Blogging By Cinema-light

Wednesday, July 26, 2023

Barbie

Barbie's Arch Support ("It's $well!")
or

"Math is HARD! Let's Study Art as Social Commentary 101, Instead!"

When Greta Gerwig guested on NPR's "Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me!" she was asked this by the host, Peter Sagal: "Do you know—one of the things that happens, it seems, is that young, talented independent directors who make a successful movie on a low budget are immediately handed enormous Hollywood blockbusters. Have you picked yours?"

"Oh!" she gasped."A Hollywood blockbuster? No, I have not picked my blockbuster yet. But, when I do...get ready..."

And here it is, Barbie, written (with Noah Baumbach) and directed by Gerwig, that seems to want to carry a lot of agendas on its plastic-ly arched foot. After all, the Barbara Millicent Roberts or "Barbie doll" has been around since 1959, "the first aspirational doll for girls" (says Barbie historian MG Lord, author of "Forever Barbie: The Unauthorized Biography of a Real Doll") "with—I search for euphemisms—the body of a German sex-worker." Dolls were, to that point, mostly restricted to baby dolls—as the film wittily describes in its Kubrickian "Dawn of Barbie" prologue—relegating and regulating (grooming, shall we say?) the doll-owners to the role of motherhood which was what passed for ambition in a patriarchal society. But, Barbie changed all that, we are led to believe, because if Barbie could be anything (which she did after some entry level positions as a stewardess and such), women—monolithically—could also be anything. And have rad hair and clothes.

This is not much to base a movie on. And Barbie is, after all, merchandise. My prejudice—and I confess I went in prejudiced—was this: Barbie is as important to the art of cinema as the Transformers series is. As the recent Super Mario Brothers Movie is. As important as the Lego movies are. Bottom-line, it's the bottom-line: Selling product, and Barbie the movie will push kids pushing parents into the toy-aisles at far greater numbers then before its premiere.

Okay, it may do the latter, of course, but on the first point: Gerwig completely surprised me and up-ends the merchandising aspects. I knew she would not leave it at face value. I knew that there would be a satiric thrust to it ("Barbie now with 'satiric thrust' action!"), but, it could go in so many ways, one was hard-pressed to know what aspect of the Barbie-phenomenon it would choose to skewer (with the permission of the Mattel ™ and © owners, of course!).

I just didn't think it would satiric to the point of seditious, which I must confess warmed my guiltily paternalistic, capitalist-suspicious heart.

Narrator Helen Mirren explains things to us as she relates the relationship between the Real World and the Barbie Merchi-verse. In a sequence that compares to the morning rituals of Pee-Wee's Big Adventure, Barbie (Margot Robbie) wakes up perfectly in her Dream-House, takes a shower (there's no water, of course, as Dream-Houses didn't), mimes brushing her teeth, has a plasticized breakfast, dresses, and floats down to her car as if being carried by an invisible hand, to greet the day and the many varying Barbies, Skippers and Midge (the discontinued pregnant one), before spending the day at The Beach, where she plays with her friends, under the ever-watchful, ever-worshipful gaze of Ken (Ryan Gosling, in a lighter mood than of late), who, as they say, covets. He has no idea why as he's a toy and has no chromosomes or hormones.

After another in a perpetual string of "girls' nights", Barbie starts noticing that things aren't so perfect: she wakes up with morning breath, the water that still doesn't come out of the shower is cold, the plastic breakfast is burned, and when she steps off her balcony to get to her car, she lands with a splat. No broken parts or joints, but when she gets to the beach, things get really "off the shelf"--taking off her high heels, instead of remaining walking on tippy-toes, her HEELS touch the ground...she has FLAT FEET!

What is happening? Barbie is supposedly perfect—she is, self-admittedly, "the original stereotypical Barbie"—and suddenly things are going wrong—"I feel sad, and mushy, and complicated"—and she even has thoughts about death. The other Barbies (and Kens) are totally grossed-out (totally!) and advise Barbie to go visit "Weird Barbie" (Kate McKinnon)—she's the one that was played with a little too hard and a little too long—because she's seen things...and she might know what is happening to our doll.

