To Barbenheimer or Not to Barbenheimer? That is the Question.
Well, I did it. I was one of the many that saw Barbie and Oppenheimer on the same day. While the two films were not intended as a “double feature,” the National Association of Theater Owners claims that about 200,000 people bought tickets to see the films together. I purchased tickets well in advance and when the time came, I waltzed into the theater and prepared myself for over five hours of film. And if anything, it was a whirlwind.
The idea of “Barbenheimer” took the world by storm. While the producers of both Barbie and Oppenheimer created their own advertisement campaigns, the fans themselves made Barbenheimer into an internet sensation and started doing marketing on their own accord. Fans even created their own movie posters for the occasion. Between the trailers, posts, and memes soaring around the internet, you would have to be living under a rock to not know about these two movies.
Barbie and Oppenheimer were simultaneously released nationwide in theaters on Friday July 21, 2023. Barbie, a comedy and social commentary about a doll learning about the real world, is directed by Greta Gerwig and stars Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling. Oppenheimer, a dramatic biopic about the father of the atomic bomb based off the biography American Prometheus, is directed by Christopher Nolan staring Cillian Murphy, Robert Downey Jr., Matt Damon, Emily Blunt, and Florence Pugh.
I watched Barbie first. In front of me was a sea of pink in the audience. During the movie, I spent most of my time laughing and enjoying watching Ryan Gosling sing and dance in a floor length fur vest. I even almost cried…almost. I never thought a Barbie movie would move me to tears, but that’s the power of a Gerwig film. For a breather, I ran to grab dinner before settling in for a late 9:45 pm showing of Oppenheimer. By the end, I was exhausted and had a million thoughts running through my mind about how to process the last several hours of my day. In front of everything, one question lingered—what film came out on top? Was it the in-your-face Barbie, or simmering intensity from Oppenheimer? To better answer this question, I’ll break it down for you.
Costumes, Sets, and Special Effects—Get Ready!
For both films, so much time, energy, and thought were given to create the perfect backdrops for the characters to shine—and it shows. In Barbie, the dreamhouses in Barbie Land looked exactly like a toy house in a child’s bedroom. Barbie Land is filled with palm trees, ferris wheels, and pink-picket fences all around—transporting you into a utopian pink universe where every day is as perfect as the last. According to the film’s production designer, the movie required so much pink paint that it led to a global shortage.
Producers tried to stay authentic to the “Barbie Aesthetic” in more ways than one. For starters, the majority of the costumes in the film accurately match outfits made for actual dolls. Another impressive feat of the film is that there is no green screen or CGI used. Everything, including the purple-pink rolling mountains in the background of Barbie Land are created by large painted sheets. Producers and designers took incredible care when it comes to the creation of Barbie Land. It becomes a space that viewers can dream about—and for a brief moment, we feel like we belong.
Similarly, the creators of Oppenheimer paid close attention to the aesthetics of the film. While I’m pretty sure there is no pink in the entire film (except maybe a trace of lipstick), the costumes, sets, and effects in Oppenheimer are authentic to the story being told. In true Christopher Nolan fashion, he took the time to make sure the cast accurately reflected the individuals they were portraying. Cillian Murphy bears a striking resemblance to J. Robert Oppenheimer, and you would think Tom Conti is the walking reincarnation of Albert Einstein.
Furthermore, just as the costumes in Barbie were accurate to the doll’s history, the costumes in Oppenheimer were intentionally selected with great care (this is not a huge shock considering in a Christopher Nolan movie, every speck of dust is placed intentionally). For the film, costume designer Ellen Mirojnick claimed that costume design was less about creative liberty, and more about creating a historically accurate depiction of Oppenheimer’s time period. Part of this was subtly changing the styles throughout the film, to signify time passing without distracting the viewers.
In terms of the set, in his own way, Christopher Nolan made “Oppenheimer Land” by creating Los Alamos on a ranch in New Mexico—the home of the Manhattan Project and the creation of the atomic bomb. The Los Alamos in the film mimicked the original Los Alamos, including the buildings, security guards, and labs.
One of the most impressive parts of the film was the Trinity Test: the test of Oppenheimer’s atomic bomb, before sending two larger bombs to Japan to win WWII. Strikingly, but not surprisingly, Nolan was not interested in using computer-programing to achieve an a-bomb blast. Instead, he would find a way to avoid CGI, VFX, and other synthetic visual effects. Nolan is no stranger to creating intense effects without technological help. In Tenet (2020), Nolan blew up a 747 for a scene. The Trinity Test scene came together through weeks of scientific experiments, miniature explosions, multiple camera shutter speeds, and a bit of luck. And it paid off. As one of the most intense scenes of the film, the ten-minute sequence leaves you stunned, your ears ringing, and your seat vibrating. One thing for sure is that Barbie Land is not equipped to handle that kind of power—it almost fell apart with Ken-dom! Let alone an attack from a-bomb.
It would be remiss of me not to mention the care both directors took in looking at the historical significance of both stories. In addition to the colors, props, and costumes in Barbie, Gerwig took great effort to learn about the history of Barbie, which includes creator Ruth Handler’s (who is played by Rhea Perlman in the film) original intentions when making the doll.
Similarly, Nolan painstakingly made sure the Oppenheimer story was accurate. In addition to the plot points and character arcs, Nolan took time to understand the intricacies of quantum mechanics and make sure they were accurate for the film. Even though the average viewer wouldn’t know the difference, the accuracy in all aspects of this film show the care and careful consideration Nolan took at every step.
