There are always Oscar snubs. But this one is striking the media as particularly egregious: Greta Gerwig wasn’t nominated for best director for Barbie — a film that was not only the biggest hit of the year and helped to bring moviegoers back to cinema with the success of “Barbenheimer,” but was also nominated for best picture, and, by any measure, was a very tricky project to pull off. In addition, Barbie star Margot Robbie was snubbed for best actress, while Ryan Gosling and America Ferrera were nominated for supporting.
People have thoughts.
“Both Gerwig and Robbie ignored…it’s still so easy for Hollywood to overlook and discount artistic contributions of women – EVEN WHEN ITS THE POINT OF THE YEAR’S BIGGEST MOVIE!” wrote MSNBC host Jennifer Palmieri. “My God. It was nominated for best picture. Didn’t direct itself, friends!”
“The joke I made to my wife walking out of BARBIE: “Watch Gosling get nominated and Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie get shut out” …just happened,” wrote sports host Joey Wright. “The Academy needs a REAL man in the mirror moment because the whole idea and premise of Barbie completely flew over their heads.”
“Greta Gerwig’s omission is crazily wrong,” wrote author Kurt Andersen. “Could’ve easily been in place of Scorsese, nominated for a film that isn’t even one of his own ten best.”
“Greta Gerwig snubbed for Best Director?” wrote TV host Julie Stewart-Binks. “How is this even possible? Margot Robbie not nominated, but Ryan Gosling is? Did anyone even understand the plot of the highest grossing movie of all-time?”
“After Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie made a film about patriarchy that generated a billion dollars for Hollywood, the man in the film got nominated for a major award and I’m honestly not sure what I expected,” wrote columnist Brandon Friedman.
While some right wingers seemed to celebrate the snubs. UK columnist Eilis O’Hanlon wrote, “That Ryan Gosling was nominated for #BarbieMovie at the Oscars, but not Margot Robbie, actually confirms what many people who watched the film spotted at the time – the film is really about Ken, it’s his story. Blame Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach for it, not the Academy!” And British podcaster Connor Tomlinson wrote, “Kenergy claims its final victory over Feminism.”
If Barbie wins best picture, of course, Gerwig and Robbie would take home Oscars as producers on the film.
Gerwig was also nominated for best adapted screenplay with co-writer Noah Baumbach, though that’s received criticism, too. Many felt the Barbie script should be categorized as an original screenplay, as Barbie is “adapted” only so much as, yes, the dolls exist.
Gerwig’s directing snub comes after a year where women were completely shut out in the category. Anatomy of a Fall helmer Justine Triet earned the sole female directing nod this year. Also of note this year: For the first time in Academy history, three of the 10 movies nominated for best picture (Anatomy of a Fall, Past Lives and Barbie) were helmed by a woman.
And as The Hollywood Reporter‘s executive editor of awards coverage Scott Feinberg noted in his nominations analysis Tuesday morning, the shocking snubs for both Gerwig and Robbie could end up jolting the best picture race by fueling its prospects in the coveted category.
Here are the complete list of this year’s Oscar nominees.
