Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling perhaps had the most prolific 2023 in Hollywood thanks to the immense success of Barbie. Greta Gerwig’s fantasy comedy grossed more than $1.4 billion globally, shattering several financial records during its incredible run at the box office.
Barbie has also been received well critically, picking up plenty of awards during the ongoing awards season. However, much-acclaimed filmmaker Oliver Stone has emerged as one of the rare critics of Gosling’s movie.
Read more: Ryan Gosling Does Not Want His Daughters to Watch the Most Famous Successful Movie of His Career
Oliver Stone Explains Why Ryan Gosling Should’ve Not Done Barbie
Ryan Gosling played the main Ken in Barbie. His importance in the Margot Robbie-led film wasn’t highlighted much in its trailers and promotional events, but once the movie hit the theaters, viewers were full of praise for Ken’s hilarious persona.
Gosling’s character comically led the revolution in matriarchal Barbie Land and temporarily transformed it into Kendom after learning about humans during his visit to the real world. His glamorous performance of I’m Just Ken also played a big part in Barbie winning Best Song at the Critics Choice Awards.
However, Oliver Stone believes Gosling shouldn’t have lent his talents to the Greta Gerwig film. During an interview with City AM, he said:
“Ryan Gosling is wasting his time if he’s doing that sh-t for money. He should be doing more serious films. He shouldn’t be a part of this infantilization of Hollywood. Now it’s all fantasy, fantasy, fantasy, including all the war pictures: fantasy, fantasy.”
The celebrated filmmaker has sparked many debates throughout his career by chronicling different sides of American history. One of his most compelling works, JFK – which raises question marks on the verdict that Lee Harvey Oswald alone killed President Kennedy – divides opinion to this day.
As such, it’s understandable why Stone might not be the biggest fan of fantasy works like Barbie.
What Oliver Stone Said About Keanu Reeves’ John Wick
It seems the 77-year-old isn’t delighted with the leading action genre movies of recent times as well. He took an aim at the Fast and Furious franchise by saying he used to enjoy Vin Diesel’s action thrillers but recently they have become like Marvel movies. With one punch, he attacked both franchises.
Then came the turn of Keanu Reeves, who’s perhaps one of the biggest action stars out there. Stone quipped that he fell asleep several times while watching Reeves’ John Wick.
“On the plane I watched John Wick, which is three hours and some. And I fell asleep about 778 times during it,” he revealed. “I kept waking up and having to face him killing more people. It’s like the world has degenerated into non-logic.”
With 11 Oscar nominations and three wins, Stone has enough credibility in the bank to shoot down high-profile movies like Barbie and John Wick. Having said that, we are not sure the likes of Gosling and Reeves would actually pay much heed to his comments.
