Every now and then I've been known to humiliate myself in a crowded cinema. I have an embarrassingly loud laugh and I scare very easily in a way that will almost certainly be accompanied by an extremely loud screech.
But there was a particular moment in Barbie, courtesy of an incredible piece of scripting and phenomenal delivery from America Ferrera, where I found myself yelling out an involuntary "whoop"!
A "whoop? Who does that? Turns out, I do.
Because the most amazing thing about this Barbie movie, the one thing I never expected from a Barbie movie, was how much of myself I would see in it. How much of the complicated, messy, wild, bewildered, empowered, womanliness of me and of almost every woman I know.
In a Barbie film. I know.
But let's rewind, readjust my film critic cap a little and look at Barbie, the movie.
With so much promo content to dine out on (hats off to the marketing dept - give them all the awards!) fans have been given what feels like an enormous insight into what this story is all about. But hold your horses, as aforementioned this is not the story you might think.
Aussie actor Margot Robbie is so perfectly cast as 'Stereotypical-Barbie' living her best life in 'Barbie World' with all the other Barbie and Kens. The 'Real World', a world they all believe is a world where women and men are equals and where women everywhere have genuine power, is of course far from that. As in it's actually the real world.
But when our Barbie wakes up one fine morning ready to live her "BEST DAY EVER" she is instead very suddenly afflicted with thoughts of death, her always tippy-toed high-heeled-clad feet very suddenly slammed down flat; total panic consumes her. She must visit Weird Barbie (Kate McKinnon) on the hill, and it's here this pink-drenched scenario shifts from heels to Birkenstocks as Barbie must journey to find the sad, complicated real woman who is behind her descent into reality and to save her from becoming 'Cellulite-Barbie'.
Enter Emmy-winning actor America Ferrera as Gloria. Along with her tweenage daughter Sasha (Ariana Greenblatt) they will change the course of Barbie history, while at the same time validating the female experience in the most nourishing of ways.
And then, there's Ken. Ryan Gosling camps up his Ken to dizzying heights of lovesick ridiculousness and is basically the best Ken ever. I now also get why Barbie and Ken are such LGBTQ icons.
The overall jammed-packed crazy storyline means there is something for everyone. It's a lot.
The pink-drenched giddy silliness of it all, the song and dance 'Kenergy' of it all; I will admit might just be a tippy-toe too far - this movie is very busy.
There are also a few leaps of faith I can imagine will be too far for some.
I can also understand how a good many Kiwi blokes aren't reading this review because it has "Barbie" at the top of it and this pains me. But for those of you still with me here, not only is the male gaze still a part of this story, but what an opportunity it is to learn so much more about the inner workings of all the women in your life, and a bit of your own.
And what about Ken? He's a legend! All the other Kens, they're awesome too! And Will Ferrell, he's in it, so stay with me here.
That all-encompassing group hug aside, it is brilliant to see a giant Hollywood blockbuster movie unashamedly built by women, for women - and it looks set to dominate the global box office with massive projections.
Girl power, woman power, a feminist war-cry wrapped up in a pink bow and full of real heart and seriously lols; it's a Barbie World, and you should be in it.
Four-and-a-half stars.
