Ah the Double Feature, a classic Hollywood tradition as timeless and revered as Smell-O-Vision. Back in the day major Hollywood studios would utilize double features as a way to get more of their films shown in a theater and make a profit, particularly from the theater itself through “block booking” which required the theater to purchase a studio’s “B-movie” in order to showcase their “A-movie.” Naturally the U.S. Supreme Court shut that down and the double features declined as a result.

But that didn’t stop filmmakers and studios from keeping this dying tradition alive; though not anymore common every now and then a double feature would make its way to theaters to challenge the audience’s willpower and bladders. This year, the stars have aligned as we are blessed with another double feature, but this double feature could not be any more special as it was not only intentional, but also features two very tonally different films: the light-hearted and very pink Barbie and the heavy and somber Oppenheimer (interesting enough though they both feature a protagonist in the mist of an existential crisis).

And keeping to the spirit of #HashtagBarbenheimer, I’m going to put both reviews in one page for your convenience. Here are my thoughts on this double feature of the gods:

Review #1: Barbie

First up is Barbie from director Greta Gerwig. I’ve been really digging Gerwig’s films lately; she made her directorial debut with Lady Bird and also made 2019’s Little Women adaptation which made my Top 10 list of that year. Barbie continues Gerwig’s hot streak and proves to be a fun and meaningful deconstruction of the iconic doll.

Written by Gerwig and her partner Noah Baumbach who also wrote/directed 2019’s Marriage Story (another film that made my Top 10 list), the film’s script is not only really funny and heartfelt at times, it’s also got quite a lot to say regarding its multiple messages of feminism and Barbie’s impact on society for better or worse, and I can see this message turning off a certain group of people right away. The film does get incredibly heavy handed with its message and drags the film as a result, especially near the last act. The film also features a ginormous cast and a few names overstay their welcome a tad bit, particularly Will Ferrell’s character.

But despite the bloat, the film otherwise shines in a lot of areas. The production design for one is absolutely fantastic; they really nailed every detail you’d see in a Barbie Dreamhouse, made even more beautiful by DP Rodrigo Prieto’s cinematography. The love and attention to Barbie lore is also reflected in the film’s costumes and characters that are packed with Easter eggs for diehard Barb-heads. While the cast is unnecessarily massive, to Gerwig’s credit there wasn’t a single bad performance to be had among them; Margot Robbie nails the vanilla Barbie astonishingly well, America Ferrera was also a surprising standout in this film delivering a beefy monologue with grace near the last act of the film, and Ryan Gosling arguably gives the performance of a lifetime as Ken.

Overall this was a solid, aesthetically pleasing film with a lot to say about our current society, even if what it has to say is about as subtle as an elephant in a dollhouse. Gerwig recently made clear her ambitions to branch out into making big Hollywood films and not just be limited to smaller scale films, and with Barbie she demonstrated she can still let her personality shine through a big Hollywood studio production. This was a very fun watch and I for one can’t wait to check it out again.

Final Verdict: 8/10

Review #2: Oppenheimer

Next up is Oppenheimer, the latest cinematic epic from director Christopher Nolan. Easily one of the most widely known auteurs among audiences and “film-bros”, Nolan for me however is a little hit-or-miss. Sometimes you’ll get these high-concept experiences from Nolan such as Memento, The Dark Knight, or Inception just to name a few, but lately Nolan had a couple misfires in the form of (the frankly overrated) Interstellar, The Dark Knight Rises, and Tenet.

Oppenheimer thankfully is not one of those misfires; this is a return to form from Chris Nolan and arguably one of his best films I’ve seen in a long time.

Nolan is a huge advocate of making movies with celluloid film and shot this movie with both IMAX 65mm and large format 65mm film. Needless to say, the images this film provides is astonishing to look at; I love the deeper colors and contrast from the celluloid film, and all of it was shot beautifully by DP Hoyte van Hoytema. This film was definitely crafted to be the cinematic IMAX experience of the year, and the score by Ludwig Göransson and sound design is not only incredible to listen to, but also for once properly leveled in a Nolan movie.

Like Barbie, this film also features a ridiculously massive cast, but thankfully no one here overstays their welcome. Cillian Murphy as the title character was fantastic to watch; Murphy encapsulates Oppenheimer’s existential dread of the future of atomic weapons brilliantly through his nuanced performance. Robert Downey Jr. in this film is not only a refreshing change of pace from his years as Iron Man, it’s also one of the best performances I’ve seen all year and definitely one of the better performances I’ve seen from him personally. Some other notable stand-outs in this film include Emily Blunt, Florence Pugh, and Benny Safdie who all were terrific to watch.

Now the big issue I see with Nolan as a director is his clear favoritism in his films for high-concept ideas over meaningful characterization. This is a common re-occurrence in most if not all of Nolan’s films, and unfortunately it’s an issue with this film as well. Oppenheimer is definitely one of the more interesting Nolan protagonists we’ve seen in a while, but the film hardly delves into the psyche of the father of the Atomic Bomb and instead gives us a factual documentation of his life as the project manager of the Manhattan Project, giving us the what instead of the who. This regurgitation of facts over character gets especially tedious given the film’s stupendous THREE HOUR RUNTIME, which this film doesn’t fully justify.

Overall despite its flaws I commend Nolan for crafting this deeply engaging theatrical experience. I’ll definitely watch this film again in the future, and who knows? This film might get better with a second watch. But for now I’m glad I got to watch it and I highly recommend you check it out as well. Bravo Nolan, cinema is alive again.

Final Verdict: 8/10