The 2024 Oscar nominations have been released, and with them has come a wave of disapproval from many people. The biggest shock for many people came when ‘Barbie’ actress Margot Robbie was excluded from the Best Actress nominations along with director Greta Gerwig being left out of Best Director nominations.
Over the summer, two films were dominating the box office and taking over the world. ‘Barbie’ and ‘Oppenheimer’ went head to head at the box office, with ‘Barbie’ coming out on top, grossing over 1.4 billion dollars. However, the Academy Awards nomination scene has been different. Barbie received eight nominations, while ‘Oppenheimer’ led the nominations with a whopping 13.
Many people expressed disappointment in the nomination, with people such as Hillary Clinton even showing how she felt. “While it can sting to win the box office but not take home the gold, your millions of fans love you. You’re both so much more than Kenough,” said even the film’s own Ryan Gosling. “But 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.”
However, not all people had a problem or were even surprised by this result. “There are no snubs,” said ex-Academy Board member Whoopi Goldberg. “Not everybody gets a prize,” she continued. “The movies you love may not be loved by the people who are voting.”
One of the main things that has been noticed is the irony in the whole situation. The movie focuses on empowering women and the flaws within the patriarchy, yet the female star and female director did not get a nomination, while Robbie’s male counterpart did. “I think it is total irony that Ryan Gosling was nominated for a movie that’s about women’s rights and empowerment, excluding the strong female lead in the movie,” said Anna Bacon, Hellgate English teacher. “However, I don’t necessarily think that it means that Margo Robbie and Greta Gerwig should have been nominated instead. In my opinion, America Ferrera was the standout role in the movie, and I think she totally deserves the nomination over Robbie,” she said.
Even though the award shows are highly watched and are a way that many measure success, Bacon said that the criteria used aren’t necessarily reflective of a good film. “My general opinion of the Oscar nomination (and award nominations in general) is that they are based on arbitrary rules and regulations of what (historically) majority white men think is ‘good’- it doesn’t necessarily make it true for everyone,” she said.
While this controversy has drawn lots of attention to certain issues within the system of award shows, it also shows that just because something did not receive a nomination does not mean it is necessarily of lesser quality.
