While Barbie seems to have captured the public’s imagination, drawing big box office numbers over its opening weekend, not everyone has been quite as taken with Greta Gerwig’s blockbuster.
As one might expect, men on the internet have been apoplectic with rage at the film with its day-glow pink hues and Bechdel test-passing script.
Comedy writer @TechnicallyRon (real name Aaron Gillies) had the great idea to take the impotent rage of disgruntled misogynists and flip it to create mock posters for the film. It would make for a very interesting departure for movie marketing campaigns if someone, somewhere were to do it for real.
I took 1 star reviews of #Barbie from furious men on letterboxd and put them on the posters because it makes the film seem ever cooler. pic.twitter.com/V4YzmnB8bj
— TechnicallyRon (@TechnicallyRon) July 23, 2023
One user wrote:
“An alienating, dangerous and perverse film.”
Another wrote:
“The feminist agenda will kill us all.”
One wrote:
“A pink acid trip that feels like being slapped by lots of confusingly attractive people.”
Though, that last one doesn’t sound too bad to us.
While these four men are particularly angry about Barbie, it has not been universally well-received by moviegoers.
One user on IMDB wrote:
“Barbie is everything expected of it and so much more, a self-aware and meta-comedy made for fans and newcomers alike that’s also incredibly profound, layered and really funny.”
Another said that it was a “colourful love letter to humankind” and scored it a perfect 10.
But, another, scoring it four out of 10 said that “the marketing was more entertaining than the actual movie” and that “as much as it succeeds at campy comedy and musical numbers, its attempts at feminist commentary and existentialism fall flat.”
Zing.
Of course, the marketing for Barbie has been a triumph. Activations around the world, including in Sydney’s ironic Bondi Icebergs brought real-world hype to a very online campaign and helped convince fans to don the pink cowboy hat and dress before heading into see it.