She does, of course, speculating that somehow a portal has opened up between Barbieland and the Real World*, and it has (no doubt) been caused by the Real World person playing with this Barbie, after all, "it takes two to rip a portal." Truer words were never said.

She sends Barbie on a mission to the Real World to find the little girl playing with her and existence as she knows it, and fix the rift, while also being showered with thanks by all those women who owe their wonderful lives to Barbie.

Oh, dear, this will not go well. And, she is figuratively and literally in for a world of hurt. To make matters worse, Ken has stowed-away in Barbie's C4 Barbie Corvette for the trip, although he doesn't know why, just that he has to, despite the fact that she is capable and talented and pretty enough to handle the assignment on her own. "You'll just slow me down!" she yells at Ken, without even bothering to mention that he might cause her to "settle" and derail a budding career in just about anything you can imagine for domestic bliss. Barbie's, after all, live in their own little world of accomplishment—and the movie makes the point that they don't even know where the Kens live.

But, it's a different story in The Real World, where men rule everything, can be anything they want—and women can be anything they want...at 60% the pay, and the thermostats in offices are always set for men's comfort, not women's. There's no day-care, and no parental leave, and, heck, women don't even have control of their own bodies in the eyes of the legal system, and heck, it's like they're just dolls whose job it is to please no matter the mood, and have no agency...and wait a minute, Barbie really IS in the real world!

Okay. Enough of the scenario, you might know where this is going. It's a polemic on the aspirational aspects of Barbie's play-world and the ways it differs from the reality into which those playing children will grow up. It's a satire with one eye on the world of imagination and potential and what happens when play-time is over and responsibility and irresponsibility go hand-in-fist, and life is a lot less fun. Just as hedonistic and materialistic, sure, but a lot less fun.

Credit Gerwig and Baumbach for threading the needle to make this laugh-out-loud funny and entertaining, while also making it smart, and almost too smart. There's a lot of talk of existential crises, depression-era Barbies, and prescient flashbacks ("Remember 'Proust Barbie?' Didn't sell well!") that are going to sail right over kids' heads (and some adults'), but hits a lot of sophisticated points. It tells you the Barbie movie is more aspirational in its own goals than your standard kids' movie that gets by with Saturday morning "don't be mean" social lessons. Here, it skewers stereotypical patriarchy and male egotism--which will make some adults and Ron DeSantis squirm--but, the kids will like the bright colors and the fashions and the sparkling gayness of it all (which will also make DeSantis squirm) while the parents worry about questions they'll be asked later ("I'll tell ya when yer older!").

Hey, parents, be glad there's no mention of "Barbie-heads"!

In the same way that "Rocky and Bullwinkle" skewered the Cold War 1960's while mixing in the most childish of jokes, Barbie treads (on tippy-toes!) the highly-charged issues of gender inequities and sexual politics in our "Old Man" Society, and doing it cheekily, with the knowledge that by aiming high, the kids will eventually catch up while giving the oldsters something to chew on during the ride home. Anyone wondering what audience the filmmakers were aiming for can be answered with the simple "Everyone...eventually."

And in so doing, it gives one more aspiration for little girls to fantasize about becoming: block-busting director.

Billie Eilish and Finneas do the final credits song and once again nail it.

Somehow...after the movie, that wink seems a lot more conspiratorial....

* I would point out that there is a natural barrier between Barbie-land and The Real World called the "checkout counter"...with uniformed guards!...but that would only complicate things in an already complicated scenario,

Sunday, July 23, 2023

Don't Make a Scene: Air (2023)

The Story: First off, I apologize if today's scene is difficult to get through. There are a lot of deletions and additions in the script portion that will make a cursory look at this post almost impossible.

