You, Me, and Barbenheimer

For the purposes of this article, we’ll start with dolls and end with the future. 

The years 2006-2012 were largely spent on the green-carpeted floor of my bedroom, arranging my collection of Barbie dolls—some new, some hand-me-downs from decades earlier—in an assortment of imagined scenarios. I changed their outfits, took them outside for garden adventures, and crafted dresses for them using tape and tissues. Over the years there was a wedding (accompanied by pre-recorded tracks from our plastic keyboard), a tragedy involving the beheading of the aforementioned bride by my older brother, and several hair styling mishaps. 

I would consider the toys to be a large part of my childhood. I was even an avid fan of the poorly-aged early 2000s CGI Barbie films (the Barbie Cinematic Universe—BCU—as the internet now refers to it). Nevertheless, I got older and the once-treasured dolls ended up in a box in my attic, faded from my attention. I didn’t hear much about Barbie until the first announcement of the Barbie film. When I heard it was going to be directed by Greta Gerwig (the one who directed a feminist twist on Little Women [2019] just a few years ago) my ears perked up — this was not going to be a normal movie. As the release date grew closer the situation deepened. 

As it happened, Barbie (2023) was going to be released simultaneously along with Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer (2023), a common practice in the cinema industry called counterprogramming, where two movies of differing audiences/genres are released at the same time to help provide multiple options for moviegoers and rake in the profits. But this simultaneous release didn’t end up catering to different audiences. Rather, with the help of the internet, it rose to popular meme status in the form of Barbenheimer — a phenomenon pushing together the contrasting films and growing into what ended up being a double-feature event for many theaters and movie-goers across the globe. 

I, like many, took an interest in this exciting development. I saw both films out of sheer curiosity. Much as their memes highlighted, they were completely different. Opposite tones, soundtracks, genres, colors, you name it. However, I found after watching that they shared some key similarities, chiefly their ability to defy expectations and force their audience to turn a captive gaze toward the future. 

First we’ll look at the films separately, then together. Spoilers ahead (obviously). 

Barbie

One of the common Barbenheimer-related debates was which film to watch first. After seeing Barbie second I can safely say that this was the right choice. As a palate cleanser that has been described by many critics as a “colorful romp”, Barbie shoots to combine outrageous humor and fun with a hard-hitting feminist narrative. Since its release, there has been a variety of perspectives on whether or not this goal was achieved, with some praising its efforts and others feeling like the movie took things too far. One review even described the film as “tonally uneven” and concluded that, “Even in Barbie Land, you can’t have it both ways”.

Barbie certainly delivered on its first promise of fun, and its celebrated cast did not disappoint. The acting was pristine, costumes perfect, and the overall flawless and colorful toyland aesthetic was downright impressive. Did we really expect anything else? Even the humor went off without a hitch. Contrary to the Barbie marketing catchphrase (‘Barbie is for everyone!’), I don’t think the specific comedic style is for everybody. It’s absurdly self aware, using Austin-Powers-esque humor to draw on all the things we secretly thought about both Barbie and masculinity over the years but never found the words for. That being said, this shocking absurdity was more than enough to keep me laughing the whole film. 

Do I think the movie is entirely unproblematic in its approach to male and female representation? Definitely not. Do I think that after all these years women deserve one film that doesn’t have to worry about catering to anyone but them? Absolutely. I think the point some critics have missed is that Barbie isn’t a realistic roadmap of feminism. If a matriarchy is in our future, it’s certainly a distant one. But the movie does start a conversation that forces us to look at the way gender has existed in society— What would happen if women treated men the way men treat women? — in some ways it’s like a colorful answer to a philosophy discussion question. We could of course find shortcomings, but at least for now I think it is enough to let the film be what it is. 

One of the film’s goals was to launch Mattel (Barbie’s parent company) into the future. The classic doll has had its fair share of controversy surrounding body image issues for young girls and broader diversity concerns. I was curious how the film would handle this self-criticism, given Mattel’s involvement. Many articles have pointed out the interaction between Margot Robbie (Producer) and Mattel where Robbie stated that, “…if we don’t acknowledge certain things — if we don’t say it, someone else is going to say it. So you might as well be a part of that conversation.” Whether this participation gave the impression that Mattel wanted or not, I think the film made one message clear: diverse branding isn’t enough to change the world. We the viewers learned that while Barbie believed everything was perfectly progressive in Barbieland (i.e. in the ideal plastic world of consumerism), the real world was still struggling. This rings true — as Mattel’s recent efforts to diversify may be important, but they don’t automatically fix all of the real world problems still facing women today. 

