The question mark is there because there might be a Part 2 to this if I actually participate in this and want to talk about the movies themselves. But I want to stand in solidarity with the WGA and SAG-AFTRA on strike right now too, so I might hold off on the movie review blog posts for the time being. But for now, I just have to talk about the movie marketing phenomenon that is Barbenheimer.
If you've been hearing about this and have no idea what is going on, well look no further. I'll do my best to explain it to you. lol
"Barbenheimer" is a portmanteau of the film titles for Barbie, directed by Greta Gerwig, and Oppenheimer, directed by Christopher Nolan. Both films were released on Friday, July 21, 2023 and this evidently ignited a slight rivalry between the two at first.
As early as April and May of this year, there was talk about both movies being released the same day and that for some reason this was controversial to the point where people were apparently wondering if one of them was going to change its release dates in order to avoid this from happening.
This entire time I've been feeling like, Who cares? Both movies cater to completely different demographics so it's not like they're in direct competition with each other. Just go see the movie you want to see. One is a story about an invention in history that changed the world and the other...is about an invention in history that changed the world...
Hmm...maybe they're not so different after all...
The more connections people made between the two, the more people began to embrace the films less as rivals and more as a duo that also very amusingly juxtaposed each other. This includes memes and even the filmmakers and actors themselves giving their input.
I haven't seen either yet, but from what I gather, Oppenheimer is about physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer as he invents the atomic bomb and suffers the ethics and aftermath of that and Barbie is about the beloved Mattel doll who lives in her little Barbie World when she suffers an existential crisis that leads her to be banished to the real world.
In the trailer, Barbie asks her friends right out of the blue, "Do you ever think about dying?"
There appears to be a sense of dread in both to an extent that also lends a hand in the connection between the two.
In the weeks leading up to opening days and now with both movies being out and people actually seeing them, complete with planned attire according to their film of choice, the fanbases for both are a bit more divided than the films themselves, and mostly from a gendered standpoint. Oppenheimer appears to cater more to men of the Caucasian variety with arguments from its naysayers that most of the cast and crew for it are white men, with little to no acknowledgement of the Japanese people the atomic bomb affected, and the very few (white) women in it have very little to say or are just there for sex scenes whereas Barbie has a way more diverse cast and appears to cater more to women because it's about the doll we grew up with and apparently, according to its own naysayers, it is a man hating feminist piece due to Ken not being as important as Barbie and instead is second to Barbie. Not to mention the pink throughout.
So basically, Oppenheimer lacks good women representation and Barbie lacks good men representation. Also, dare I say it, conservatives and liberals have their own preferences and opinions as well. Go figure. What else is new?
Now this isn't to say that the audiences for both Oppenheimer and Barbie are limited and that they hate the other and aren't allowed to like the other. I'm not even sure if how I described them is the most correct assessment. These just seem to be the opposing sides right now.
But like, both are historically accurate, right? So these complaints aren't valid. Oppenheimer takes place during a time period when white men were the most dominant and represented in that field and in this way. Plus, it is from Oppenheimer's perspective, so we see only what he sees. And Ken was always just Barbie's boyfriend and there was never that much to him than that. It's not like they changed anything or should change anything too significant to make either more woke.
I've never really seen anything like Barbenheimer, but apparently this has happened before and in some cases, as an every 15 year tradition. So why is THIS such a big deal? Is it because of the iconic directors? The huge names in the casts? Are movie theaters losing money and this is their answer to boost sales? Both films have had one of the biggest box office opening weekends in cinema history, a first for a female director in Gerwig's case, so it looks like they did something right. Or are we just feeling it more now with these two movies because social media is way more prominent today? I've never looked at Margot Robbie and Cillian Murphy, who play their respective title characters, as much as I do now. Their faces are everywhere representing Barbenheimer and I wonder if they ever expected it to happen like this.
Both movies have their share of all-star casts too, so both teams are really going head to head here representing their movies. Sometimes I think about things like: What if Ryan Gosling was in Oppenheimer? What if Florence Pugh was in Barbie? And etc. with the rest. How would that have worked out? I've never compared two film casts so specifically before.
The funny thing too is, Barbenheimer is the main way these movies are getting promoted. Yes, there is a lot of pink promotional items popping up here and there for Barbie, along with Robbie wearing various classic Barbie outfits, but other than this, we haven't been getting as much promotion aside from Murphy as Oppenheimer looking depressed and/or terrified with his co-stars talking about how anti-social and sacrificial he is due to the weight of his task for the film and Gosling acting like his role of Ken is the highlight of his career. The Notebook and La La Land, be gone! KEN is the ultimate Ryan Gosling role of all time! We're literally hearing more from him about Ken than Robbie about Barbie. Is this a symbolic marketing strategy in itself to show how men are listened to more than women? lol (Speaking of Ryan Gosling, this is a nice opportunity for a call back to this other blog post I wrote about him.)