But, I think it's worth it. This speech, the emotional high-point of Ben Affleck's 2023 film of Air—a film I highly recommend, both for its entertainment value and for the artistry involved in its creation—went to my highest priority list of "Scenes" I wanted to put "out there" on this blog, and I realized it even as it was playing before me in the theater (I'm sorry that so many of you missed it—but then, The Super Mario Bros. Movie opened that weekend too). This is a great scene, not only because it's well-written, speaks truth, but also because it haunts. "I'm going to look you in the eyes," says Nike marketing exec and talent scout Sonny Vaccarro to prospective endorser Michael Jordan, "and tell you the future." And then does.

And while he tells Jordan the generic "predictable pattern" of fame that happens "again and again and again" the highlights and low-lights of Jordan's career are inter-cut into the scene.

That's in the script by Alex Convery—the ~~strikeouts~~ and green additions are from the simplifying and polishing (and, let's face it, "dumbing down"—audiences would have zoned out at the emphasis on "contexts") done by Affleck and co-writer Matt Damon, who is also the actor delivering the lines. But, Convery wrote the scene and the strategy behind the scene, and it was important for me to show that in the simplest way possible...by showing the scene as it was actually written (but also acknowledging the work done to make it the best scene it could possibly be).

It's important for you to see that. There's a Writer's Strike going on right now (it's why the networks have a steady diet of game-shows on their schedules). None of the movie-images that swipe across your eyes happen in a vacuum (not even the ones from bad movies). They must be conjured, tapped out, and committed to format before anything can happen. And it's the Shock and Awe of those words that get the adrenaline going and the money flowing in the movie-making factories around the world.

If it doesn't happen, we get game shows, and that's never made anything good. Except for Slumdog Millionaire. Oh. And Quiz Show.

So, here's Convery's script of the scene and I've deleted what was deleted (but you can still read through the ~~strikeouts~~) and the words that were added, ad-libbed, or changed.

Jordan didn't co-operate with the film, other than to say "you can do it, but leave me out"—in fact, Jordan is treated the way Christ is in some religious epics, as a shadowy figure, a presence, but never the focus, we see people react to him—and had only two stipulations. He did say that he wanted Viola Davis to play his mother and that the story should include Howard White, who is currently the Vice President of Jordan Brand Affairs and had been there when Jordan was first approached by Nike (he'd been left out of the script). Viola Davis' husband, Julius Tennon, played Jordans' father, James—his future is part of the story, too.

Hope you enjoy.

The Set-Up: Nike marketing executive Sonny Vaccarro (Matt Damon) is a gambler. But, he rarely goes "all in"—except on the job. This time, an uninspired roster of possible Nike endorsers from the NBA has him upping his game. He wants Michael Jordan, who is looking to endorse another shoe brand. But, Sonny thinks he can get him...if they play their cards right. It's worked to the point where the Jordan family (Viola Davis, Julius Tennon and a mostly unseen Damian Delano Young) have agreed to fly to Nike headquarters in Portland, Oregon to meet with CEO Phil Knight (Ben Affleck) and executives Rob Strasser (Jason Bateman) and Howard White (Chris Tucker), and they've gotten to the lackluster highlight reel, when Sonny decides to "go for broke" just one more time.

Action.

The lights dim. The projector boots up.

And on the screen...

A highlight tape of Jordan’s UNC highlights set to the Pointer Sisters "JUMP".

Sonny watches the Jordan family closely.

Examining their faces for any sign or hint.

And it’s clear to him. They look bored.

They don’t look impressed.

Sonny looks around.

At Strasser. At Phil.

We see it in his eyes. He needs to do something.

SONNY ~~Hey. Hey. Shut the video off~~. I'm sorry.

SONNY Turn it off.

Everyone at the table starts to look around. What the hell is going on?

SONNY Rob...turn it off, please?

SONNY Just turn it off...

PHIL KNIGHT Sonny...Sonny (what the fuck are you doing?)...

Sonny stands up. The video abruptly halts.

SONNY (CONT'D) Hold on. Forget all this. Forget where we are. Forget Nike.

PHIL KNIGHT ~~Sonny..~~.

SONNY Let’s stop with the bullshit.

Sonny looks right at Jordan.

