 |
| On the set of I Love Lucy |
BEING THE RICARDOS (2021 Amazon streaming video). Written and directed by Aaron Sorkin.
While preparing an episode of their show
I Love Lucy, Lucille Ball (Nicole Kidman of
To Die For) and her husband Desi Arnaz (Javier Bardem of
Skyfall) learn that powerful columnist Walter Winchell is calling Lucy a communist. In addition to that upsetment, Lucille is convinced that Desi is having affairs with other women, even if a photo published in
Confidential proves to be several months old. Lucy, a perfectionist, clashes with her director, writers, husband and fellow cast members as to how certain sequences should be handled, while Vivian Vance (Nina Arianda) suffers angst over how
Ethel is continually seen as unattractive when she is married to her "grandfather," Fred, played by William Frawley (J. K. Simmons of
Whiplash). The sole female scriptwriter doesn't want Lucy to be depicted as being stupid, but Ball counters that "Lucy" is clever and almost always gets her way -- true!
Essentially all of this material, none of which is new to the
I Love Lucy fanatic (among which I count myself) has already been covered in the 1991 telefilm
Lucy and Desi: Before the Laughter. However,
Being the Ricardos is still an entertaining, if unnecessary, picture, although if it has people pulling out or buying their complete sets of
I love Lucy I'm all for it. Nicole Kidman is better as Lucy than I would have imagined, and while Bardem is not as handsome as Desi was, he is also effective in his portrayal. I wouldn't have necessarily chosen Simmons or Arianda to play Fred and Ethel, but they are also good, especially grumpy Simmons, and the people who play the writers and director are also well-chosen. (Linda Lavin and others play the older versions of these people in mock interviews.) Lucy's children, Lucie and Desi Jr., served as producers.
 |
| Nicole Kidman as Lucille Ball |
Just as happened with
Judy, the recent film about Judy Garland, some viewers won't be satisfied with any actor portrayal of a beloved figure unless the person themselves gets up out of the grave and, impossibly, plays the part. Nicole Kidman has gotten some serious hatred, and she certainly isn't a brilliant comedienne like Lucy, but she doesn't try to be -- she is rarely shown attempting the physical comedy Ball was famous for. But nevertheless she does a very good job
approximating Ball. As for the film itself, there is some attempt to flesh out the characters, although the ultimate result is a tad superficial. Apparently Aaron Sorkin is not a fan of
I Love Lucy -- while not every episode was a winner, quite a few were classics that are as funny today as when they first aired.
Verdict: Whether you like this movie or not, get out your box of
I Love Lucy and enjoy Ball and the others dealing with
operettas, candy factories, William Holden in the Brown Derby, Lucy stomping grapes to soak up local color, selling salad dressing, attending a country club dance, going to charm school, and dozens of other episodes that will bring a great big smile to your face. And these days we sure need one! ***.
Hi Bill - so glad you decided to write in depth about this movie. Well done, and I agree with much of your analysis, particularly the defense of Nicole Kidman's performance. I think she did well in portraying a grimly determined Ball who sometimes made the art of TV production as fun as mixing cement and was not a 'funny person' in real life. BUT I did not enjoy the movie much; I lay the blame at the writer's feet. Sorkin's scripts are so often brilliant--I love A Few Good Men and also really enjoyed his recent Trial of the Chicago 7--but this one was klunky, preachy, full of anachronisms and historical inaccuracies that could have easily been fixed. Also--though I like JK Simmons that character was NOT the Bill Frawley I know about, and used as a contrived plot device...and I doubt that Vivian Vance was as hot a tamale as painted here, in her yoga leotard! (Though she did have to put on weight to play frumpy Ethel.) My favorite moments were Javier Bardem singing Babalu and Cuban Pete - he captured Desi in those moments, though his accent was even thicker than Ricky Ricardo's!
ReplyDeleteAnd agreed - the TV movie Before the Laughter starring Frances Fisher of Titanic is far better. I also explored Amazon's Lucy collection and found ANOTHER biopic I had missed from 2003 called Lucy, starring Rachel York - I recommend that too, as a follow up.
-Chris
I loved this detailed analysis, Chris, and I agree that the script is the main problem. I think I found the movie light and entertaining so I just ignored some of the other problems and portrayals. I am going to look for "Lucy" with Rachel York.
ReplyDeleteI will say one thing for all these Lucy-pics, it makes me appreciate the real woman and her comic genius on I Love Lucy all the more!