Barbie had a stellar year getting eight Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, and being the highest-grossing film of 2023 making more than $1.4 billion worldwide, yet somehow two of the most pivotal parts of the movie failed to be recognized. Back on Jan. 23, social media were in a frenzy trying to make sense of the lead actress, Margot Robbie, and director Greta Gerwig being snubbed from their categories even though the movie itself was nominated for best picture. How does that make any sense?
What is crazy about it is the fact that this couldn’t have even been scripted better. We have a movie that is partly about how women can still look back fondly on their childhood toys and be part of a new, better, more modern, more feminist-leaning era, yet this Oscar snub feels so dated. America Ferrera and Ryan Gosling, both got nominated for their roles in the movie, and even though the movie got a lot of Oscar nominations in general, it just feels like they missed the most important nominations.
Some people might not care, or might say that even if they were nominated they probably wouldn’t have won anyways because of the competition, but it’s the nomination itself that says a lot about the past year we had in movies, it is a part of the history that is the truly important part about the Oscars. You are being held in high regard amongst others that have all put their best foot forward for their projects, and to be left out of that when you have left such a big mark on the movie industry is such an odd choice by the Academy.
When Gosling was nominated other than thanking the Academy for the nomination he went on to say, “But there is no Ken without Barbie, and there is no Barbie movie without Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie, the two people most responsible for this history-making, globally-celebrated film. No recognition would be possible for anyone on the film without their talent, grit and genius. To say that I’m disappointed that they are not nominated in their respective categories would be an understatement. Against all odds with nothing but a couple of soulless, scantily clad, and thankfully crotchless dolls, they made us laugh, they broke our hearts, they pushed the culture and they made history. Their work should be recognized along with the other very deserving nominees.”.
