“Barbie” is a giddy, hilarious and thought-provoking movie.

“Barbie” is no day at the beach. The premise of the movie is that Barbie wakes up in Barbieland, thinking that something is not quite right. She experiences an existential crisis. She must go the Real World to discover what’s wrong.

The movie, “Barbie,” is based on the children’s fashion doll created by Ruth Handler and launched in 1959 by the Mattel toy company.

“Barbie” is essentially a quest movie. Barbieland is akin to Oz in “The Wizard of Oz” (1938). However, “Barbie” is “The Wizard of Oz” in reverse.

Instead of Dorothy setting off to “follow the Yellow Brick Road” to Oz, Barbie (Margot Robbie) gets behind the wheel of her circa 1956-’57 Corvette, with Ken (Ryan Gosling) as a stowaway in the back seat. They drive off to see the Real World, sung to the tune of The Indigo Girls’ “Closer Than Fine” (1989).

“Barbie” the movie is filled with not-quite-right or “off” representations of reality. Of course, everyone knows that the 1956-’57 and other factory Corvettes don’t have backseats.

After they travel via a boat, rocket ship, VW camper, tandem bicycle and ski-mobile, Barbie and Ken roller-blade on the Venice Beach Boardwalk in California. Their Day-Glo outfits draw stares from incredulous onlookers.

Barbie and Ken decide they need to change clothes. At an Ocean Front Walk store, Barbie chooses a cowgirl outfit and hat (pink, of course). Ken selects a fringed cowboy outfit and hat. They are more conspicuous than ever.

And that’s the conceit with this fun-loving, silly but wise, pink icing cupcake of a movie: Everything is over-the-top. Call it “Camp Barbie.” It’s a perfect summer getaway, respite from world cares and as guilty a pleasure as the bucket of popcorn and large soda in your hands as your watch the movie on the big screen in a movie theater. If they don’t sell cotton candy at the concession stand, they should.

Do see “Barbie” in a movie theater or drive-in theater. The movie is larger than life and you need to see the movie larger than life. It’s not only in Technicolor, but seemingly in Pinknicolor. After seeing “Barbie,” you may view the world and the people in it a little differently.

The movie’s point of view is effervescently upbeat, optimistic and life-affirming. In Barbieland, Barbies cheerfully and relentlessly greet each other, “Hi, Barbie.”

You see, they’re all named Barbie in the many career-themed variations of the doll. The Kens are all named Ken in the not-so-many variations of the doll, with one exception: Allan (Michael Cera).

“Barbie” the movie is replete with, as the dialogue puts it, “Entendres that are double,” in the wickedly funny, clever and smart screenplay. Greta Gerwig, who directed the movie, wrote the screenplay with her partner in film and real life, Noah Baumbach.

“Barbie” has lots of sight gags (a bell rings when Barbie winks) and site gags (there’s no water in Barbieland so that when Barbie takes the slide at her Dreamhouse to the pool, she walks on the plastic surface) and physical comedy (the impossible leg splits that Weird Barbie, played by Kate McKinnon) does.

In the real world, Barbie encounters the Mattel CEO (Will Ferrell), who wants to put Barbie back in her box. Barbie will have none of it. Barbie, as with the film, is thinking outside the box.

The CEO’s executive assistant Gloria (America Ferrera) and her daughter Sasha (Ariana Greenblatt) team up with Barbie to solve the riddle of her “fighting vainly the old ennui” (as Cole Porter wrote in “I Get A Kick Out of You,” 1934). Ken, Gloria and Sasha become a Tin Man, Scarecrow and Lion to Barbie’s Dorothy.

“Barbie” has many observational moments, with many of the lines said as asides or throwaway lines. It’s almost as if Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach wrote a graduate thesis on Barbie, as no doubt many will write about the movie, “Barbie.”

There’s a lot to take in here. The film can be enjoyed by those still playing Barbies, those who remember playing with Barbies or those who enjoy a good satire on a pop culture icon.

In the “Journal of Popular Culture” (1977), Don Richard Cox wrote that the doll, “Barbie has a significant impact on social values by conveying characteristics of female independence, and with her multitude of accessories, an idealized upscale life-style that can be shared with affluent friends.”

The Economist weighed in thusly: “By creating a doll with adult features, Mattel enabled girls to become anything they want.”

To which I would observe that “playing Barbies,” while not per se a political act, can been viewed as such in a world where the Taliban in Afghanistan ban women’s hair salons.

In terms of influences, the movie, “Barbie” dives head-first into the worlds of TV’s “Pee-wee’s Playhouse” (1986 - 1990) and the movies, “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure” (1985) and “Pee-wee’s Big Holiday” (2016), director Wes Anderson (“Asteroid City”), TV shows, movies and plays of Monty Python (“Monty Python’s Spamalot,” Broadway, 2005), “Toy Story” movie franchise (1995, 1999, 2010, 2019), ”SpongeBob Squarepants” TV series (1999-present), movies (2004, 2015, 2020) and Broadway musical (2016), and Lewis Carroll’s novel, “Alice in Wonderland” (1865).

Homages include the Dream Ballet sequence in “An American in Paris” (1951), the disco scene in “Saturday Night Fever” (1977) and the opening scene of “2001: A Space Odyssey” (1968).

The “Barbie” cinematography by Rodrigo Prieto (Oscar nominee, ”The Irishman,” 2020; Director of Photography: “Brokeback Mountain,” 2006) is as bright and sugary as a children’s cereal TV commercial.

The set design is a plastic fantastic Barbie playset with an incredible amount of detail in Barbieland in the production design by Sarah Greenwood (six-time Oscar nominee).

