I think you might have literally had to have been living on a different planet to have not heard at least one time about the “EPIC DOUBLE FEATURE” that was Barbie and Oppenheimer taking place this past weekend.
As a movie lover, obviously I had heard about these films way before they became the most insane marketing phenomenon, and unlike others, I didn’t really give a crap which order I watched them in or what I wore to the screening. I appreciate people having fun, but as one Twitter user said, “have two movies never come out on the same day before?” Yes, I understand one is a Christopher Nolan film, one is a female directed feature, and both are “original IP,” but still, I agree. It’s just another weekend of two good looking movies dropping for me. I do recall about a month ago seeing four really great films in the theater in one weekend. Nobody was talking about that.
I digress. It’s not as if I didn’t massively enjoy these two films, because I did. Immensely. Just with how everything worked out, Barbie was up first on Friday night and it was a total blast. Everything was so bright and vibrant, and the performances were hysterical while also making many poignant points throughout the film. I saw online that someone’s daughter asked what the patriarchy was when they were leaving the theater. Goal achieved, I think. But yes, Margot Robbie was stereotypical Barbie who all of a sudden was dealing with things like thinking of death, flat feet, and a spot of cellulite. Turns out her original owner was going through her own personal crises, so that’s how Barbie and Ken came to be in the real world. Ken’s big takeaways are that he just wants to be loved by Barbie, but also sees how much power men have in the real world compared to Barbieland. Ryan Gosling was terrific as Ken, though not Oscar-worthy in my opinion. Might I recommend better uses of his comedic talents, say, in The Nice Guys or Lars and the Real Girl. All the supporting cast was fantastic, as well.
Oppenheimer came into my life Sunday night, and my first time in an XD theater. Admittedly, I couldn’t really tell a difference. As a person who loves independent dramas, this film was 3 HOURS of it! I was in heaven. Although my feet do fidget during most things, I found myself snapping out of serious investment and concentration a few times. This is a story I knew nothing about, you know, except for the fact of Oppenheimer’s atom bombs being dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which is tragic and horrible and I would love to see a dramatized film or even a documentary on the impact of that incident, but this was how that weapon came to be. Oppenheimer was clearly a genius and a well-connected scientist with his own set of problems and questionable background. Unfortunately, I think he just got a little blinded by accomplishing something so brilliant that he didn’t really work far enough ahead to think of the actual repercussions. Especially given the people who were asking him to make it in the first place. All of the vast, supporting cast was incredible to watch, and this might end up being the only 3-hour movie I might ever re-watch.
Go support cinema in the theaters like the rest of the world this weekend! And then keep doing it! Many other great films are out there just waiting for you to see them and they totally deserve it!