Noah Baumbach and Greta Gerwig respond to “anti-man” criticism regarding ‘Barbie’

Filmmakers Noah Baumbach (White Noise) and Greta Gerwig (Ladybird) have addressed the backlash surrounding Barbie claiming it to be an “anti-man” movie.

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The married couple co-wrote and co-created Barbie, which was released in July 2023 and stars Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling.

Making more than $1billion at the box office and receiving critical acclaim for its story of the female experience, sexism, misogyny and empowerment among women, it quickly became one of the most talked-about films of the decade.

However, it did receive some backlash, with some arguing that it was highly cynical, critical and demeaning of men, with Gosling’s character, Ken, seemingly spending his existence trying to impress Barbie, played by Robbie.

In an interview with 60 Minutes, via CBS News, Baumbach and Gerwig discuss the criticism. When asked about the response by some viewers that the movie is “anti-man”, the Marriage Story director said: “I felt men could take it, I mean come on.”

Barbie’s director and co-writer Gerwig also weighed in saying: “The movie is meant to be a big-hearted thing, even though it’s poking fun at everyone.”

The Little Women director also defended Gosling’s character saying: “I mean this sounds so silly to say out loud but I love Ken. We love Ken. We also take Ken’s position quite seriously.”

In a four-star review, NME applauded Gerwig’s handling of the more sensitive issues in the film, including outdated beauty ideals and “unrealistic body conformism”.

The review read: “Gerwig is clever enough to deliver these with self-awareness and some sarcastic jokes (Mirren thanking Barbie for ending misogyny is a highlight), meaning the balance between reality and commercial is never lost.”

In late October, Baumbach revealed his initial thoughts on the Barbie script, sharing that at first, he thought it was a “terrible idea”.

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