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The live-action Barbie film finally arrives after around 14 years of starts and stops. Sony and Universal were both attached at different points, before Warner Bros. came on board and got things moving with Margot Robbie set to star and produce. (Amy Schumer and Anne Hathaway had previously circled the role.)

The rocky development makes sense, really. The Barbie brand has long courted controversy, from body image concerns to gender stereotypes, and toy giant Mattel — involved through its Mattel Films division — is no stranger to the discourse.

And here we are. Barbie is directed and co-written by Greta Gerwig, known for her acclaimed films Little Women and Lady Bird (still a big fan of that one). It’s a film that aims to appeal to Barbie fans young and old, deliver a broad comedy that taps into the cultural zeitgeist, acknowledge the brand’s messy history, and offer an empowering feminist message for today. Does it manage to balance all of that? For me, not quite.

Before I’m written off entirely, let me be clear: I did enjoy aspects of Barbie. I didn’t hate it. So, let’s begin with what I thought worked.

Casting Robbie in the lead now feels like an obvious decision. Naturally, she looks the part, but more importantly, she delivers a performance that works for the character: a “Stereotypical Barbie” who spirals into existential crisis. That said, it’s Ryan Gosling who walks away with the film. As Ken, he’s completely committed, leaning into the character’s clueless charm and misguided masculinity. He delivers most of the film’s biggest laughs.

Barbieland is a treat to look at. The vibrant production and art design are spot-on, bringing Barbie’s world to life in all its bright, plastic glory. Even as someone who isn’t overly familiar with Barbie lore and the brand’s insane range of products, I enjoyed spotting the little nods to the toy line.

The film’s opening section is particularly fun, playing with Barbie tropes and how a child’s imagination manifests in a world like this. There’s no water in the shower, no liquid in her drink — the logic of Barbieland is delightfully skewed. Life in plastic.

Now for what didn’t quite land.

The film tries to do too much at once. Its focus on delivering a message — critiquing patriarchy, reflecting on the female experience, and poking fun at male-dominated systems (sorry, Kens) — often overshadows everything else. Messaging in a film isn’t a problem. But here, it’s so on-the-nose that it ends up stalling the story.

Gerwig’s screenplay, co-written with Noah Baumbach (Marriage Story, The Squid and the Whale), rarely goes for subtlety. When Ken visits the real world and almost instantly embraces the stereotypical aspects of patriarchal thinking, it starts off feeling like a sly joke aimed at internet discourse. Instead, it becomes a dominant thread, handled with such intensity that it veers into preachiness. The passion here is clear, but when characters stop the action to deliver monologues, the tone and humour get sidelined.

The meta humour and self-awareness are certainly there. Some of it works, some of it doesn’t. Still, it’s hard to ignore the fact that this is a deeply self-aware, high-gloss branding exercise – and a bit of an ironic one at that. Will Ferrell plays the Mattel CEO — a cartoonish capitalist who sees female empowerment as a marketable product. His role is minor, and sadly, lacking the kind of comic spark he usually brings. You could’ve cast anyone in that part. The character feels like an afterthought, more concept than person.

At nearly two hours, the film feels too long for what it’s offering. The pacing dips heavily in the middle, particularly during the stretch in the real world. It circles the same point for too long before finally heading back to Barbieland for the inevitable, high telegraphed final act. A tighter script could have made a real difference here.

The cast is stacked, but the execution is uneven. Some characters shine, while others feel shoehorned in or trimmed down in the edit. Guest stars like Dua Lipa, who appears as a mermaid Barbie, seem to have been added late in the process. They feel more like marketing moves than meaningful inclusions.

Barbie has strong leads, slick visuals, a few good laughs, and – for better and worse – a bold commitment to its message. All that said, and I know this puts me in the minority, I found Barbie to be a bit of a slog.