I figured I would start with the movie that kicked off my Barbenheimer experience; "Barbie."

One day Barbie (Margot Robbie) starts contemplating death and must travel to the real world to figure out what is happening and fix it.

Robbie is the only actress who could play Barbie. First and foremost, she looks like Barbie, but more than that, she is an actress who is not afraid to have fun at her own expense. Her small part in "The Big Short" was her in a bubble bath, with a glass of champagne, explaining part of the mortgage crisis. That is 99 percent of her role as Stereotypical Barbie in this movie. By her very nature, Barbie is naive, and Robbie plays her journey to a more aware version of Barbie perfectly.

What sets this apart from other movies based on recognizable IP (intellectual property) is that it has something to say. The recent "Mario" movie was just there to be a Mario movie. "Barbie" is about something; actually, a lot of things. It comments on Barbie, Mattel, and modern-day society. Sometimes those messages can seem a bit heavy-handed when it is repeated over and over, but it didn't take away from time importance of what the movie was trying to say.

When I first heard that Mattel was making a movie based on "Barbie," I wrote it off as a soulless cash grab. Then Greta Gerwig was attached to write and direct, and I saw the potential for what this could be. Gerwig is an incredible writer/director. "Ladybird" and "Little Women" are two fantastic movies (I also recommend one of her earlier movies, "Francis Ha"). With her on board, I knew this would be something special.

9/10

Rated PG-13 for suggestive references and brief language

1hr. 42min.