Being the Ricardos
starring Nicole Kidman, Janier Bardem, J.K. Simmons, Nina Arianda, Tony Hale, Alia Shawkat, Jake Lacy and Clark Gregg
written and directed by Aaron Sorkin
Rating: ♦♦♦♦♦
This is a comedy-drama-biopic about legendary television comedienne Lucille Ball (1911 - 1989). Nicole Kidman plays Ball in this film spanning a week at the “I Love Lucy” TV show set in Los Angeles, where she and her husband Desi Arnaz (Javier Bardem) fight to incorporate Ball’s pregnancy into the show, fend off accusations the Ball is a communist, and arrive at a fateful point in their marriage (Arnaz’s extra-marital womanizing). That’s a lot going on. It seems that a feature length movie could be made out of any one of those things.
The “I Love Lucy” (starring Ball and Arnaz, plus VivianVance and William Frawley) show ran from 1951 to 1957. But since then, it has never left the air as it is continually re-run somewhere in the world. My first exposure to Lucille Ball came in the early 1970s through the TV show Here’s Lucy (1968 – 1974), which my mother watched.
I never liked Lucille Ball very much. First, her comedy was kind of dated by the time I saw it. Second, I didn’t think Ball was very good-looking and pleasant to look at. Third, Ball was always playing some kind of stupid dingbat character. Pretending to be a stupid dingbat seems to be what she excelled at, but I think it’s a weak basis for the fantastic reputation she has as an entertainer and entertainment businesswoman. Of course, the Lucy character was a deliberate, broad exaggeration of herself in which she purposefully spoke with an artificially high-pitched voice. I get that. But her performances always annoyed me. And, the constant repetition of her name annoyed me even more.
1. I Love Lucy
2. The Lucy Show
3. Here’s Lucy
4. Life With Lucy
Even today, I’m sick of hearing her name. For God’s sake give this “Lucy” business a rest! So, I feel torn about the movie. I only moderately liked it, but I thought it was very well done, so as a film it gets full marks.
Pretending to be a stupid dingbat seems to be what Ball excelled at, but I think it’s a weak basis for the fantastic reputation she has.