Oppenheimer

In some ways, Oppenheimer has paled in comparison to Barbie. From the start, it had what seemed like far less publicity surrounding its release. Even after its release Oppenheimer sits at $82 million in box office sales, compared to Barbie’s $162 million. Personally, I only heard of it due to the ‘Barbenheimer’ gossip. So I watched it, to confirm that calling this movie ‘good’ is an understatement. In fact, I would even suggest that Oppenheimer had a more cohesive execution than its pink counterpart. 

This movie is, for lack of a better term, mind blowing. Its cast was equally as iconic as Barbie’s, and performed just as well. Even the soundtrack, done by Ludwig Göransson, added to the hypnotic draw of the film’s atmosphere. Furthermore, as someone who has a steady ritual of watching biopics and then immediately Googling the fact-check summary of them, I was so immersed in this movie that I simply didn’t care how much of it was factual. 

What did feel relevant about this movie is how it so clearly looks forward. We learn from history, as everyone knows. However, Oppenheimer isn’t just a historical account. It’s not trying to be a simple snapshot of life in the before-times. It’s unapologetically about the present, and we can see that through Nolan’s specific plot choices. 

Most people likely went into this movie expecting to watch a film about the atomic bombs dropped to end World War II. As you watch you can feel the tension build and build toward what you assume will be the tragedy itself. The bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, as it goes in the history books. ‘How are they going to portray that?’ the audience may have wondered. Simple. They don’t. This stands out as perhaps the most historically accurate detail in the whole movie, because in the end nobody in America watched the bomb fall. They may have listened to the radio broadcast and cheered after their supposed victory but they weren’t forced to watch lives end horrifically. This portrayal, or lack thereof, forces the audience to focus on the ethics of the situation. This is emphasized even more by one of the most impactful scenes in the film, where Oppenheimer stands to give his victory speech only to be overcome by the reality of what he has done. 

Another choice comes in the very last scene of the film. It is shortly after the end of World War II and Oppenheimer is reflecting on his decisions with none other than Albert Einstein: 

Oppenheimer says “When I came to you with those calculations, we thought we might start a chain reaction that might destroy the entire world.” “What of it?” Einstein replies. To which Oppenheimer concludes, “I believe we did.” 

For a film that attempts to be historically accurate, this last line sticks out as particularly improbable. Perhaps because in the last few moments of the film, it’s not Oppenheimer addressing Einstein, it’s Christopher Nolan addressing the viewer. He is turning to us and asking us to consider the larger ramifications of Oppenheimer’s work and how that is leading us into the future—and then leaving us in a darkened theater to think about it. 

Regardless of the nuanced opinions that exist out there, most would say that both Barbie and Oppenheimer are objectively good. They draw audiences in, whether through laughter or tears. They grew in popularity and eventually morphed into Barbenheimer due to their extreme contrast, but is that really all? Yes, it’s funny to put bright pink Barbie against the dark and serious world of Oppenheimer. But was this alone enough to draw unforeseen audiences into both films the way that it did?

The movies are total opposites. One is an information-packed biopic about J. Robert Oppenheimer and the other is a fun and energy-filled new take on the long-standing world of a famous kids toy. Except they aren’t, really. 

Oppenheimer was tagged as a biopic but turned out to be a serious political commentary on the state of past, present, and future nuclear war across the globe. 

Barbie was tagged as a colorful, funny, and nostalgic adventure, but turned out to be a feminist outcry begging audiences to question patriarchy. 

Perhaps these two films fit together not just because of their amusing differences but also because of the way they go deeper than their genres. In this way they stand one in the same. In a world where fear and hope have become louder and louder, media expectations have shifted to include these concerns—and audiences devour it. Oppenheimer could have been a normal biopic, and Barbie could have been a typical family-friendly comedy, but consumers decided that this simply isn’t what the world needs to hear right now. Something indicated to filmmakers that we wanted more than just empty entertainment. 

Twice this month I went into a darkened movie theater expecting to see a masterpiece. The first time I sat watching a scene so vivid that it conjured very real fears of my own family standing underneath a bomb we never asked for. The second time I questioned how, if ever, we would undo the attitudes that patriarchal society has imposed on us. I have no idea what the future will bring. Even now as I sit and remember the simplicity of deciding my toy doll’s fate, I am hopeful and afraid. Regardless, it’s clear that Barbenheimer has asked its viewers to be part of these long and tricky conversations. 

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Photo by gibblesmash asdf on Unsplash