Dialogue and… songs?
If we rated on songs alone, Barbie would win by a landslide. I mean Lizzo, Billie Eilish, and Ryan Gosling on one soundtrack? This simply cannot be beat. Even though it is a bit self-righteous, “and Ken” takes the cake with his performance of “I’m Just Ken” towards the end of the film when he starts to finally realize that his identify is not determined by his relationship to Barbie—you almost can’t help feeling sorry for the guy.
Where Oppenheimer lacks in sing-a-longs, it soars ahead in dialogue. The film, just like the majority of Nolan’s other films are told through multiple timelines. This means that the dialogue must be clear and on point. Nolan did just this. Even for uneducated viewers, the discussions about the science and math of the bomb were palatable. The complex relationships were able to be expressed through intense conversations. And actors and actresses were able to shine in the film through their artful dialogue.
For example, throughout the film, former chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission Lewis Strauss, played by Robert Downey Jr., is at a congressional hearing regarding his possible appointment to the Presidential cabinet. Downey produced an award-deserving performing by giving intense testimony to the committee, while not taking away from Oppenheimer as the focus on the film.
Similarly, Emily Blunt, who plays Kitty Oppenheimer, wife of Robert, has her moment to shine during an interview with the security clearance review board. Throughout the film, she grew more and more frustrated that her husband wasn’t fighting for his honor. So, she decides to take matters into her own hands. When the lead prosecutor asks Kitty a question, instead of answering, she criticizes him for the way he asked—he structured the sentence incorrectly. The man grows more and more frustrated with Kitty, but she holds her ground, completed empowered in that moment. Eventually, he finishes his questions because he knows he cannot make her budge. Her strength and artful language even convinces one of the board members to rule in her husband’s favor.
And while one would think it would be the great explosion that would be the definitive jaw dropping moment in Oppenheimer, in fact, it is the small, subtle moments of self-realization, doubt, fear, love, humor, and understanding that had me feeling most connected to the performers.
You’re Supposed to Take a Message from this, Right?
At face value, these two films could not seem more different. However, whether they like it or not, the two are intertwined. Both follow the story of a powerful individual trying to make sense of the world—Barbie trying to understand a world that disempowers women and Oppenheimer ensuring a “near zero chance” of blowing that world up.
In addition to the individual narratives of stereotypical Barbie and Robert Oppenheimer, both films draw on greater social and moral issues. Even though Oppenheimer is much more intense of a film overall, Barbie is much more in your face about its social commentary. Once Ken returns from the real world, and sees how men are in charge, he works to change Barbie Land into a hub for patriarchy—and include lots of horses. Through trials and tribulations—including a beach fight, choreographed dance of “I’m Just Ken,” the deprogramming of the brainwashed Barbies with the help of Weird Barbie (played by Kate McKinnon), and lots of tears from Gosling—the Barbies regain control of Barbie Land. However, everyone has learned a few lessons.
For starters, Barbie realizes that her and Ken must be secure on their own—remember it’s Barbie and it’s Ken. Secondly, the toxic masculinity and patriarchy that Ken brought to Barbie Land isn’t going to fly. Instead, they all need to come up with better ways to both have important roles in Barbie Land. Some critics claim that the film is too preachy and, in your face, using a bizarre world of girl power fantasy and bimbo feminism to expel patriarchy. While the social commentary of the film was obvious and direct, I didn’t share these same frustrations. Instead, I felt that the film was relatable for all viewers and could provide a comedic side to the very important conversations about feminism and women’s empowerment.
Above all, Barbie reminds us of an important lesson: the importance of the human experience. In one of the more tender moments in the film, Barbie realizes she wants to be human even with all of the pain, doubts, and fears that come with that. She reminds us that life isn’t going to be perfect today, tomorrow, and forever—and that is perfectly okay. In the end, Barbie concludes that being real and feeling the full range of emotions that go along with this is far more powerful than being perfect.
In a different, but related way, Oppenheimer also reminds us of what it’s like to be human. Without any dialogue at all, Murphy and Nolan were able to capture the complex emotions of Oppenheimer both before, during, and after the deployment of the atomic bomb. Yes, Oppenheimer helped create this monster, fueled by emotions of power and greed, but he was also torn from the devastating loss of life that came along with such a scientific accomplishment. The audience also experienced the intense emotions from the competition Oppenheimer felt as a student, the complicated love life he faced, and the scrutiny he experienced after the creation of the bomb. All of this was captured, sometimes with no words at all. The experience was breathtaking and made me feel extra small in a room full of people. Although none of us in the theater were around anytime near the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the weight of the loss—of between 129,000 and 226,000 people—is palpable in the air. It gives us pause to recognize the human power behind devastation when supported by the drive of one individual.
So, to Barbenheimer… or Not?
If you haven’t already caught on, I’m not in the business of saying one film “beat out” the other. Both are unique, intriguing, and so complex in their own way. It is that complexity, however, that makes these films a beast of a double feature. While it is a fun trend to power through both and sit through Oppenheimer rocking a pink boa and bell bottom jeans, it’s worth separating the two—give them the time they deserve. Because at the end of the day, if you sit through the double feature, it’s not one of the movies winning, but the theaters. And the only thing losing, is your sore back from spending too long in those theater seats.
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