Marc Maron isn’t afraid to share his opinion on things. It is why, often, he’s a voice people turn to when they’re trying to see whether or not something is worth their time. Maron is a comedian known for his dry sense of humor, so when he shows genuine love and awe for something, it means it really resonated with him. The most recent movie to do that is seemingly Barbie. The film, directed by Greta Gerwig, has gotten a lot of pushback recently, mainly by men who feel upset by its very existence.
Much like the issue with Oppenheimer‘s criticism, any genuine critique of the film is being drowned out by those men who think a movie that is calling out the patriarchy is a decrying men in general. For Maron, it was perfect. “I saw Barbie and I thought it was a fucking masterpiece, and like, I don’t throw that word around lightly, but Jesus Christ,” he said via his own TikTok account. He went on to talk about his general thoughts on the film.
“It does a fairly amazing thing to create a sort of broad-based entertainment product that applies to the entire spectrum, I think, primarily of women, and then just seep it in progressive politics and basic feminism in a way that’s funny, informative, and well-executed in a context that is completely engaging, is fucking monumental.”
What really work for me in Maron’s take on Barbie are his comments about the men who took offense to the movie, mainly because Maron let them know that their actions were embarrassing, and by god did it make me love Marc Maron even more.
Men and their toys are fine but not women?
The issue for me with the men angry about Barbie stems from the fact that none of them used their brain cells. The movie itself calls out how the patriarchy is bad for everyone—universally bad, not just bad for women. Maron’s comments about the comedy aimed towards men are great because he also notes that it means those angry are insecure.
“And the comedy about men is inspired,” he said. “And the fact that certain men took offense … is so embarrassing for them. I mean, so embarrassing for them … what a bunch of insecure babies.” He went on to end his TikTok by saying, “It made me proud, somehow.”
Maron’s comments are not unique. Many of us think this way, but for a comedian to use his platform to praise a movie like Barbie and tell those manbabies crying about it how wrong they are? It is sadly important, not because we need men to validate what women are saying but because these crybaby men will listen to someone like Maron. They’re so rooted in their own ideas of the patriarchy that when a woman says something, they probably hear the teacher from Charlie Brown, but if Maron is saying the same thing, maybe they’ll realize that their fragile reactions are an embarrassment.
(via Pajiba, featured image: Warner Bros.)
