Leave it to Werner Herzog to give us his own unique take on Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie.” When asked by Piers Morgan about “Barbie,” the legendary filmmaker of “Aguirre” and “Firzcarraldo” admitted that he only screened the first half hour of Gerwig’s film, but that it felt like the gates of the netherworld had opened up while he was watching it:
I have not seen “Oppenheimer” yet, but with “Barbie” I managed to see the first half hour. I wanted to watch it because I was curious, and I still don’t have an answer, but I have a suspicion. Could it be that the that the world of “Barbie” is sheer hell? As for a movie ticket, as an audience, you can witness sheer hell as close as it gets
It’s delightful just thinking about Herzog sitting in his living room and watching “Barbie,” the reaction on his face must have been priceless. Truth be told, he only say 30 minutes of the film, which means he missed key moments such as America Ferrera’s blistering monologue about womanhood, “I’m Just Ken” and Barbie going to her first Gynecologist appointment.
There has definitely been pushback from some filmmakers about “Barbie” — directors like Ruben Ostlund, John Carpenter, and Kelly Reichardt were left perplexed by the film. “Barbie” does, however, definitely have its fair share of admirers, including Paul Schrader and Scott Derrickson. We’re also not sure in which camp Oliver Stone falls into.