She is everything. It is Death, the destroyer of worlds. It’s Mattel. It’s the Manhattan Project.
The summer blockbuster from directors Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach Barbie (2023) is set to hit theaters on July 21, the same day as Christopher Nolan’s long-awaited film Oppenheimer (2023), a film about the development of the atomic bomb. Plenty of theaters across the country are showing these polar opposite films back to back, and the notion of a double feature throws the internet into utter chaos. So what better way to cope than a deluge of absurdly dark memes?
In the weeks leading up to the opening of the blockbuster double, people are bracing themselves for the emotional wreckage that will no doubt besiege them at the confluence of these films. Notably, Christopher Nolan said Wired journalists that some of the first viewers of Oppenheimer (2023) “left the movie absolutely devastated”, which is, you know, super uplifting hear.
those who see Oppenheimer (2023) before Barbie (2023) call the mash-up “Oppenbarbie”, and those who get it wrong and see the movies in reverse order call it “Barbieheimer”.
Like many others on the internet, I have strong opinions about how viewers should spend the day. The following meme is giving “No sleep. Bus. Club. Another club. Another club. Airplane. Next place. No sleep”:
The pairing of the two films has led some to make some interesting observations about real-world phenomena that might fit the Barbie-Oppenheimer theme – like this pair of surreal houses:
…Or that strange pink cloud that is either another dangerous “gender reveal” or (hopefully) an amazing publicity stunt by the Barbie (2023) marketing team:
Speaking of Barbie (2023) marketing team, can we just take a moment to appreciate this bubble gum pink Xbox console? I myself was a Wii stan growing up, but even this video game setup would have me begging my mom to drive me to the nearest Toys-R-Us. (RIP!)
Of course, it wouldn’t be a good roundup of memes if I didn’t include this spot-on. Sopranos reference:
If New Jersey Italian Mafia jokes aren’t your thing, maybe this Avril Lavigne meme is. Can I make it more obvious?
But whether you decide to see Barbie (2023) then Oppenheimer (2023), or Oppenheimer (2023) then Barbie (2023), just remember David Lynch did it first.
If you can barely wait to watch a three-hour movie about the atomic bomb and then a two-hour movie about Barbie in the real world, you’ll be happy to know that tickets to see both films in theaters are already available. on line. Good viewing and good luck!
