To ask for your views on 'Barbenheimer'

[Whatafustercluck]

Curious to hear the views of those who have seen both, given that there's some Oscars controversy.

I was very pleasantly surprised by Barbie. I wasn't sure what to expect, but loved the ironic humour and related to it as a woman in a man's world. I thought it was very clever and loved that it was upsetting all the right people. It was just a thoroughly enjoyable watch, on every level.

I was bitterly disappointed in Oppenheimer, which had received so much hype and I was excited to watch it. Whilst I admired the acting and the cinematography, I just found it overly long and actually quite boring, with the exception of about 30 minutes of it towards the end. I know it was supposed to be brooding and foreboding, but it just felt pretentious to me - and I usually love Christopher Nolan films.

Sames as you. I was really looking forward to Oppenhiemer but I thought it was dull and an hour too long. I love Cillian Murphy and Christopher Nolan usally. Should have been brilliant but it................wasn't.

Loved Barbie and wasn't expecting to.

Opposite to you.

Really looking forward to Barbie but wished I’d walked out half way through. Found it boring and tedious.

Loved Oppenheimer when I didn’t expect to. Totally absorbed in it.

I thought Barbie was disappointing - the message was being rammed down my throat too much, although I thought the set design etc were superb. I also think the story was really weak.

I thought Oppenheimer was nuanced, subtle and beautiful. I think Christopher Nolan is fantastic.

Shout out for The Holdovers, which I caught at the weekend - a really lovely film - sweet, sad, funny, real.

I was bored by Oppenheimer and I usually love those sort of films.

And....gasp...Cillian Murphy is the most overrated actor out there bar none.

My 22 year-old daughter, 19 year-old son and I (53) did Barbieheimer! Oppenheimer first, then Barbie. We actually all loved both films, I think I enjoyed Oppenheimer more than them because of my age and general knowledge of that time. I thought I'd hate Barbie, but ended up liking it. I wouldn't have said it was Oscar-worthy though. Oppenheimer yes, I can see why.

I'm the complete opposite - I was worried about being bored by Oppenheimer being so long, but would have happily watched more.

Barbie was fine up until the speech. Until that point there was some nice humour along with a good message. If you have to stop the story to give a speech to make the point, it suggests that the story isn't strong enough by itself to give the message.

I purposely didn't want a Barbenheimer ticket. We wanted to see Oppenheimer, so we did and really enjoyed it. We learned a lot too, and I like that.

I have absolutely zero interest in Barbie. My DD did go to see it with her student friends and liked it when she didn't expect to. She did try to persuade me to see it, but I'd rather watch paint dry.

The only thing the two films have in common is that they were released on the same day, so there's really no point in comparing them really. They're different films with a different purpose. I would say that they're both good examples of their genre and both do what they're supposed to do. I enjoyed them both - just for completely different reasons.

It was nice for there to be two proper blockbusters out at the same time and I liked the way there was a buzz about watching them both together but ofc they weren't designed to be seen each in the context of the other!

That said I did watch them both. Oppenheimer had some awesome bits to it but why the fuck carry on after the bomb? I couldn't concentrate on the rest of it after that, was waiting for it to end. And yes it was too long.

But then Barbie was also too long, also preachy and incoherent - what was the point of the ending? It looked brilliant though, Margot Robbie was amazing and there were some good pointed bits of humour.

My favourite film from last year though was Past Lives.

I think Paul Mescal is overrated too; I don’t know why by I just feel
embarrassed by his performances. Off topic, sorry!

In my opinion Barbie was massively overhyped and was just an average film; not terrible, not great. Ryan Gosling being perplexed by the lack of Oscar nominations for Margot and Greta is a bit baffling. It's nowhere near an Oscar worthy film in any sense. I love Margot and think she was cast really well as Barbie, but it wasn't worth all the excitement.
Oppenheimer was good but far too long and felt a bit of a slog. I was clock watching by the end and wouldn't watch it again anytime soon.

I think Oppenheimer is the kind of film that wins Oscars, being very "worthy' and about big issues. Barbie, being fun and jokey, the Oscars committee probably feel it's not serious enough for their attention. But it does cover some big issues, just presented in a light hearted way.

They do this every year.

I saw both, absolutely adored Barbie. Have bought my own copy now, and listen to the songs frequently. Ryan Gosling was hillarious and it was all so much fun!

Oppenheimer, well I could see it was well done, and meaningful, and I like Cillian Murphy and Christopher Nolan is a good director,... But I can't say I really enjoyed it. Too long for one thing. But I objectively can see it's good, and blame myself for my lack of attention span and understanding! Glad I saw it though.

