In his latest Oscar forecast, THR’s Scott Feinberg is predicting that Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” will win Best Picture. Madness!
I was under the impression that the race was down to three movies: “Oppenheimer,” “Killers of the Flower Moon” and “Poor Things” …
If you thought that last year’s EEAAO win was the death of Oscar, then just imagine “Barbie” winning. Feinberg is one of the well-seasoned Oscar pundits out there, continuously speaking to voters — it’s his bread and butter. He’s not bluffing here.
“Barbie” will be damn-near impossible to avoid this awards season, so get used to it. It has its legions of fans, including critics, and I can easily see it getting a slew of nominations, including for Best Picture, Director, Actress, Supporting Actor, Screenplay, Makeup and other categories.
However, can any serious-minded voter actually say, with a straight face, that “Barbie” was the best film they saw all year? 2023 has had a strong batch of titles, and, although “Barbie” is the most popular blockbuster of the year, it’s, as Amy Taubin so eloquently put it, “a movie about a f*cking doll!”
Part of the reasoning behind a potential “Barbie” win could be seen as the industry patting itself on the back for producing such a mega-hit, and it was indeed the most popular film of the year. There’s no doubting that. The critics were also on-board.
“Barbie,” with its subversive themes, is still one big fat marketing machine. It was meant to sell dolls.
I don’t know, I just don’t see it happening, but, if recent Oscar wins are any indication, a “Barbie” win is not something that should be written off either. The token Oscar voter has changed. These last few years, there have been some heavy changes within the Academy, including the addition of a “hipper” batch of voters. This could play to Barbie’s advantage.