EVERY GIRL I WAS FRIENDS WITH when I was a small boy had a Barbie doll. Even the ones I only knew because I was friends with their brother, had the doll. I never gave it much thought back then because I was into G. I. Joe and other army figures. My idea of fun or make believe was to set up my army men all over the living room floor and try to knock them down with my toy missile launcher. The only time I was in contact with Barbie was when my male friends wanted to use them in some far-fetched way, like being the 50-foot giant who attacks our toy army base or as a creature protecting their home in the woods. Back then most of the girls used Barbie as part of their make-believe tea and dinner parties. There never was any talk about Barbie being president of a company or country. Most scenarios were in a home setting. It was always made apparent that Barbie was for girls and G. I. Joe was for boys and the two could never cross paths. It reminds me of a time years ago when I took a four-year-old relative of mine to the store to buy him a toy. He settled on a Cabbage Patch boy. When I had him hand the doll to the checker, she looked at him and asked if the doll was for him. He looked her in the eyes and told her if she was making fun of him, he would have to kill her. The look on her face was priceless and I was proud of him.      IT NEVER OCCURRED TO ME, BUT I wonder if the designated birth colors of pink and blue, for a girl and boy, started because of Barbie. I can remember when pink was never used in men’s clothing. In fact, the first time I saw a man wearing something pink was at a job I had at a warehouse. A salesman was walking through and was wearing a pink tie. I expected one of the warehouse guys to make fun of it, but no one said a word despite having eyes on the tie. I knew I did not want to wear anything pink just because it was never a color I favored except for bubblegum, yet I found the idea of designating colors to genders an odd concept. Funny, a memory just came to me from elementary school. There was a boy in class who was teased because his favorite colors for art projects were shades of pink and purple. I remember a couple of our classmates made fun of him because of it. Is it possible that all of this could be attributed to Barbie and what she represented?      LIVING WHAT SEEMS THE PERFECT LIFE in Barbie Land, suddenly hits a speed bump when a question enters Barbie’s, played by Margot Robbie (Amsterdam, Babylon), thoughts. To find the answer, she would have to venture out of her idyllic life. With Ryan Gosling (The Gray Man, Blade Runner 2049) as Ken, Issa Rae (The Lovebirds, The Photograph) as Barbie, Kate McKinnon (Ghostbusters, Rough Night) as Barbie and Alexandra Shipp (Shaft, X-Men franchise) as Barbie; this adventure, comedy fantasy was a fun-filled satire filled with humor and physical comedy. Margot and Ryan were perfect in their roles. The script was smart and witty, even when it was conveying a relevant message or tearing down a belief. I honestly am not sure how small children would enjoy sitting through this picture because it seemed to be a bit over their heads; but the theater I was in had a lot of kids who seemed to be having a good time. I guess the physical comedy, color palette and music did the job for them. I understand and can see why this film has been such a blockbuster; it hits the right notes for both women and men, young and old and even those who never had a Barbie doll.

3 ¼ stars