52 Films by Women Vol 7. 49. BARBIE (Director: Greta Gerwig)
Greta Gerwig ( Lady Bird , Little Women ) is the first woman Hollywood film director to make three hit movies in a row since Penny Marshall between 1986 and 1992 ( Jumpin’ Jack Flash , Big , A League of Their Own ). Moreover, she’s a writer-director. That’s unheard of. The reported opening US box-office gross for Barbie , a film about a girl’s toy used for female empowerment, isn’t just phenomenal by the standards of woman directors - $70 million earned in one day - but by Hollywood norms. Greta Gerwig outperformed Tom Cruise at this summer’s box office. How crazy is that? If this does not make Hollywood’s biggest star want to work with a female director for the first time in his career, I don’t know what will? Actually, I can guess – it might be some nutty religion that tells him not to take orders from a woman. Barbie benefits from its association with intellectual property. Foremost, it’s a doll enjoyed and accessorised by young girls with moderately well-off parents around...