Obviously, this is not Christopher Nolan’s first go-round with releasing a movie opposite what is deemed a girl-focused film. The Dark Knight came out on the same day as Mamma Mia in 2008. The Dark Mamma was the precursor to the joy of Barbie/Oppenheimer day. (Yes, I know that Dark Mamma was not to this level, but it is funny that this has happened to Nolan twice.) July 21, or more accurately the Thursday screenings of both films, will go down in history as the greatest double feature in movie theater history. And for good reason.
Surprisingly, these movies pair well together, so completing the true double feature of Greta Gerwig’s Barbie and Nolan’s Oppenheimer is easier than you’d probably expect. The problem is figuring out the right order. I had seen both Barbie and Oppenheimer prior to this day for my reviews, so I knew going in that the order I had was correct, but I was also forced into a Barbie first, Oppenheimer second setup because there were no later screenings of Barbie to pair with the Oppenheimer IMAX screening that I had tickets for.
So, I am here to say that this is, in fact, the correct order if you want to survive the Barbenheimer double feature adventure, especially because Oppenheimer isn’t the kind of movie you can just walk away from. Let’s talk about why each works in this order and why it’s the way to go if you want to live the Barbenheimer life and be in the right place, mentally, afterward.
Barbie first
Barbie might seem like the “happier” choice of the two, but the reality is that this movie emotionally wrecked me in a surprising way. With Oppenheimer, you know going in that it’s going to be heavy, but with Barbie, it seems like a fun look at the IP that Mattel built. Instead, you’re left crying throughout the entire film and emotionally wrecked because of the message that Gerwig and Noah Baumbach put into the script.
Still, yes, technically, Barbie happens to be a lot lighter in tone, which does feel like it would make for a great “dessert” to the main course of Oppenheimer. The reality of that situation is that Oppenheimer is more of like a seven-layer chocolate cake to Barbie‘s margarita dinner. You can thrive with your margaritas and your fun dinner with friends, but when it comes to the cake, you have to take it bite by bite.
That’s where this double feature really shines, in letting yourself have the fun dinner of Barbie before heading into the heavy dessert of Oppenheimer.
Oppenheimer second
The simple reality is that you cannot see this movie and just move on. You have to sit with it. The final moments of Oppenheimer really punch you in the gut. Sitting with that is very important to understanding the movie as a whole. Running almost instantly to go see Barbie takes away from that message.
While Barbie’s message is littered throughout its runtime and you can feel those emotions the entire time, Oppenheimer very much punches you at the very end and leaves you with a heavy thought. Seeing it second lets you have that time to process and think about both films without them detracting from one another. So, if you are going to experience the magic of the double feature as I did, my suggestion is this: Barbie for dinner and Oppenheimer for your heavy dessert.
(featured image: Warner Bros./Universal Pictures)
