Being the Ricardos (A- or 3.5/4 stars)
Written & directed by Aaron Sorkin, 'Being the Ricardos' pulls the curtain back on the production of the 1st episode of Season 2 of the "I Love Lucy" TV show. At the apex of their popularity, Lucille Ball (Nicole Kidman) & Desi Arnaz's (Javier Bardem) beloved show was watched by a mind-boggling 60,000,000 people/week. It is 1952 and, aside from trying to maintain the artistic verve & integrity of their hit show, Lucille & Desi would face great adversity during this one pressure-cooker of a week. Aaron Sorkin uses some dramatic license to weave in-&-out of a trio of challenges that L & D must face; first, the fact that Lucille made "red" headlines when it was revealed that she had (innocently) registered to vote in the 1930s as a Communist.
This traumatic news is merged with a 2nd issue: a tabloid cover story titled "Does Desi Really Love Lucy?", which intimates Desi Arnaz's infidelity. And a 3rd issue arises when L & D reveal to super-conservative network executives ... that she is with child. L &D want to make the pregnancy a storyline on their show, but that word was simply unheard of to discuss on television in the very timid 1950s. Though these 3 events did not actually converge during this one week, Sorkin's narrative device of showing events in their tempestuous marriage this way works brilliantly. He also employs flashbacks to their meet-cute & courtship on the set of 1940s "Too Many Girls", as well as Balls' rise from Vaudeville to B-movies to radio to TV; which sets the course for those very events which occur during this tumultuous week in 1952. Can they focus on the episode about to air while sorting out these various dilemmas?
I found this film to be terrific. It starts a little disjointedly. But once I got used to the framing techniques {documentary style, jumping from the present (1952) to flashbacks & back}, I was riveted to the performances, clever rat-a-tat dialogue & the propulsive energy of the anxiety that rides on Lucille. Despite the fact that many people questioned that casting of Nicole Kidman as iconic funny-woman Lucille Ball, I found her to be luminous in the role. She called this the hardest role of her career; given that she had to replicate the zany on-screen persona of "Lucy", the serious off-screen reality of "Lucille", and do it all with risky acting choices & great physical exactitude. Kidman may not look exactly like Ball, but she really captures her essence; something real-life daughter Lucie comments on, as well: 'she became mother's soul'. As Lucille, Kidman is tough-as-nails, witty, but also vulnerable.
Javier Bardem also excels at playing Cuba's Desi Arnaz; showing not just what we know of "Ricky Ricardo", but also the whip-smart, wildly talented man who loves Lucille, but has a hard time being "Home" for her. Suave Bardem plays the instruments & sings with the same onstage spirit that Desi Arnaz exuded, all while showing ingenuity in filming techniques {he created the three-camera process for shooting sitcoms that is still used today}, and keen business sense during stressful meetings & rehearsals. I also enjoyed the piss-&-vinegar portrayals of J.K. Simmons & Nina Arianda as Vivian Vance; who lovingly played I Love Lucy's Fred & Ethel. It's interesting to see the complicated, competitive friendships btwn. Ball, Frawley & Vance.
The cinematic milieu & vibe here is executed to perfection by Jeff Cronenweth's cinematography & Jon Hutman's period designs. i.e, an impeccable re-creation of the "I Love Lucy" set. I admired Ball as a forward-thinking woman who knew what it meant to have power at a time when men ruled. And it is fascinating to watch the minutia of how the TV show was produced from the Monday read-throughs to the Friday taping in front of an audience. This film doesn't re-invent the wheel as far as Hollywood biopics go, but it is a perfectly enjoyable & absorbing piece of movie-making; a treasure for those who want an understanding of the mechanics of how a TV show works, as well as a peek inside the bittersweet lives of some iconic golden age stars.
This traumatic news is merged with a 2nd issue: a tabloid cover story titled "Does Desi Really Love Lucy?", which intimates Desi Arnaz's infidelity. And a 3rd issue arises when L & D reveal to super-conservative network executives ... that she is with child. L &D want to make the pregnancy a storyline on their show, but that word was simply unheard of to discuss on television in the very timid 1950s. Though these 3 events did not actually converge during this one week, Sorkin's narrative device of showing events in their tempestuous marriage this way works brilliantly. He also employs flashbacks to their meet-cute & courtship on the set of 1940s "Too Many Girls", as well as Balls' rise from Vaudeville to B-movies to radio to TV; which sets the course for those very events which occur during this tumultuous week in 1952. Can they focus on the episode about to air while sorting out these various dilemmas?
I found this film to be terrific. It starts a little disjointedly. But once I got used to the framing techniques {documentary style, jumping from the present (1952) to flashbacks & back}, I was riveted to the performances, clever rat-a-tat dialogue & the propulsive energy of the anxiety that rides on Lucille. Despite the fact that many people questioned that casting of Nicole Kidman as iconic funny-woman Lucille Ball, I found her to be luminous in the role. She called this the hardest role of her career; given that she had to replicate the zany on-screen persona of "Lucy", the serious off-screen reality of "Lucille", and do it all with risky acting choices & great physical exactitude. Kidman may not look exactly like Ball, but she really captures her essence; something real-life daughter Lucie comments on, as well: 'she became mother's soul'. As Lucille, Kidman is tough-as-nails, witty, but also vulnerable.
Javier Bardem also excels at playing Cuba's Desi Arnaz; showing not just what we know of "Ricky Ricardo", but also the whip-smart, wildly talented man who loves Lucille, but has a hard time being "Home" for her. Suave Bardem plays the instruments & sings with the same onstage spirit that Desi Arnaz exuded, all while showing ingenuity in filming techniques {he created the three-camera process for shooting sitcoms that is still used today}, and keen business sense during stressful meetings & rehearsals. I also enjoyed the piss-&-vinegar portrayals of J.K. Simmons & Nina Arianda as Vivian Vance; who lovingly played I Love Lucy's Fred & Ethel. It's interesting to see the complicated, competitive friendships btwn. Ball, Frawley & Vance.
The cinematic milieu & vibe here is executed to perfection by Jeff Cronenweth's cinematography & Jon Hutman's period designs. i.e, an impeccable re-creation of the "I Love Lucy" set. I admired Ball as a forward-thinking woman who knew what it meant to have power at a time when men ruled. And it is fascinating to watch the minutia of how the TV show was produced from the Monday read-throughs to the Friday taping in front of an audience. This film doesn't re-invent the wheel as far as Hollywood biopics go, but it is a perfectly enjoyable & absorbing piece of movie-making; a treasure for those who want an understanding of the mechanics of how a TV show works, as well as a peek inside the bittersweet lives of some iconic golden age stars.