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| 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.
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| 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! ***.
