It’s no secret that Barbie was a wild success, making a ton of money at the box office, inspiring the Barbenheimer movement, and eliciting a strong emotional reaction from audiences. With Awards Season upon us, all eyes are on how many trophies the acclaimed comedy will snatch. The Golden Globe winners included Barbie, and the movie was also among the 2024 Oscar nominees. But after all that, why TF did Greta Gerwig get snubbed for the Best Director category?
There’s no arguing that the Barbie movie was Gerwig’s brain child, as she directed the film, and also wrote the script alongside husband/creative partner Noah Baumbach. While she and Baumbach got nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay, Greta Gerwig was noticeably snubbed for Best Director. And I doubt I’m the only one confused about this.
Sadly, this seems to be a trend for the acclaimed filmmaker. Her previous film Little Women was nominated for six 2020 Oscar nominations, but unfortunately Gerwig was similarly snubbed for Best Director back then. Both movies got a Best Picture nom, which makes her snub all the more confusing. If the films are one of the year’s best, then why not recognize the woman behind the camera?
While moviegoers are scrambling to figure out how to watch the Best Picture nominations, Barbie is a title that most people went to theater to see during its run. Luckily for those who missed it, the comedy is also streaming with a Max subscription. And smart money says plenty of fans are going to re-watch Barbie to try and figure out how TF Greta Gerwig could possibly have been snubbed for the Best Director category.
The Barbie movie was universally acclaimed upon its release, including CinemaBlend’s own Barbie review. Plenty of moviegoers really identified with America Ferrera’s monologue in particular, resulting in her getting a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nom.
Gerwig getting snubbed again for Best Director is sure to turn heads, especially given the discourse surrounding the Oscars over the last few years. The industry has been calling for more representation behind and in front of the camera, after hashtags like #OscarsSoWhite went viral. It’s very common for all of the Directors in the category to be men. That didn’t happen this year, as Anatomy of a Fall filmmaker Justine Triet was recognized with a Best Director nom.
Regardless of Gerwig’s latest snub from the Film Academy, you can’t take away what an impact Barbie had on both the box office as well as individual audience members. The movie has remained part of the pop culture lexicon in the months since its release in theaters. We’ll just have to wait and see if the movie manages to take home any Oscars.
Barbie is streaming now on Max, and the Academy Awards will air March 10th on ABC. Check out the 2024 movie release dates to plan your next trip to the theater.
