Cinema Dispatch: Barbenheimer

When it comes to two movies releasing on the same day the narrative is usually that of a fight to see which one will top the box office, and yet this whole Barbenheimer deal has been one of mutual appreciation which seems to have worked out well for both movies as they had strong opening weekends on the back of solid word of mouth and the novelty of this double-feature. Was this quirk of good timing the perfect way to energize two great movies, or will the memes be more fondly remembered than the movies they were celebrating? Let’s find out!!

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Barbie

Barbie and all the images you see in this review are owned by Warner Bros Pictures

Directed by Greta Gerwig

In the land of Barbies, where all Barbies are named Barbie and all Kens are named Ken, we follow Stereotypical Barbie (Margot Robbie) who is leading her stereotypical Barbie life of fun, empowerment, and dance parties! That is until she starts having some strange thoughts that put her out of step with the rest of Barbie land and she has no choice but to go on a journey to the Real World to find the little girl playing with her that’s giving her all these bad vibes. Not wanting to be left out as he usually is, Ken (Ryan Gosling) manages to tag along on this journey and has his own quest of self-discovery that could perhaps impede Barbie from finishing her own!

Starting things off with sunshine and sparkles, we dive into the bright pastels and infectious optimism of Hollywood’s latest attempt to cynically turn brands into cinematic universes! Well, that’s a little unfair as the movie takes a fair number of risks in creating such a uniquely faithful adaptation; not to any specific work in the Barbie canon, but to the idea of Barbie as a brand itself. What could have easily been an insufferable exercise in cheerleading a doll line manages to have more than enough wit and creativity to rise above its baggage. Of course, it can’t truly be a subversive work given that it’s made with the explicit endorsement of Mattel, but Gerwig and Robbie were still given a surprising amount of room to tell an unconventional and mature story within this pink and plastic world. What I most appreciated was the utter absurdity of it all as it revels in its own dream logic to tell its story; never getting so abstract as to be indecipherable, but never letting unnecessary plot details grind the pacing to a halt or hold it back from telling a funny joke. It’s the kind of storytelling that works for a high-concept fantasy like this where at any moment we could pull back to find the whole plot being elaborately staged by a group of young girls at a sleepover, and if you aren’t going to make a Barbie movie a fanciful journey then why bother making it in the first place? There does seem to be a missed opportunity, however, as they don’t go the extra mile to make this a musical which, to me, would have catapulted it to the camp classic it’s clearly aiming to be. The movie has songs, singing, and even some dancing for good measure, but there’s only one musical number for a movie that is otherwise so bombastic, and on top of that it’s done by the Kens instead of the Barbies which leads us to the other issue I have with the film. Perhaps this is where the gender divide is the most obvious, but when all was said and done I found myself thinking more about the Kens than the Barbies; especially when it comes to Ryan Gosling and Margot Robbie. Robbie is great in the role and she carries this movie from start to finish, but Gosling is a riot throughout and I found his arc to be the more interesting of the two. Barbie doesn’t really have much that she needs when the movie begins and the conflict she has to resolve is thrust upon her by circumstances outside of her control. It’s through the disruption of her routine that she does eventually realize what has been missing, but there’s not much to distinguish her as a Barbie of note compared to every other Barbie in Barbie Land. Ken on the other hand begins the movie with angst and flaws that inform his actions throughout the movie, and where the script ends up taking him is fascinating and utterly hilarious even if it’s the primary obstacle that our true protagonist has to overcome. Again, this may be my own biases talking here, but Robbie just didn’t come across as the most interesting character in her own movie and my favorite moments are things that happened around her instead of anything with her specifically. For me, the movie feels a little pulled back at points which are all the more noticeable given how extra the rest of the movie is, so while it doesn’t quite hit cult classic status as many were hoping for it to, it does end up being a great time at the movie and one that I can happily recommend to everyone with an appetite for something sweet.

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Oppenheimer

Oppenheimer and all the images you see in this review are owned by Universal Pictures

Directed by Christopher Nolan

With the US several years deep into World War II, they are desperate to find a way to bring it to a decisive end and it looks like the budding field of Nuclear Science could yield them such a victory with an unimaginably powerful bomb. To develop this, they recruit several of the country’s top scientists and chose J Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy) to be the head of this effort known as the Manhattan Project. Knowing full well the power that could be unleashed with such a weapon, Oppenheimer agrees and tries to steer it in a direction that could somehow benefit everyone, but will his own eccentricities and ego be his undoing even as he gives the US government its most powerful weapon?

It’s too bad we started with dessert because it’s time for the main course and frankly it looks a little overcooked. I take no joy in telling you that this movie is a mess, and I wish I could jump into the editing booth to wrangle this bloated art piece into something resembling a theatrical feature. Nolan has had an obsession with how he tells his story for some time now with a focus on time itself that has led to great movies like Inception but has also led to confusing messes like Tenet. I get that he wants to make Capital-C Cinema and that an unconventional structure can lead to thought-provoking narratives, but the attempt here is marred by its own limitless ambition. Everything is here to make a good movie; an all-star cast, a giant budget, and a studio willing to capitulate to the filmmaker’s every whim. The unbridled excess of it all, however, has utterly hindered Nolan’s ability to focus; to not be wasteful with the premium ingredients he has at his disposal. In isolation, the movie has plenty of interesting elements and I found the performances to be solid, though Nolan’s inability to portray convincing romances continues to be a thorn in his side and Florence Pugh feels wasted as she gets stuck with the brunt of the film’s most awkward scenes. Still, the meat of the movie is right in his wheelhouse with determined men of startling intellect and resolve working through the benefits and dire consequences of their awesomeness. The story of the Manhattan Project is a good fit in that regard, and I think there’s just enough self-awareness on Nolan’s part that it doesn’t become a parody of his own style. What does feel like a parody though is the editing as we’re jumping all over time, we have what seems to be two framing devices, and there’s a switch between color and black and white that seems completely inexplicable; all of which is accompanied by the usual bombastic store which started to grate fairly early on. What any of this is meant to convey remains a mystery which perhaps proves little more than my own misunderstanding of the material, but all it did for me was get in the way of a well-realized and beautifully shot exploration of Oppenheimer and the Manhattan Project. The moments where the movie has the most focus are when it shines brightest and the mounting tension as we get closer and closer to the bomb is palpable. The stakes are clear and are no less thoughtful because of that simple fact, whereas the rest of the film feels like it’s trying to convey a message but refuses to let us in on its insights. Perhaps a second viewing will clue me into the movie’s point which I’m sure is exactly what Nolan wants from his audience, but complexity does not equal depth and the most powerful weapon in all of human history still pales in comparison to engaging characters and a story that’s well told. I can’t say that I hated this movie given the sheer artistry on display and the good movie that I know is buried beneath the artifice, but given the choice between the two, I feel that Barbie manages to beat this at its own game with a more thought-provoking story and a more deft hand at unconventional storytelling.