Hammerle on… “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer”

“Barbie”

This is a brilliant film that serves as a commentary on the role of women in a man’s world. There is a reason why no female director before Greta Gerwig had a better box office first weekend.

To begin with, “Barbie” has Oscar nominations stamped all over it. First, the music and special effects have likely artistic recognition waiting in the wings. However, the outlandishly fun performances of Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling dominate the film.

Maybe the most beautiful actress working today, this film is icing on Robbie’s acting cake following her roles in “Bombshell” (2019), “Birds of Prey” (2020) and “Amsterdam” (2022). As for Gosling, his performance is every bit as creative as seen in “La La Land” (2016).

And while there are some great supporting performances, Kate McKinnon is funny beyond words as Weird Barbie, an ally of our stars. Her hair alone should get her a supporting actress nod.

Barbie and Ken live in the female-dominated world of Barbieland. Everything is artificial by design: Water doesn’t flow, food is not eaten and ocean waves don’t move. Afterall, they are adult dolls.

However, their lives turn upside down when they visit the real world.

Barbie discovers a world dominated by men. It is best represented by Will Ferrell, who leads an all-male board as the CEO of Mattel, the maker of the Barbie doll. He just wants her to return to her box so men can be relived of the turmoil she has created.

With the help of Gloria and her daughter, Sasha, memorably played by America Ferrera and Ariana Greenblatt, Barbie flees back to her treasured land. However, she is shocked to discover that Ken has reconstructed it as Kenland, where women have become second-class citizens.

In the process, the rest of the film centers on her attempt to throw the men overboard and reestablish Barbieland. Every scene will likely have you smiling as you suppress laughter.

There is a reason why conservative Republicans like Sen. Ted Cruz hate this film. For example, no woman has been president of our country, and they want to keep it that way. What is equally appalling is that Florida Gov. DeSantis wants all of us to remember how African Americans benefited from slavery.

Regardless of the criticism, this lovely film will touch your heart. Go buy some roller skates and pretend to blast down a street with the talented Robbie.

Then remember the ending (spoiler alert): Barbie is confronted by the spirit of Ruth Handler, the creator of the Barbie doll. Rhea Perlman, playing Handler, brings you close to tears as she comforts the human doll with legendary advice: “We mothers stand still so our daughters can look back to see how far they have come.” She then holds Barbie’s hand as she enters the land of the living as “Barbara.”

Now go buy a ticket!

“Oppenheimer”

Let me begin by saying that I saw this magnificent film with “Z,” our former Saudi exchange student visiting from his home in Riyadh. He is working on a master’s degree in Chicago.

We both were overwhelmed by the movie from beginning to end. Director Christopher Nolan tells the story of J. Robert Oppenheimer from his youth in the 1920s to his death in 1967. You watch his teaching experience that led to his appointment to the top-secret Manhattan Project, where the atomic bomb was produced and exploded at Los Alamos, New Mexico, on July 16, 1945.

Our country then dropped this bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, leading to the end of World War II. But when Russia developed its own nuclear bomb, Oppenheimer turned from hero to villain. You watch congressional hearings where his alleged connection to Communism resulted in the suspension of his security clearance.

It is hard to imagine that Cillian Murphy will be denied an Oscar for his stunning role as Oppenheimer. He was able to use a casual relationship with Albert Einstein (Tom Conti) to his advantage while his marriage to a boozy wife (Emily Blunt) survived his affair with a beautiful, disturbed woman (Florence Pugh) who committed suicide when he ended their relationship.

The film has some great supporting roles, but let me just point out Matt Damon as Gen. Leslie Groves and Robert Downey Jr. as Lewis Strauss. Damon’s Gen. Groves oversees Oppenheimer and the Los Alamos project, and his harsh, demanding approach is unforgettable. Ironically, Downey is unrecognizable as a government man whose role in Oppenheimer’s character assassination led to his own political destruction.

Despite my love of this movie, I wish that Nolan had substituted some of his lengthy scenes of Oppenheimer’s congressional interrogation and focused on the destruction in Japan caused by the two atomic bombs. Close to 200,000 Japanese civilians died, and that should not be forgotten.

Let me put it in Oppenheimer’s words when he witnessed the detonation at Los Alamos: “Now I am become death, the destroyer of worlds.”•

__________

Robert Hammerle practices criminal law in Indianapolis. When he is not in the courtroom or the office, Bob can likely be found at one of his favorite movie theaters preparing to review the latest films. To read more of his reviews, visit www.bigmouthbobs.com. Opinions expressed are those of the author.