Oscars 2024 Snub: Barbie's Gerwig, Robbie Overlooked – Maybe The Academy Needs A Magnifying Glass
Oscars 2024: The real reason Barbie's Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie were snubbed by the Oscars
Barbie's Oscar snub has Hollywood scratching its head. Despite a Best Picture nod, Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie were left out. Maybe the Academy thinks dolls can't direct or act? The film's social commentary on patriarchy was overshadowed by its plastic surface. The Academy even labeled the screenplay as "adapted" because, you know, Barbie already existed. At the Golden Globes, Barbie got a box office achievement prize – not as cool as Best Comedy, though. Oscars seem to prefer small, serious films over inventive ones, sorry Gerwig. The film criticized Mattel, but irony alert: it's a major studio production by Mattel. Hollywood loves ignoring blockbuster directors – cue Barbie joining the snubbed club. In a nutshell, Oscars snubbed a funny, subversive movie – because who needs innovation when you have Ken?
The Oscar nominations for 2024 stirred controversy as Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie, key figures in the Barbie movie, faced surprising snubs. Despite the film's Best Picture nomination, Gerwig was excluded from the Best Director category, and Robbie wasn't acknowledged for Best Actress. The online community and colleagues expressed outrage, labeling Gerwig's snub as one of the most significant shocks in recent memory.
The movie's unique premise, being based on a doll, seemingly worked against it. Some critics attributed the oversight to the film industry's lingering sexism, highlighting the irony of Ryan Gosling's supporting actor nomination compared to the omission of Gerwig and Robbie. Gosling himself acknowledged their essential roles in the film's success. However, the fundamental issue extended beyond sexism.
Despite the Best Picture nod, Oscar voters struggled to take the toy-based film seriously. The movie, lauded for its inventiveness and subversive cultural statement challenging stereotypes about women, was dismissed as a mere popcorn flick. The surface-level perception overshadowed the film's imaginative and substantial qualities, along with Gerwig's meticulous orchestration.
The category limitations, with only five slots for directors among ten Best Picture nominees, added complexity. Gerwig seemingly lost her spot to directors of smaller, more serious films. The film's originality faced underestimation from the start, with the screenplay categorized as adapted due to the existing Barbie character.
Hints of underestimation continued at the Golden Globes, where the film received a consolation prize for box office achievement rather than winning Best Comedy or Musical. The film's critique of corporate culture clashed with its major studio production status, leading to divided opinions on whether it was subversive or inherently corporate.
The Oscars' recent trend of overlooking directors of big commercial movies was evident, but Barbie stood out for its cultural resonance and freshness. The film's overt social message, conveyed through America Ferrera's character, resonated with audiences. Ferrera received a supporting actress nomination for her passionate monologue about societal expectations on women.
However, the film's financial success might have played a role in its dismissal by Oscar voters. The nuanced and subtle performances by Robbie and Gerwig may not have been as easily appreciated as Ferrera's direct approach. Robbie's character's awakening to the contradictions faced by women under patriarchy was delivered with a light tone, reflecting the film's ability to balance social commentary with humor.
Despite Gerwig and Robbie being nominated as producers, their adept portrayal of the dissonance inherent in women's experiences might have contributed to their surprising Oscar snubs. The complexities of societal expectations, financial success, and industry biases converged to overshadow the innovative and culturally relevant aspects of the Barbie movie, leaving its key contributors overlooked in the nominations.
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