Two films that could not be more different – Christopher Nolan’s historical epic “Oppenheimer” and Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” – landed in theaters on Friday after weeks of hype for the double feature dubbed “Barbenheimer.”
Summary
Two films that could not be more different – Christopher Nolan’s historical epic “Oppenheimer” and Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” – landed in theaters on Friday after weeks of hype for the double feature dubbed “Barbenheimer.”
- Both films debuted on Friday, and the National Association of Theatre Owners reported that about 200,000 people had brought tickets to see both movies on the same day.
- “Oppenheimer” is a three-hour historical epic about J. Robert Oppenheimer, the father of the atomic bomb, while “Barbie” is a fantasy comedy based on the iconic Mattel doll.
- Movie fans coined the “Barbenheimer” meme after it was announced they’d both premiere on July 21 and legions of memes have been produced poking fun at the starkly different films.
- “Barbie” grossed $22.5 million in Thursday previews, which was the single-best Thursday preview for any movie so far this year. “Oppenheimer” pulled in $10.5 million on the same day.
- “Oppenheimer” is expected to earn $50 million over opening weekend, while “Barbie” could reach $100 million at the box office.
- NPR’s Aisha Harris wrote that “Barbie” showed that “sometimes corporate propaganda can be fun as hell.” Harris acknowledged, “Yet “Barbie’s” limitations as a vehicle for substantial commentary are two-fold. For one, the execution is sometimes awkward, like a long, stilted monologue about how ‘impossible’ it is to be a woman because, The Patriarchy.”
- The New York Times’ Manohla Dargis praised “Oppenheimer” as “a great achievement in formal and conceptual terms” that “brilliantly charts the turbulent life of the American theoretical physicist who helped research and develop the two atomic bombs that were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II.”
- CNN’s Brian Lowry hailed “Barbie” for delivering “a feminist message dressed up in all the right accessories.” Lowry argued the film is “an admirably ambitious attempt to ponder where Barbie fits in the 21st century – less than it could be, but pretty close to being what it should be.”
- The Wall Street Journal’s Kyle Smith panned “Barbie’s” script as “a grumpier-than-average women’s studies seminar.” Smith continued, “Those who have no particular reason to think women are powerless in American society will be put off by the script’s many broadsides.”
- The New York Post’s Johnny Oleksinski gave the “explosive, must-see” “Oppenheimer” a rave review. Oleksinski highlighted Robert Downey Jr.’s performance as Oppenheimer rival Lewis Strauss as “some of the best work of his career.” He concluded, “Oppenheimer” is a movie that makes you say “Oh, my God” over and over again — in awe and in terror.”
- National Review’s Armond White was unimpressed by both movies. White wrote that “Barbie” is “frantic, uncheerful, and graceless” and “symbolizes a culture that devalues childhood and goodness.” “Oppenheimer” is “overhyped” and “another piece of inscrutable pseudo-art to be left on the remainder shelf.”
Return to Freespoke 
© Dominic Moore, 2023
