Greta Gerwig’s Proust Barbie joke somewhat forecasted Barbenheimer — the fad around the simultaneous release of Barbie and Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer. Released on July 21, 2023, in the United States and the United Kingdom, the fantasy comedy and biographical period drama dominated conversations, sparking a fascinating competition for critical and box office dominance even though their premises are worlds apart.
Barbie emerged at the top of the box office, pulling over $1.445 billion to become 2023’s highest-grossing film. On the other hand, Oppenheimer raked in over $976.9 million, finishing in third place behind The Super Mario Bros Movie. However, the biographical thriller enjoyed more industry approval. It won seven Oscars and five Golden Globe Awards among other coveted accolades. While the cinematic dominance of the films is glaring, moviegoers missed an easter egg connecting both movies.
What Scene Has The Proust Barbie Joke?
The Proust Barbie joke revolves around an eponymous fictitious doll mentioned in the Barbie movie. The joke scene came during an interaction between Margot Robbie’s Barbie and the CEO of Mattel (Will Ferrell). After Barbie and Ken’s (Ryan Gosling) journey of self-discovery brings them to the real world, Mattel captures Barbie and takes her to the headquarters of the toy manufacturing company. She meets Mattel’s CEO who cajols her to step inside the packaging box for Barbie. Obliging, Barbie says, “Oh my gosh I remember this smell, I’m having a real Proustian flashback.” Then the camera cuts to Mattel CEO who quips “Remember Proust Barbie? That did not sell well.”
The Proust Barbie Scene Is An Easter Egg Referencing The Work Of A French Author
For most viewers, the Proust Barbie joke was just lines from Barbie and Mattel’s CEO. However, the scene has quite a rich history in pop culture, one that dates back to the 1900s, when French author Marcel Proust published Remembrance of Things Past, a novel of seven volumes. Barbie’s director confirmed that the scene is an easter egg referencing an incident from Swann’s Way, the novel’s first volume.
Responding to AP News’ question about the scene, Gerwig said: “In Remembrance of Things Past, in Swann’s Way, he is literally thrown back into his childhood through the taste of the madeleine. I thought, well, that’ll be a nice easter egg for one person.” So the scene essentially likened Barbie’s situation after stepping into the box to what happened to Proust’s narrator, Marcel, in Swann’s Way.
How Does The Joke Connect To Oppenheimer?
While Gerwig conceived Proust Barbie as an easter egg for Marcel Proust, it has an unintended connection to Oppenheimer. The biographical thriller is based on the life of American theoretical physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, colloquially known as “the father of the atomic bomb.” During his lifetime, the scientist enjoyed the works of Proust. Gerwig wasn’t aware of this. When AP News informed her that Proust was Oppenheimer’s favorite, she said: “So he would have loved Proust Barbie!” The unexpected connection adds another layer of intrigue to the bond between Barbie and Oppenheimer.
Lucy Boynton Played Proust Barbie In The Fantasy Comedy
The Proust Barbie joke extends beyond the scene where Barbie interacted with Mattel’s executives. It was originally planned as an elaborate gag paying homage to Marcel Proust. With British actress Lucy Boynton embodying the discontinued doll, several scenes were shot referencing the French author. Sadly, the scenes were removed from the final cut after test audiences failed to see the humor intended, limiting Boynton’s role to a cameo appearance. The Sing Street actress discussed this in an interview with SiriusXM’s The Spotlight with Jessica Shaw.
“Proust Barbie is only softly in the background of the Barbie film because in the test screenings, it turns out that contemporary audiences don’t know who Proust is, so the joke doesn’t quite land,” she said. The actress divulged that the scenes removed were a series of little moments as she expressed her disappointment over the situation. “[It] is a little bit of a heartbreaker that we are kind of losing touch with that history, but hopefully this will then be a trigger for people to read up on Marcel Proust. It was a shocker,” added Boynton. Check out the legacy of the iconic Family Matters character Steve Urkel.
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