Ken getting nominated over Barbie proves ‘Barbie’ right

The “Barbenhemier” showdown has been a media story ever since the blockbusters “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” set summer box office expectations ablaze. Everything about the two films has been measured against each other, from reviews to audience attendance and, finally, to the year’s top awards.

Although “Barbie” was nominated for eight Oscars on Tuesday, including best picture, the high-level snubbing of the movie’s lead actress, Margot Robbie, and female director, Greta Gerwig, has fans and critics alike feeling like the academy completely missed what “Barbie” was saying.

As America Ferrera’s character says during the film’s key scene, women are always caught in a no-win situation. They have to be pretty, but not too pretty, smart, but not so smart that men are intimidated. Those who saw the film may have felt like “Barbie” was preaching to the choir, but Robbie and Gerwig getting snubbed like this is a reminder that some truths need to be spoken often, out loud and to every audience.

The optics of two of the eight nominations for an openly feminist movie going to Ryan Gosling, its male lead, were hard to ignore and added to the frustration. Gosling was nominated for best supporting actor and for his performance of the song “I’m Just Ken.” Ferrara was nominated for best supporting actress.

Yes, Barbie was nominated for best picture, but a film that doesn’t have a best actor nomination, a best actress nomination or a best director nomination rarely lands the award for best picture. At the end of Tuesday’s announcements, “Oppenheimer,” nominated for 13 Oscars, sat pretty with a full topline slate of nominations. The best picture nod for “Barbie” felt more like the nomination given to “Black Panther” back 2019. That is, the nomination felt more like a grudging acknowledgement that “Barbie” took in all the money. But if “Black Panther” is the guide, the academy has no intention of following through with votes.

ABC might still market the March 10 ceremony as “the ‘Barbie’ vs. ‘Oppenheimer’ showdown” to try to juice ratings. But those who know the way the Academy Awards work know the contest is already over.

To be fair, this was probably always going to be the outcome. The Oscars routinely deny films that make bank at the box office the top prizes, as if broad popularity is a sign of inferior art. The domestic intake for “Barbie” was basically double that of “Oppenheimer,” and worldwide, Mattel’s princess walked away with more than $1.4 billion, while “Oppenheimer” barely broke $950 million.

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To the point Ferrara’s character made about the no-win situation women face, in similar fashion, “Barbie” the movie had to be good, but not so good that it made money at the box office hand over fist. Robbie had to be fantastic in the role, but not so funny that her performance wouldn’t be taken seriously or considered for best actress. Although her red-carpet moments had to stand out, her re-creations of famous “Barbie” outfits through the decades were derided by some as “cosplaying.”

Gerwig had to be a serious director making a feminist movie about the pain of being a woman, but not too serious lest she be considered joyless. Her jokes had to be sharp, but not so sharp that they made men uncomfortable, which is likely what happened with the movie’s final joke about vaginas.

While there’s still the formality of the show that needs to be staged, fans of “Barbie” should admit after the announcement of the nominations that the movie was never going to be allowed to win against “Oppenheimer.” Because “Oppenheimer” is about serious things that men value, while “Barbie” is a quiet reminder that the things women value are never deemed as important.

No matter how many strides forward we might make, no matter how many inner Weird Barbies we embrace, the finish line will always move, and we’ll always be given second place, even if our only competitor is Just Ken.