet another showcase of the duo’s writing skills and like the rest of this film’s aspects, I expect it to be a contender for Adapted Screenplay during awards season.

In a time where green screens and CGI are heavily used in films, Barbie‘s production design is a breath of fresh air. Gerwig brings back the old school filmmaking techniques and made every single set practical and authentic. From Barbieland to the route to the real world, it’s all handcrafted and while it’s meant to have that artificial look (it’s Barbieland, what did you expect?), it adds to the charm of this movie. The costumes are also fantastic, taking inspiration from old Barbie, Ken, Allan and Midge outfits from the storied history of the toy and bringing them into live action. Barbie is a lock to be nominated in Best Production Design and Best Costume Design categories and as of this review, is most certainly the frontrunner to win.

The thing that sticks with me most after watching Barbie is the message of the film. This is not a movie for young kids. The ideas of acceptance, the ludicrous and unattainable standards society has for women and the not-so-subtle critiques on toxic masculinity and the patriarchy are all surprisingly deep for a Barbie movie and extremely thought provoking. America Ferrera’s monologue on women and the impossible double standards society places on them had me and the entire theatre clapping and cheering and will undoubtably be examined and discussed for years to come.

Barbie is far from plastic, but it’s still fantastic. This film is hilarious, emotional, thought-provoking and better than anyone could have expected. Greta Gerwig did it again and has created and given us a defining film for this generation.