Sometimes, when someone is describing a movie to someone who might be on the fence about it, they might say something like, “Yes, it’s a kids’ movie, but it’s made for adults. So much of the humor will go straight over a child’s head.” This rarely, if ever, works and can be a terrible tactic. Yet here I find myself again writing a review for a movie I knew I was not going to enjoy (though I would see it regardless because of the hype, favorable reviews, and gnawing curiosity), under the pretense that the movie was made for me when it was not. However, that was not the half of it. In most animated films, children are likely to be entertained and understand the story, even if that story parallels an overarching one intended for adults. Greta Gerwig’s (Lady Bird, Little Women) Barbie had all the shine of Mattel’s most iconic toy and was often shot in such a simple way that it felt like it was perhaps aimed at children, but this was not a kids’ movie. Its clever and ubiquitous marketing campaign seemed more interested in selling out as many theaters as possible for as long as possible before revealing its plot. It did work. The film grossed over $150 million domestically in its first three days. To the film’s credit, it was PG-13, though I bought into the intrigue so much that I hadn’t even looked at the rating until I left the theater.

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