The fashions by Costume Designer Jacqueline Durran (Oscar, costume design, “Little Women,” 2020) are styled after actual Barbie doll clothing. (The movie has triggered a fashion trend dubbed Barbiecore.).

Director Greta Gerwig (three-time Oscar nominee, adapted screenplay, “Little Women,” 2020; director, original screenplay, ”Lady Bird,” 2018) was a great choice to direct “Barbie.” Gerwig brings a sense of humor, humanity and conscience to the excellent, intellectually-astute screenplay, she co-wrote with Baumbach (three-time Oscar nominee, picture, original screenplay, “Marriage Story,” 2020; original screenplay, “The Squid and the Whale,” 2006).

Margot Robbie (two-time Oscar nominee, supporting actress, “Bombshell,” 2020; actress, “I, Tonya,” 2018) was born to play Barbie. Robbie puts her heart and soul into the performance as Stereotypical Barbie, with nary a misstep or false emotion. Her sunny sincerity makes “Barbie” your best day, or night, at the movies.

Ryan Gosling (two-time Oscar nominee, actor, ”La La Land,” 2017; actor, “Half Nelson,” 2007) is perfect as Ken, who is the epitome of his occupation, that of Beach. Ryan Gosling plays the dumb blond, a himbo. Gosling is Kenough.

Excellent in supporting roles: Kate Mckinnon (Weird Barbie), America Ferrera (Gloria), Ariana Greenblatt (Sasha), Rhea Perlman (Ruth), Will Ferrell, (Mattel CEO) and two-time Oscar winner (costume design, “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” 2021; costume design, “The English Patient”) and Lower Mount Bethel Township, Northampton County, resident Ann Roth in a cameo as The Woman on the Bench with Margot Robbie (Barbie). There’s voice-over narration by Helen Mirren.

The movie’s closing song, “What Was I Made For?” by Billie Eilish says it all. After you see “Barbie,” you may have a better understanding of the toy doll, as well as the real-life roles of women and men. It’s much more than playing Barbies.

“Barbie” deserves multiple Oscar nominations: director (Greta Gerwig), screenplay (Gerwig, Noah Baumbach), actress (Gerwig), supporting actress (America Ferrera, Rhea Perlman, Ariana Greenblatt, Ann Roth) and actor (Ryan Gosling).

“Barbie,”

MPAA rated PG-13 (Parents Strongly Cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13) for suggestive references and brief language; Genre: Adventure, Comedy Fantasy; Run Time: 1 hour, 54 minutes. Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures.

Credit Readers Anonymous:

The “Barbie” closing credits display examples and information about actual Barbie dolls. Filming locations included Warner Bros. Studios, Leavesden, England, and Venice Beach Skatepark, Los Angeles.

At The Movies:

“Barbie” was seen at the Frank Banko Alehouse Cinemas, ArtsQuest Center, SteelStacks. There were several real-life Barbie dress-ups and Barbie viewing parties.

Theatrical Movie Domestic Box Office,

Aug. 2-4: It’s the Billion-Dollar “Barbie.”

“Barbie” continues at No. 1, three weeks in a row, with a still-strong $53 million in 4,178 theaters, $459.3 million, three weeks, keeping the beach safe for Ken from that killer shark in “Meg 2: The Trench,” opening, $30 million in 3,503 theaters, which got between “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer,” dropping one place to No. 3, with $28.7 million in 3,612 theaters, $228.5 million, three weeks, as the assault fell short by “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem,” opening at No. 4 with $28 million for the weekend in 3,858 theaters, $43 million since opening Aug. 2.

Meanwhile, “Barbie” crossed the Rubicon of motion pictures, the billion-dollar mark, with $572.1 million in foreign box office revenue for a total, as of Aug. 6, of $1.03 billion.

“Barbie” is the second film of 2023 to pass $1 billion at the worldwide box office, after “The Super Mario Bros.” which netted $1.35 billion.

“Barbie” director Greta Gerwig is the first solo female director to join the billion-dollar club. Gerwig also leads other female movie directors with “Barbie” having the biggest live-action film at the domestic box office, surpassing director Patty Jenkins’ “Wonder Woman” ($413 million) and co-directors Anna Boden’s and Ryan Fleck’s “Captain Marvel” ($426 million).

5. “Haunted Mansion” dropped two places, $8.9 million in 3,740 theaters, $42 million, two weeks. 6. “Sound of Freedom” dropped two places, $7 million in 2,975 theaters, $163.4 million, five weeks. 7. “Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One” dropped two places, $6.4 million in 2,422 theaters, $151 million, four weeks. 8. “Talk to Me” dropped two places, $6.2 million in 2,370 theaters, $22.1 million, two weeks. 9. “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” dropped two places, $1.5 million in 1,190 theaters, $170.6 million, six weeks. 10. “Elemental” dropped two places, $1.2 million in 1,160 theaters, $148.2 million, eight weeks.

Movie box office information from Box Office Mojo as of Aug. 6 is subject to change.

Unreel,

Aug. 11:

“Go West,”

No MPAA rating: Stephen Meek and Jeremy Warner direct Sean Astin, Whitney Call and Mallory Everton in the Comedy Western. Pioneers travel to find a home for the brave.

“Jules,”

PG-13: Marc Turtletaub directs Ben Kingsley, Harriet Sansom Harris, Zoe Winters and Jane Curtin in the Drama. Aliens land in a western Pennsylvania town.

Movie opening date information from Internet Movie Database as of Aug. 6 is subject to change.

Five Popcorn Boxes out of Five Popcorn Boxes