In a post-pandemic culture, we strive for the return of normalcy. Beyond the comfort of familiarity, pop culture returning to its righteous place is an assurance of stability in the world. The film community is apt to throw out the expression, “movies are back,” in this current climate when a film performs well at the box office, and generally speaking, cinephiles long for the days when the movie-going experience was ingrained in the culture. In the film landscape of the early 2020s, “movies are back” was never met with more enthusiasm than it was during the dual release ofBarbieandOppenheimerin the summer of 2023, colloquially packaged as the portmanteau, “Barbenheimer.” While Barbenheimer began as a harmless and hilarious trend celebrating the timely release of two totally different blockbusters, according to The Hollywood Reporter,an actual Barbenheimer movie appears to be in the worksandis a surefire way to dilute the trend’s impactand stain the goodwill of the Internet phenomenon with the public.
‘Barbenheimer’ Wants To Cash In on the Cultural Phenomenon of 2023
Recalling the origin of “Barbenheimer” is uncertain. Upon the confirmation thatBarbieandOppenheimerwould be released on the same day, July 21st, 2023, the film community found rich humor in the juxtaposition of thetwo drastically disparate films.Greta Gerwig’s film is a rollicking fantasy comedy about the world of Barbie dolls, whileChristopher Nolan’s film is a bleak World War II-set historical epic about the creation of the atomic bomb. The inadvertent guerrilla marketing campaign panned out at the box office:BarbieandOppenheimergrossedan astounding $162 million and $82 millionin their opening weekends, respectively. What started asan ironic meme evolved into a sincere celebration of movies, particularly ones that did not belong to an extended franchise. Christopher Nolan himselfpraised the Barbenheimer phenomenonand its positive impact on theaters. The success of Barbenheimer was a product of genuine excitement for high-budgeted, auteur-driven films in the middle of the summer. Not to mention, the trend sprouted naturally, so much so that its profitability could not have been predicted or created by an algorithm. The announcement of an actual Barbenheimer movie seems like a lazy bit created by a parody account on social media.
What Is ‘Barbenheimer’ About?
Prolific B-movie director-producerCharles Bandis attached as the creator ofBarbenheimer, and he holds no qualms aboutshamelesslycashing in on the trendy subject. IdentifyingBarbenheimeras a potential source of dark humor, Band referred to this schlocky parody flick as “an opportunity to have fun with the bizarre coupling of these two movies and the combination ofBarbie’s vibe and the darkness ofOppenheimer.” Emphasizing the joke for anyone living under a rock,Barbenheimerliterally combines the setup and tone ofBarbieandOppenheimer, as itfollows Dr. Bambi J Barbenheimer, a brilliant scientist doll living in Dolltopia, a world of endless summers and beach parties. When Dr. Barbenheimer is exposed to the sinister nature of the real world, she becomes inspired to build a nuclear bomb to wipe away the worst of humanity. The film’s synopsis reads, “They got great looks and a super attitude! Oh, and now they’ve got the bomb.”
Band, who has been churning out direct-to-video low-budget horror comedies since the 1970s, was given the idea for a Barbenheimer-related movie by his biographer,Adam Felber. “Everyone around the world is having fun with that notion, so we should actually make it,” Band recalled his conversation with Felber. Quick turnarounds and cheap budgets are the defining traits of the producer. As per The Hollywood Reporter, a script and a handful of original songs have already been written forBarbenheimer, andfilming is expected to begin next year. The budget is estimated to be around $1 million, which is merely spare change for most films, but a costly endeavor compared to Band’s previous body of work. If the cash grab wasn’t evident enough, Band’s production company features a toy division, and he confirmed that he is currently workshopping designs for dolls to be sold for the movie’s release. “Let’s just say she’ll definitely have her arms around a big atomic bomb.” the producer said, teasing the final product. Band’s vast filmography, which includes thePuppet Master,Ghoulies,Trancers, andDemonic Toysfranchises, will contain 397 feature films upon completion ofBarbenheimer.
‘Barbenheimer’ Appears To Be a Sexist and Potentially Harmful Piece of Entertainment
From the outskirts,Barbenheimeris reminiscent of thelitany of parody films in the 2000s, consisting ofScary Movie,Date Movie,Epic Movie, andDisaster Movie. These films, co-written and directed byJason FriedbergandAaron Seltzer, were speedily made to cram in as many references to the zeitgeist as possible. Their movies, particularly their later works, were universally reviled by critics, and are generally regarded as bottom-of-the-barrel entertainment. Of course, movies with juvenile humor and low-hanging fruit jokes such asMeet the SpartansandVampires Suckwere never aimed to amass critical acclaim. While these films represent a bygone culture of the 2000s, it is not one worth romanticizing. Contemporary pop culture, at the very least, has progressed from the excess of cheaply-made parody movies that insult the collective intelligence of audiences.
The rough outline ofBarbenheimerpresents itself as aretrograde piece of lowbrow entertainment. The thick irony of this genre of parodies is not always something to embrace, especially considering the flagrant misogyny that appears to be prevalent inBarbenheimer. Take the most apparent example: the film’s tagline reads “D-Cup, A-Bomb.” The broad synopsis seems determined tomock the success ofBarbieand speak about it condescendingly. There is no sense of tribute to the source material in Band’s upcoming movie. Rather, it is founded upon ridicule, carried by a juvenile, hypermasculine streak that disregards anything deemed too feminine.BarbieseesGreta Gerwig pushing back against the reduction of womensolely by their physical attributes —something that Mattel’s product may have been responsible for. This is an important message that will be diminished by the presence of a cheap parody flick.
Furthermore, the integration of a satirizedOppenheimeris especially fraught considering the source material’s subject. The idea of morphing the creation of a nuclear bomb into a joke is quite objectionable. In general,the “Barbenheimer” phenomenon has faced criticismfor undermining the solemn subject of the monstrous Hiroshima and Nagasaki attacks, and critics have been divided overNolan’s choice to not show the atomic bombingsinOppenheimerand rather only show Oppenheimer’s (Cillian Murphy) own feelings about it. It is already risky to use a gimmicky marketing device to promote a film so morose, andBarbenheimerwould only desensitize audiences to the historical tragedy even further.
‘Barbenheimer’ Is a Misguided Attempt To Tap Into the Zeitgeist
While a B-movieinspired by the Barbenheimer phenomenonis stooping to artistic valleys, it’s also just a bad idea. People were not enthralled by theBarbie-Oppenheimerdouble feature because of its clever name. The marketing campaign was so naturalistic that the promotion of it hardly felt gratuitous. Audiences were captivated by the trend in July 2023 because of the anticipation surrounding the respective films, with both signaling a return to movies as part of the culture. Theater-going, outside of franchise films,as an event appeared to be a lost causeuntil the opening weekend ofBarbieandOppenheimer. The Barbenheimer concept without the distinct vision of Greta Gerwig and Christopher Nolan, two top-level ensemble casts that collectively includeMargot Robbie,Cillian Murphy,Ryan Gosling,andRobert Downey Jr.,and the work of exceptional craftspeople is meaningless. The trend may have played like an elaborate inside joke on the Internet, but it was not inspired without reason.
A Barbenheimer movie, even one created by an expert in trashy B-movies, is beneath our collective taste as a culture.It cheapens the impact oflast summer’s phenomenonby emphasizing the meme factor. Between the sexist undertones and the desperate nature to cash in on the zeitgeist, it is safe to surmise thatBarbenheimeris the one movie no one asked for.
BeforeBarbenheimermakes its explosive entrance,Barbieis available to purchase on Prime Video, whileOppenheimerwill be available on Prime on November 21st.
WatchBarbieon Prime
