“Barbenheimer” weekend was a smash success across America. What started out as a meme on social media, combining two very different films and posing a challenge to see both–became a grassroots phenomenon. There were sold out screenings of both films, “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” in movie theaters everywhere. What’s more, groups of friends dressed up to go see “Barbie” and then switched theaters to watch “Oppenheimer”.
There was a festive party atmosphere in small town theaters, malls and multiplexes with branded popcorn buckets, huge Barbie boxes for photo ops and pink or glittery cocktails featured at various bars and restaurants. I attended an evening screening in a small town in the suburbs. At least half the crowd was dressed up as Barbie or Ken. It was a largely female crowd but plenty of families, couples, and even a few younger kids. And it was a packed house with the crowd enthusiastically laughing and cheering the film.
“Barbie” sprang to the top of box office charts to have the biggest opening weekend for the year and the best opening for a woman-directed film on record. It’s great vindication for striking writers and actors to have original content that’s both inventive and crowd-pleasing, making box office history. Hopefully it’ll help give them the clout they need with the studios to negotiate a deal to end the SAG-AFTRA and writers’ (WGA) strike.
While it’s not completely surprising that “Barbie” did incredibly well, there was a lot of advance publicity…what’s amazing is how successful “Oppenheimer” performed. Christopher Nolan fans traveled great distances to see the film in IMAX. The local theater in my area had sold out screenings for every IMAX show all weekend. For a 3-hour Oscar-caliber film about the father of the atomic bomb to be such a big hit is wonderful. Especially given that there are still blockbuster films in theaters. The new Mission Impossible film for instance, would normally be drawing those big crowds. It’s almost as if everyone finally remembered how much fun going to the movies can be.
“Barbie” is a lot more nuanced than the film trailer might suggest. With writer/director, Greta Gerwig (“Lady Bird”, “Little Women”) at the helm, it was never going to be a cookie-cutter film that played to audience expectations. The film is packed with pop references, digs at corporate America. and society expectations of gender roles. Jokes about Barbie’s choice of footwear and her horror at having “flat feet” challenge the idea of woman’s desires to look and feel sexy and Barbie’s need for self-worth and knowledge.
The film has a marvelous cast. Packed with a diverse group of Barbie and Ken dolls, one of my favorite characters is Allan. Michael Cera plays the bewildered toy. We learn that Allan is a toy discontinued by Mattel. Cera gives the character a decidedly gay vibe as he bonds with the Barbies and tries to rescue Barbieland from patriarchy.
Ryan Gosling steals the show as the Ken doll that exists in the shadow of Barbie. You can imagine that when she turns her gaze from him, he simply falls down on the plastic beach. His discovery of patriarchy (and horses) fuels the uprising in Barbieland. He’s hilarious in the role but he gets to expresse a range of emotions. His rivalry with Simu Lui’s Ken is a fun central plot point.
Margot Robbie, who also produced the film, gives a sweet performance as Stereotypical Barbie. She’s so bubbly and beautiful but gives voice to thoughts of death. There’s a discussion with Weird Barbie (Kate McKinnon) as she tries to convince her to “want” to know her purpose. She’s conflicted and needs to be pushed to choose the right path.
The filmmakers knew that the production design was a key element. The costumes and set designs are phenomenal. Barbieland is a well-realized world with no liquids and outfits that appear complete with accessories in Barbie’s closets. Barbie spills water all over herself because she’s not used to “real water” and it drives home her awkwardness in the Real World. There’s perhaps a little too many speeches about how hard life is for women but that’s a small quibble.
There are two poignant scenes with older women that made me wish for a longer time spent with Barbie finding her purpose. First, when Barbie realizes that aging can lead to beauty and then, when she meets the inventor of the Barbie doll, Ruth Handler, played by Rhea Perlman. Instead, there are lots of scenes of characters traversing from Barbieland across to reality and back. Fortunately, the battle with the clueless Ken dolls is played for laughs and keeps the narrative humming along. What a relief to have a summer film that isn’t three hours long.
I’ll need to go see the movie again because some lines were lost in the din of audience laughter. What a joyous sound and what a great reason to have to go see a film a second time.
Drinks With Films rating: 4 plastic cups of plastic milk (out of 5)
Drinks with films 