I agree with this. Loved Barbie but not serious enough for the Oscar’s.

I also saw Killers of the Flower Moon, which has a lot of Oscar nominations. It was an ok film but I wouldn’t recommend anyone to watch it. Again, another serious “worthy” movie.

Barbie was exactly the campy fun I expected. I'm glad it didn't take itself too seriously.
Tbh I didn't watch Oppenheimer, I thought it looked like a long dull movie about white men talking without much happening. The reviews indicated I was right and didn't miss much.

I saw both, one after the other, on the same afternoon.

I watched Oppenheimer first, and thought it was excellent. It held me all the way through and I really enjoyed it.

Then I watched Barbie, and was quite disappointed in it. It was ok, fairly enjoyable, but not great. It probably didn't help that I watched it straight off the back of Oppenheimer - if I'd watched it a different day, I may have enjoyed it more.

But overall, if we're talking Oscars, I went to see The Holdovers last week, and loved it. The best film I've seen in ages. I'd choose that over Barbenheimer any day.

I wanted to like Barbie but I just found it meh, the script/pacing just felt off for me, it was alright but it’s not something I’d ever rewatch and felt overhyped.

Barbie was overrated, no Oscar noms deserved except for production design.

Not seen opp.

Agree totally on this. Possibly only laughed once.

I thought Barbie was quite dull and contrived. I loved Oppenheimer.

Haven’t seen Oppenheimer. Thought Barbie was awful.

I don't really have an opinion on Oppenheimer as a film other than it's the "type" that the Academy go for.

Its serious. Its a drama. It's moody. It's dark. Its a real-life story.

But I have a problem with the fact that the Oscars are so fucking predictable. They've lost sight of the fact that they are about entertainment.

I don't think Margot was snubbed. When the film came out, her performance was praised but didn't generate Oscar buzz, Whereas, when I came out of the cinema, my overwhelming response was "this is about female empowerment but the main takeaway is Ryan Gosling will be nominated for an Oscar..."

For me, his performance was pitch perfect. He had that perfect blend of goofy yet loveable and was absolutely captivating to watch - and THATS what got him nominated. Why are dramatic performances considered better than comic performances? I'd argue its much harder to deliver a nuanced comic performance because you have to work off the 'straight' person, blend subtlety and slapstick while remaining enjoyable.

I do think that Greta Gerwig was snubbed though. The first woman to ever direct three best picture nominees? The first woman ever to break the $1bn barrier? That should be rewarded. She achieved critical and commercial success - that's incredibly difficult to do. Most of the Oscars of the past 15 years achieve critical success but not always commercial success.

In fact, looking at the best picture list of the last 20 years, if you spoke to an average person off the street (any age) and said "have you seen this film?" I would personally say the last film that almost everyone has seen was probably Lord of the Rings, and that was back in 2004! Maybe the Kings Speech or Slumdog? But I mean the type of film that gardners mass audiences in the way that LOTR or Titanic or Gladiator or Schindlers List did

Saw both, was disappointed in Barbie, thought it was a weak plot and the whole thing had been talked and hyped up. I wouldn’t watch it again. Really enjoyed Oppenheimer though.

Totally agree that Past Lives is better than both. Barbie left me feeling battered over the head by the message although I loved the first half and thought the art design was fantastic. I think Margot Robbie is extremely clever and astute and will be a great force for women in films. Oppenheimer was great, everything I expected but too long. Past Lives is heart rending, elegiac and leaves you wanting more.

I completely agree with you on Greta Gerwig being snubbed by the academy. Lord knows there are worse things in the world to be incensed at atm, but this has irritated me.

I think directing is fundamentally about making the right calls overall, so if a film has a number of nominations across categories (acting, screenplay, costume, production design, etc.) and is nominated for Best Picture then you should qualify for Best Director automatically.

She was also snubbed for Little Women if you go by the above criteria.

Look, Barbie isn't a perfect film, but it has achieved more critical and commercial acclaim than most films associated with Best Director winners. For her directing peers not to nominate her feels like a massive f u and it's really unfair.

@itsnotabouthepasta PREACH

I completely agree. Also the idea that Barbie was snubbed is ridiculous- it got 8 nominations. And I think all the nominations are completely justified. But Greta Gerwig personally was snubbed.

I also think when people talk about Margot and Barbie they primarily discuss her producer role and not her acting, and she's nominated for Best Picture- that's her producer nomination and well deserved.