Barbenheimer — Review Thread

Finally got around to actually formalizing my thoughts on these.

Even someone like me, a massive Christopher Nolan fan, has to confess just how stunned I was by his latest film, Oppenheimer. I gave myself some time after seeing it to fully digest it before writing this, during which I saw it again, and I think I'm ready to count this among some of his best works -- which is saying something, considering some of the company it's in.

For a three-hour period piece biopic that's mostly just people in rooms talking, Oppenheimer is still every bit an epic, the kind we rarely see from major studios anymore. And true to form, Nolan executes it not just in a way that brings back fond memories of films like this from years past, but also in a way that only a filmmaker like him could. Because this isn't just a film about the creation of the nuclear bomb. It's also a psychologically introspective portrait of a man grappling with the fears and consequences of a power he unleashed upon the world. As such, this film carries a weight to it that makes it play like a harrowing thriller, even a horror movie of sorts, more than anything else -- one whose impact lingers with you long after you walk away from it. Nolan knows precisely what he wants to do and say with this film, and as a result, we're constantly left with the feeling of being in the hands of a master storyteller at work throughout the runtime. Again, this is a movie that's mainly people having conversations with one another, and yet Nolan is so laser-focused on the themes and ideas he wants to explore here, that we hang on to every word and feel the weight behind those conversations. Also aiding in the film's effectiveness is its structure, which true to Nolan form, disregards time as non-linear in terms of its storytelling, yet the intercutting back and forth between the events leading up to and directly after the Trinity Test, and the events surrounding two different legal proceedings years later, is handled in such a way where the pacing always feels like it has a forward momentum and is never lulling in any spots. Also, you never lose track of either timeline. The structure definitely recalls that of Nolan's Memento, but even more finely-tuned. In many respects, from the storytelling structure, to the use of both color and black-and-white cinematography and to the scope that he still manages to bring here (not to mention the sheer tension he's able to bring to the Trinity Test sequence), Oppenheimer finds Christopher Nolan at some of his most ambitious as a director.

It goes without saying that this is career-best work from Cillian Murphy. The way he communicates both the determined ingenuity and psychological turmoil of J. Robert Oppenheimer is nothing short of brilliant, and I absolutely see an Oscar nomination in his future, and a well-deserved one at that. But it's not just him. Robert Downey Jr. deliciously plays against-type as the snakelike Lewis Strauss, Emily Blunt has a raw power as Kitty Oppenheimer (Robert's wife), Matt Damon is excellent as the Army General assigned to help oversee the bomb creation, and even smaller roles such as David Krumholtz leave a lasting impression. This cast is absolutely stacked, and everyone brings their A-game.

Oppenheimer draws together all of the strengths that Christopher Nolan's past efforts have shown and molds them together into a product that is downright staggering. It's not only in turn the best biopic and period piece/historical drama in years, it's an absolute triumph of filmmaking for adults and one of the best films from one of today's best filmmakers.

Barbie

If you had told me a year ago that one of the biggest movies of this year would be a Greta Gerwig-directed Barbie movie starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, as well as one featuring a dash of existentialism and commentary on gender politics at that, I would've balked at you. And yet, here we are. But y'know what? It's good!

First and foremost, it's a fun movie. I know that word gets treated like a dirty one a lot these days amongst film buff circles, but there's just no better word to describe this movie. Starting with the production design alone, Greta Gerwig visualizes Barbieland in a refreshingly practical and colorful way that brings a lot of personality to the film aesthetically -- plus, it's simply a ton of fun to look at. It has an old-school approach to it in that respect, which when put up against today's mostly CGI-dependent mentality, is all the more appreciated. The rules of Barbieland itself can get kind of wishy-washy when you really sit down and think about them, but details like that are ultimately second fiddle to the finer points that the movie is making through the setting and its characterization (more on that in a minute). Speaking of the characters, Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling both do genuinely impress here as Barbie and Ken. Both get to showcase their more comedic talents to rewarding effect, with Robbie embodying that effervescent and chipper quality you'd expect from Barbie, and coupled with the dose of pathos and existentialism that the movie throws her way as well, Robbie effectively creates a full character with Barbie whose emotional journey over the course of the film feels genuine and earned and satisfying. Margot Robbie is a delight in this movie. As good as she is here, though...Ryan Gosling just about steals the whole damn movie as Ken. Gosling plays Ken with a very strong himbo energy that helps him nail all of the comedic beats with his character naturally, and like with Robbie, the movie gives him an arc that adds something to his character and the film as whole -- all while fitting in with the movie's overall pretty hilarious comedy without creating too jarring of tonal swings. The movie is deceptively a little clever that way.

Speaking of...much has been said about this movie's approach to its message, and while I don't want to spend a ton of time on that, I'll just say this: yes, the movie is pretty on-the-nose with a lot of its themes and its delivery of said themes. It also bites off a bit more than it can chew and tries to juggle a few ideas too many. BUT, I overall liked a lot of what it was doing and saying. The argument that this movie is anti-men seems a bit simplistic/reductive to me. Sure, it IS offering up criticism of masculinity, but not in a mean-spirited, attack-y sort of way. It's examining what it means to be masculine through the lens of feminism, and it's meant to be portrayed in such a way where people can see this and laugh at themselves. In terms of the message for men here, it's not a Pro or Anti-Ken movie, but rather Pro-Alan. And on the other side of the coin, the fact that Barbie's arc in the movie ends where it does should make it clear that this isn't supposed to be a battle-of-the-sexes kind of narrative, but battle-against-perceptions. At least, that's how I see it. I don't want to spend too much time on this.

The point is, Greta Gerwig and co. made a fun, unexpectedly subversive movie that offers up a lot more than you'd expect from a Barbie movie. This is a big budget studio film that puts in the work, and is maybe a little overeager in that regard, but it still delivers where it needs to, and then some. Let's go party.