‘Barbie’ Oscars snubs prompt a backlash, even from Ken (and Hillary)

BY JAKE COYLE

NEW YORK (AP) — “Barbie” was the biggest hit of 2023, the highest-grossing movie ever directed by a woman and a bona fide cultural sensation that turned movie theaters pink and left a still-going trail of think pieces in the wake of Greta Gerwig’s feminist fantasia.

But while “Barbie” received eight Academy Awards nominations on Tuesday, including best picture, it was easily bested by its unlikely double-feature partner at the box office, “Oppenheimer.” And when the Academy Awards passed over Gerwig for best director and Margot Robbie for best actress, many saw some of the same patriarchy parodied in “Barbie” at work.

Even Ken was furious.

“There is no Ken without Barbie, and there is no ‘Barbie’ movie without Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie, the two people most responsible for this history-making, globally celebrated film,” Ryan Gosling said. “No recognition would be possible for anyone on the