SONNY (CONT'D) Listen. Forget about the shoes.

SONNY Forget about the money. You’re going to make ~~so much~~

SONNY ...enough money that it’s not going to matter. ~~You’ll never want again~~.

SONNY Money can buy you almost anything...

SONNY but it can’t buy you immortality. That... you have to earn.

Sonny stares Michael Jordan right in the eye. He’s not scared.
SONNY (CONT'D) I’m going to look you in the eyes and tell you the future.

INTERCUT YOUNG MICHAEL PLAYING - HIGH SCHOOL AND COLLEGE

SONNY (CONT'D) You were cut from your high school basketball...

SONNY ...team.

SONNY Willed your way to the NBA. You’re going to win championships.
SONNY It’s an American...

SONNY ...story. And that’s why America will love it.

INTERCUT FLASHES OF THE FUTURE: The Michael Jordan we all know. Skinny as a rookie, streaking down the court in iconic Bulls red.

SONNY (CONT'D) People are going to build you up,

SONNY ...god are they going to.

SONNY Because when you’re great...and new... We love you.

SONNY Man, we build you up into...

SONNY ...something that doesn’t even exist. ~~The entire nation is going to say they want to be like a black man from rural North Carolina~~.

SONNY You’re going to change the ~~god damn~~ fucking world.

Battles with the Bad Boy Pistons. Isaiah Thomas. Heartbreak.

The first title. Beating Magic Johnson. Sobbing with the Larry O’Brien Trophy.

SONNY (CONT'D) But you know what? ~~When~~ Once they’ve built you as high as they possibly can... they’re going to tear you back down. ~~They’re going to say, alright let’s find out what’s wrong with you~~.

SONNY It’s the most ~~cyclical~~ predictable pattern ~~with fame~~,

SONNY ...we build you into something that doesn’t exist

SONNY ...and that means you have to try and BE that thing. ~~until we find your flaws and then we rip you to shreds~~.

SONNY All day.

SONNY Every day.

The death of his father. Found murdered in a car. His retirement from Basketball. Taking hacks in the minors with the White Sox. Jordan rides the bus.

SONNY (CONT'D) ~~This person that we built into God isn’t a God, and that makes us feel better about ourselves, because we’re not Gods.~~ Because that’s how it works. And we do it again and again and again. ~~We can’t help but fall in love, we pretend it’s something that it isn’t, because we’re flawed.~~

Coming out of retirement. The “I’m back” press release. The second three-peat. Hitting the final shot of his Bulls career. The leap. The fist pump.

SONNY And I'm going to tell you the truth.

SONNY You are going to be attacked,

SONNY betrayed,

SONNY exposed,

SONNY and humiliated.

SONNY And you'll survive that.

SONNY A lot of people can climb that mountain.

SONNY It's the way down that breaks them.

SONNY Cuz that's the...

SONNY ...moment when you are truly...

SONNY ...alone.

SONNY And what will you do then? Can you summon the will to fight...

SONNY ...on. Through all the pain.

SONNY and rise...

SONNY ...again. Who are you, Michael?

SONNY That will be the defining question of your life.

SONNY And I think you already know the answer. And that's why we're all here.

SONNY (CONT'D) A shoe is just a shoe until somebody steps into it ~~wears it~~. Context is everything. Boring running shoe right? What if I told you it was the shoe that took the gold medal? Changes everything. Context is everything. All we’re doing is providing that context from the start.

SONNY Then it has meaning.

SONNY The rest of us just want a chance to touch...

SONNY ...that greatness.

SONNY And we need you in these shoes not...

SONNY ...so you have meaning in your life, but so we have meaning in ours.

SONNY A shoe that serves as a method of expression. A converse will always just be a converse. Your name isn’t on it. Yeah, you could be mentioned in the same sentence as Magic and Bird. But you know what’s better than that? (off MJ)

SONNY (CONT'D) ~~Being mentioned all on your own. A tier of one. We’re going to NAME the shoe after you. No one else has that. No one. Not Magic. Not Bird~~.