Theaters around the world felt the Kenergy this weekend as the Barbenheimer phenomenon swept multiplexes. Barbie made us laugh, it made us sob, it made us rage against the patriarchy… and it also made us cry out in unison: 'Justice for Ken!' Ryan Gosling's sublime performance as the bleach-blond-beach expert deserves every accolade going – and I'm throwing my support behind a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination.
To be clear, Barbie is chock-full of stunning performances from its starry cast: don't mistake my Kenthusiasm for overlooking Margot Robbie's breathtaking turn as the main doll herself, which was hilarious and heartbreaking (that single tear at the bus stop? I fear I will never recover) – or America Ferrera's gut-punch delivery of that monologue about the paradoxical demands placed on women under patriarchy.
But there's no denying that Gosling steals every scene he's featured in, whether that's bravely running into a plastic wave, grooving at Barbie's giant blowout party (complete with a bespoke song and all the Barbies), or donning a ridiculous (faux) mink coat and strutting around his Mojo Dojo Casa House. His slow discovery that men rule the real world – with a wide-eyed Ken encountering Grease and Sylvester Stallone for the first time – marks a comedic turning point for the ages as Ken takes his newfound knowledge back to Barbie Land and transforms the pastel pink paradise into a horse-infused version of patriarchy.
Gosling also gets to deliver not one but two powerhouse songs, which means, if there's any justice in the world, he'll be walking home with Best Supporting Actor and Best Original Song trophies. 'I'm Just Ken' is surely the song of the summer, complete with probing philosophical questions like "am I not hot when I'm in my feelings?" and "is it my destiny to live and die a life of blond fragility?" We're all wondering the same thing, Ken.
Then there's Gosling's inspired cover of 'Push,' which should get him over the nomination line for the way he sings the word "granted" alone (seriously, just listen and tell me you didn't scream).
Plus, Ken goes on quite the emotional journey in the film, coming to the adorable realization that he is (K)enough just as he is, and doesn't need to perform this outrageous version of masculinity to win the approval of his fellow Kens and Barbie. His arc ties the movie's feminist messaging about gender roles together beautifully, and Gosling tearfully asking, "I am… Ken?" is one for the Oscar reel.
We also already know that Gosling's Oscar campaign would be one for the ages, if Barbie's fantastical marketing drive is anything to go by. Gosling regularly came out with gems like, "Look no further. You are Kenough," and at times it seemed Ken had actually subsumed him entirely. "Ken sang that song," he told the Los Angeles times of "I'm Just Ken." "I never sang like that in my life. I don't know why or how that happened." Robbing us of an entire Oscars season of more of these Kenisms would be frankly criminal (SAG-AFTRA strike permitting, of course).
It's also about time the Academy took comedic performances more seriously (as contradictory as that sentence is) – once upon a time, the Oscars even had separate categories for comedy directors and shorts, but those have been lost to the sands of time. Now, the genre is notably underrepresented at the Oscars in every category; Jim Carrey for The Truman Show, Ralph Fiennes for The Grand Budapest Hotel, and Meg Ryan for When Harry Met Sally are three notable acting snubs. It's time for the Ken-volution to change that.
So, come on, put that manly hand in mine and repeat after me: you are Ken, you are Kenough, and Ryan Gosling deserves that Oscar.
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