There’s a lovely scene in Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” where our heroine meets an old woman on a public bench.
Barbie (Margot Robbie) looks at the woman, whose face reveals the passage of time but can’t suppress her inner spirit. No one ages in Barbie Land, so seeing an elderly person should be a shock.
Unbowed, she says to her, “You’re beautiful.”
“I know,” replies the woman, played by legendary costume designer Ann Roth.
“Do NOT call me the oldest person in the ‘Barbie’ movie.”
Ann Roth is the costume master who helped give the world “Midnight Cowboy,” “Working Girl,” “Mamma Mia!” and more. Now, at 91, she has a pivotal scene with Margot Robbie in “Barbie.” https://t.co/xemXfLMVga
— The New York Times (@nytimes) July 23, 2023
It’s the kind of gentle, life-affirming feminism that’s sorely missing throughout the rest of the film.
“Barbie” prefers alienating screeds about the “patriarchy” (uttered at least 10 times in the film) over organic storytelling.
“It is literally impossible to be a woman,” one character cries.
The film’s third act is a disaster, and the screenplay’s rage against men undercuts much of what might have been a sweet, uplifting finale.
RELATED: THE ‘BARBIE’ BAIT-AND-SWITCH IN REAL TIME
This critic’s review of the film inspired silly, sometimes angry retorts on social media over a 72-hour period.
#Barbie is a two hour woke-a-thon brimming with feminist lectures and nuclear-level rage against men
— Christian Toto (@HollywoodInToto) July 19, 2023
Why such energy against a negative review? Isn’t art subjective? Many of the critiques landed before anyone (beyond critics and test audiences) actually saw the film.
Here’s the full Barbie Movie review. Enjoy. I certainly didn’t. pic.twitter.com/vIg9V7u2uN
— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) July 23, 2023
Naturally, the same media which has been offering millions in free advertising for “Barbie” jumped into the fray next. TMZ, which is often apolitical in tone, uncorked a silly story blaming “right wing media” for the anti-“Barbie” barbs.
Right Wingers Go On The Attack …’ANTI-MAN, FEMINIST TRASH’
The film is so obviously anti-male it’s silly to argue otherwise. That’s OK, of course. Art can be almost anything, and if the filmmakers’ rage against men needed an outlet, that’s why the cinema exists.
…the right has folded the flick into its culture wars, lambasting it as a “flaming garbage heap.”
No. The film did the heavy lifting on that front. Obviously. To suggest otherwise is silly and not tethered to reality.
The movie is not only funny, it has a social undertone, particularly sending a message to women about acceptance and self-love. It’s gotten almost universal praise by critics and is expected to have a spectacular weekend in terms of box office.
Undertone? Hoo boy, did this scribe actually see “Barbie?” And if a film has a 91 percent “Fresh” rating at Rotten Tomatoes, which is obviously very good, it still means 9 percent disliked it.
Do their views matter? Thirty Rotten Tomatoes critics disliked the film, the vast majority of whom don’t identify as “right wing.” Maybe they’re white supremacists… (that’s sarcasm)
Indy100.com cited my Tweet on the film as part of its “‘Barbage’: Angry internet men react to Barbie just as you’d expect” coverage.
So here are some hilarious reviews of a totally harmless movie.
No one said the film would cause harm. It’s a classic straw man argument.
Why point out negative reviews of a film in the first place? How many stories are written by mainstream journalists about a film’s minority opinions?
6 percent of critics disliked “Oppenheimer!”
Is it wrong to dislike “Barbie?” Why? Does this apply to other films?
CNN, of course, says the film’s box office receipts “crush right-wing outrage.” The op-ed, by far-left comic/lawyer Dean Obeidallah, repeatedly says the Right is calling for a boycott of the film. Yet he doesn’t share proof of it happening once.
Does CNN have a single editor overseeing op-eds?
If you’d like to see a legitimate meltdown, consider the press coverage of a film illuminating the horrors of child sex trafficking.
For what it’s worth, when you type “Barbie” into Google the screen lights up with pink sparkles. That may be part of a paid advertising campaign. Or, it’s just another part of the modern media landscape playing favorites on a film with the “approved” agenda.
It’s hard to tell these days.
The post ‘Barbie’ Critics Trigger Woke Nation, Media first appeared on Hollywood in Toto.
The post ‘Barbie’ Critics Trigger Woke Nation, Media appeared first on Hollywood in Toto.