ONE grandmother's name has become surprisingly relevant after this summer's biggest blockbuster films took over the internet.
Barbara "Barbie" Oppenheimer, 68, has been enjoying the double takes that occur when she introduces herself to people.
"The Barbenheimer craze has added some more fun to my already good life," she told The New York Post.
"It’s always important to embrace the serendipity in life, isn’t it?"
Greta Gerwig’s socially-conscious comedy Barbie and Christopher Nolan's historical drama Oppenheimer were inescapable when they debuted in theaters on July 21.
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Many cinema goers watched both films in one trip to the theater.
"Most people don’t believe me when I say my name," said Oppenheimer, who lives in Newton, Massachusetts – a suburb immediately east of Boston.
"They think I’m joking."
The grandmother of five has called herself many things over the years, including Barbara, Barb, and even Barby.
She didn't become an Oppenheimer until she married her husband, a distant relative of the famous theoretical physicist who helped create the atomic bomb during World War II.
That connection is why the couple went to see Nolan's film first.
"I thought they did a good job. It really gets into the moral dilemmas that Oppenheimer faced," the grandmother of five said.
"He was a hero to many, but he was also the subject of a lot of anger," she added.
"I’ve always heard in my husband’s family, whether you claimed him as a relative or didn’t really depended on how you felt about thing."
About two weeks later, the couple saw Gerwig's film.
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Oppenheimer, who sees herself as a "feminist," appreciated the movie's empowering message.
"I wasn’t sure my husband would like 'Barbie,' but he laughed out loud through the whole thing," she said.
The grandmother couldn't decide which movie she liked best.
"They’re so different," she said.
"I can’t choose. I’m glad I saw both."
