Being The Ricardos

BEING THE RICARDOS (15)

D: Aaron Sorkin

Amazon / Escape Artists (Todd Black, Jason Blumenthal & Steve Tisch)

US 🇺🇸 2021

131 mins

Biopic/Drama

W: Aaron Sorkin

DP: Jeff Cronenweth

Ed: Alan Baumgarten

Mus: Daniel Pemberton

Nicole Kidman (Lucille Ball), Javier Bardem (Desi Arnaz), J.K. Simmons (William Frawley), Nina Arianda (Vivian Vance), Tony Hale (Jess Oppenheimer)

Nicole Kidman & Javier Bardem star as real-life married couple and “I Love Lucy” creators and co-stars Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz in this biographical drama from screenwriter-director Aaron Sorkin.

Set in the early 1950’s, when the sitcom was the most watched show on network television and a national treasure, though it’s lead star Lucille Ball is leaked to the press as a communist as part of Senator Joseph McCarthy’s witch-hunt, putting the future of the programme in jeopardy. In addition, Desi Arnaz has his fidelity questioned, as a scandal involving him is also given press attention.

I can’t admit to having watched any episodes of the show, but I’m familiar with it and some of the sketches (particularly the classic wine-making episode) and the recreation of these segments for this film are certainly one of its strengths, certainly over the political kerfuffle that has been done much better in other movies (Good Night, and Good Luck the finest example). 

With all the politics, extra-marital affairs, press involvement and actual making of the sitcom being tackled, the film tries to juggle a little too much and is about 30 minutes longer than it needs to be, but it’s certainly worth a watch for the performances of its two leads, especially Nicole Kidman who is very impressive at capturing the mannerisms of both the real-life Lucille Ball and the television persona of Lucy.

6/10