So as a result of all of this, movie goers are encouraged to see both movies on the same day. This is where I come in. lol
I had every intention of seeing Barbie ever since I first started hearing about it and no intention of seeing Oppenheimer. In fact, I didn't even know that Oppenheimer was a movie coming out until Barbenheimer was just beginning. Initially I still didn't care about it much because Barbie seems to be more my vibe and Margot Robbie is one of my favorite actresses (She is a gorgeous Australian actress who does my accent in almost every role she's ever had. That's my girl. Enough said. Represent! lol), so that choice was a no-brainer for me. The idea of sitting in a 3 hour movie about the atomic bomb and feeling numb and speechless afterward just doesn't really appeal to me, although I do appreciate how art can have this kind of influence on its spectators.
BUT, I kinda want to see Oppenheimer now because I want to participate in Barbenheimer. This is EXCELLENT marketing. Barbenheimer really nailed this. They are actually making me want to see a movie that I had absolutely no interest in originally whatsoever. I'm doing my best to avoid Barbie spoilers but for Oppenheimer I'm looking into it a bit more. From what I'm hearing so far, it is one of Nolan's best. People can't wait to see this one and it is having a lasting impression on the people who have seen it so far, so I am intrigued. I am also hearing from some reviewers that you don't even feel the length of the film that much because the film is that good. The more I think about this movie, what people are saying about it, and the whole Barbenheimer effect it had on it, the more interesting I am regarding it than I did prior.
My initial plan was this: I was going to see Oppenheimer earlier in the day to get the heavier material out of the way, get some lunch, and then watch Barbie later on in the day for some more lighthearted material to cheer me up, even though I'm also now hearing that Barbie has its share of heavy material.
But then I saw this tweet and it TOTALLY crashed my plans. lol
If you can't see it, the tweet says "WARNING: do NOT watch Oppenheimer before Barbie." And I was like, "Well, darn." LOL I am so glad that I saw this tweet beforehand though! I am taking this warning seriously!
He goes on to explain that because Oppenheimer has such an emotional impact on its audiences, you're not going to want to do anything else afterwards. You're going to want to internalize the (upsetting) content and it might affect your enjoyment of Barbie if you watch it directly after, which is something I don't want to happen. The recommended order from this guy and other audience members is to see Barbie first. Although, there are also people who still agree with what I said about Barbie being a nice follow up, calling it a palate cleanse. Then there are others who are recommending to see the films on separate days. This might be what I end up doing, but is that still considered The Barbenheimer Experience?
There was plenty of chatter about both films before they were released, but now that people are actually watching them, they are now unleashing way more discussion possibilities, right down to which film is more appropriate to watch first. It's a really fascinating read if you get a chance to check out that thread. If you read this blog post and want to share your own opinions on this, please do! I'd like to hear from you what your plans are and which films you saw, which order, which days, etc., and why and if these were the right decisions for you.
I might not see Oppenheimer altogether, just FYI. As I said before, I was only really wanting to see it because of Barbenheimer, but given what I am hearing about it, I might need to sit this one out and not make myself watch it for the sake of Barbenheimer. I respect its creation and existence, but I'm a very sensitive person and am trying to improve my mental health, so I feel like seeing Oppenheimer may not be the wisest move for myself right now. I'll still see Barbie and can always see Oppenheimer another time if I ever feel more prepared for it. I still don't want to miss out on it, especially when it is still in theaters, which is supposedly the best way to see a movie like this, and if it is eventually up for awards. It may not be the same day, but I can still say that I participated in Barbenheimer regardless I guess.
In fact, I might instead participate in an experience that I have created for myself: The Little Barmaid. I'm actually very proud of this title!
The Little Mermaid and Barbie are the top 2 movies that I wanted to see this summer, and I am still yet to see The Little Mermaid, so I am leaning into this being my double feature and not Barbenheimer. If I do decide to watch two movies at the theatre in the same day, that is.
Barbie and her existential crisis is going to be something I will be able to relate to and a subject matter that I will probably be able to handle better. XD
Am I going to like Barbie, or is it too on the nose with its messages? Well, I'll soon find out.
Both Barbenheimer movies are now in talks to be Oscar contenders. That will be the greatest test to wrap up this entire thing to see which epic film finally comes out on top. However, this also might be affected by the strikes going on right now, so we'll see what happens.
Whatever the case, Barbenheimer got people excited again about opening weekends and going back to the movie theatres in a world where streaming is the most popular film viewing source nowadays.
"Barbie," "Oppenheimer," and "Barbenheimer" are all so much fun to say, read, and write, by the way. Both movies having just one word titles that are just the names of the main characters really emphasizes the Barbenheimer association that much more.
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