Former Marvel Director Thinks Barbie Should Win Best Picture

Scott Derrickson says Barbie is one of his favorite movies of the year.

October 5, 2023, 6:56pm

Barbie became lightning in a bottle for the movie world, breaking records at the box office and delighting countless viewers with its unique sense of whimsy and earnestness. There has already been conversation about whether or not Barbie will be a contender at next year’s Academy Awards — and according to fan-favorite director Scott Derrickson, it’s absolutely worth considering the possibility. In a recent interview with The Playlist, Derrickson, who previously worked on Doctor Strange and The Black Phone, cited Barbie as an example of brilliant filmmaking based on an existing intellectual property, and argued that the film is worthy of winning the top Oscar of Best Picture.

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“By the way, those movies can be amazing,” Derrickson explained. “I think Barbie is the best film I’ve seen this year—well, maybe that’s not true; I saw this horror film, When Evil Lurks at Fantastic Fest, but Barbie and When Evil Lurks those are my two favorite films of the year, which couldn’t be further away from each other.”

“Barbie is a good example of populist I.P. that was treated with true brilliance,” he enthused. “That’s an extraordinary movie on every level. I think it should probably win Best Picture; the writing is so clever and so smart and subversive, the acting is amazing, and it’s so entertaining, it’s artful in its visuals, the style of it, it’s just an awesome film.”

How Is Barbie Campaigning For the Oscars?

Last month, it was reported that Warner Bros. will be campaigning for Barbie in the 2023-2024 Oscars, and will submit Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach’s script for the film in the Best Original Screenplay category.

Fans have wondered for weeks which screenplay category Barbie might submit for, especially given the fact that it is inspired by the beloved Mattel doll of the same name. According to the report, because Barbie’s credits specifically say the film is “based on ‘Barbie’ by Mattel”, the film is drawing from the doll itself and not any “previously published material”, which is usually the qualifier for Best Adapted Screenplay submissions.

What Is Barbie About?

In Barbie, to live in Barbie Land is to be a perfect being in a perfect place. Unless you have a full-on existential crisis. Or you’re a Ken. From Oscar-nominated writer/director Greta Gerwig comes Barbie, which hit theaters on July 21st. Barbie stars Oscar-nominees Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling as Barbie and Ken, alongside America Ferrera, Kate McKinnon, Michael Cera, Ariana Greenblatt, Issa Rae, Rhea Perlman, and Will Ferrell. The film also stars Ana Cruz Kayne, Emma Mackey, Hari Nef, Alexandra Shipp, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Simu Liu, Ncuti Gatwa, Scott Evans, Jamie Demetriou, Connor Swindells, Sharon Rooney, Nicola Coughlan, Ritu Arya, Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter Dua Lipa and Oscar-winner Helen Mirren. Gerwig directed Barbie from a screenplay by Gerwig & Oscar nominee Noah Baumbach, based on Barbie by Mattel.