LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Men who are not fans of the 'Barbie' movie include Bill Maher. The HBO 'Real Time' host and comedian posted a lengthy tirade on X, formerly Twitter, about Greta Gerwig's blockbuster movie that has earned $1 billion worldwide.
Maher wrote, "I was hoping it wouldn't be preachy, man-hating, and a #ZombieLie - alas, it was all three, What is a Zombie Lie? Something that never was true, but certain people refuse to stop saying it (tax cuts for the rich increase revenues, e.g.); OR something that USED to be true but no longer is, but certain people pretend it's still true. Barbie is this kind of #ZombieLie."
He added, "Spoiler alert, Barbie fights the Patriarchy. Right up to the Mattel board who created her, consisting of 12 white men! The Patriarchy! Except there's a Mattel board in real life, and it's 7 men and 5 women," He added, "OK, not perfect even-steven, but not the way the board IN THE MOVIE - which takes place in 2023 - is portrayed. And not really any longer deserving of the word 'patriarchy.' Yes, there was one, and remnants of it remain - but this movie is so 2000-LATE."
Maher continued, "At one point the Barbies have to win over the Kens, and they are told to do it by pretending to act helpless and not know how to do stuff. Helen Gurley Brown called, she wants her premise back. Yes, that WAS a thing. I saw "Barbie" with a woman in her 30s who said, 'I don't know a single woman of any age who would act like that today.'"
He further added, "I know, I know, 'How could I know about the patriarchy, I AM a man!' That argument is so old and so silly." He then added, "Of course, none of us can know exactly what others go through life, but I can see the world around me, and I can read data. The real Mattel board is a pretty close mirror of the country, where 45% of the 449 board seats filled last year in Fortune 500 companies were women. Truth is, I'm not the one who's out of step - I'm living in the year we're living in. Barbie is fun, I enjoyed it - but it IS a #ZombieLie. And people who don't go along with zombie lies did not take some red pill - just staying true to CURRENT reality. Let's live in the year we're living in! Hi Ken!!!" Elon Musk, the owner of X, seconded Maher's statement. He commented, "Why do they keep pushing these lies?"
About Barbie film
Greta Gerwig directed the 2023 American fantasy comedy film 'Barbie', which she co-wrote with Noah Baumbach. It is the first live-action Barbie film after numerous computer-animated direct-to-video and streaming television films based on Mattel's Barbie fashion dolls. Following an existential crisis, the film follows Barbie (Margot Robbie) and Ken (Ryan Gosling) on a journey of self-discovery. America Ferrera, Kate McKinnon, Issa Rae, Simu Liu, Michael Cera, Rhea Perlman, and Will Ferrell are among the ensemble cast members.
