Barbie

 Nominated for: Picture, Supporting Actor (Ryan Gosling), Supporting Actress (America Ferrera), Adapted Screenplay, Production Design, Costume Design, Original Song (I'm Just Ken), Original Song (What Was I Made For?)

IMDB Summary: Barbie and Ken are having the time of their lives in the colorful and seemingly perfect world of Barbie Land. However, when they get a chance to go to the real world, they soon discover the joys and perils of living among humans. 

I first saw this movie during the height of the Barbenheimer craze last summer - this movie was EVERYWHERE! It was all over social media, everyone was talking about it, and prior to seeing it, I felt like I was on the outside looking into the cotton candy world of Barbie, severely missing out on the latest cultural phenomenon. Once I saw it, I felt a little let down. I knew this film was not what it appeared to be at first glance - I was warned that it was much more focused on feminism than it was on the childhood nostalgia factor - but I still left the theater with the "eh, it was ok" vibe. Even with a heads up, I guess I still expected a different path for this story. I wasn't surprised to see it among the Oscar nominees, in fact, I'm quite happy to see it included among the list of the more traditional films. Blockbuster films, particularly those in the comedy category, are frequently overlooked and underappreciated for what they bring to the cinematic catalog. Focusing in on the aspects in which this film is nominated gave me a better appreciation of this film and why it has a place among this year's nominated films. 

To start, the production and costume design - this is where this movie hits all the nostalgia points for those of us who grew up with Barbie, her friends, and her multitudes of accessories. You know, the Dream House, the cars, the clothes, the pools, beaches, and the carrying cases. There are so many details throughout the set (many of which are directly eluded to within dialogue) but this is the world of Barbie. This is what these toys are like - the houses don't have stairs, the food is fake, there are decal stickers on EVERYTHING (just ask my parents about those stickers). This was the play that we created hundreds of different scenarios for our Barbies and it was fun to see it come to life on screen. Same with the clothing. While we often had many dolls, we had WAY more clothes to dress Barbie in for any occasion we could imagine. Again, the costume design captured the essence of the various Barbie clothing, keeping with the general aesthetic, but also infusing new life and purpose driven by the script. It's in these two areas that the Barbie nostalgia the audience expects from the film really shines.  

I think I was most confused on the acting nominations for this picture. Ryan Gosling is nominated for his portrayal of Ken, which provides a lot of ridiculous comic relief throughout the film. He does a fantastic job portraying Barbie's sidekick, constantly struggling to find his purpose separate from her. He's an attention grabber, stealing all of the scenes he's present in. However, I think his story pulls away from Barbie's overall journey, but that is more of a script critique rather than a performance issue. America Ferrera is also nominated, and this really surprised me. I think she's a great actress, but her role in this film, for me, was forgettable and whiny at times. On my second watch, I honed in more on her performance - she has a great scene where her character gives a lengthy speech about the expectation of women and the contradictory nature of qualities needed in order to succeed. It's a standout scene that is a pivot point in the movie - she does a nice job with her performance, but I think that is due to the strength of the script.

There is one aspect of this film that really impressed me upon the second viewing, and that was the music. This film has two songs nominated in the original song category, but even beyond that, the music is so great in the progression of this story. I loved some of the throwback songs and stylings to underscore different scenes - once again this plays into my childhood nostalgia of songs I was listening to during my Barbie era. One of my biggest pet peeves with the original song nominees is that many are songs that are written to play over the closing credits - they aren't part of the story portion of the film, and do nothing to expand or progress the plot. I cannot say that about either song nominated from this film. "I'm Just Ken" is a hilarious interlude of Ken's existential crisis, giving words to the plight and purpose of a doll that wasn't really created for anything other than Barbie's boyfriend. It's clever, the visuals are serious yet humorous, and the performance from the actors is highly entertaining. 

I'm going to pick my Oscar winner here - it's going to be the original song "What Was I Made For?" by Billie Eilish and Finneas. While the full version of this song does play over the credits, an abbreviated version plays over an emotion-filled decision point of the film. It provides a haunting underscore to the feelings behind being human - how there are extraordinary moments in being ordinary in whatever we choose to do with our lives. There is struggle and longing in the song but also hope that everyone has their own purpose. The song is beautiful on its own, but it provides a phenomenal voice to this scene. 

When the Oscar nominations came out, this film was at the top of the list of snubs - Margot Robbie wasn't nominated for her performance as Barbie and Greta Gerwig was excluded from the director category. While there are strong cases to be made for both of these women to be nominated for their work in this film, I found a lot to appreciate about this film when I focused on the categories it was nominated in rather than the ones it wasn't. Because my attention wasn't so centered on Robbie, I was able to recognize the strength of the set, costumes, and music. Gerwig is a fantastic director, and her talents and creative vision continue to shine in this film. If the Oscar voters were forced to choose between her directing or her script, I think it came down to a coin flip. The directing category is strong again this year, and there just weren't enough spots. Out of all of the films I've watched thus far, this is one that can be casually enjoyed or deeply dissected. It's fun yet carries a deeper message on how women fit into our current social construct.  

Streaming on HBO Max.