Being the Ricardos (2021 | USA | 132 minutes | Aaron Sorkin)
Aaron Sorkin does something weird at the beginning of his newest movie, Being the Ricardos. The movie opens with talking head interviews with some key figures behind-the-scenes at “I Love Lucy” reminiscing about their time on the groundbreaking show: Madelyn Pugh, Bob Carroll, Jr., and Jess Openheimer. But the thing is, all three have been dead for at least a decade (Oppenheimer for three) and they’re played by actors. I don’t know what Sorkin was trying to do in making this movie part mockumentary but I found it a discomfiting way to begin this film.
Being the Ricardos purports to tell the story of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz during a particularly eventful week in their lives. The tabloids reported (accurately) that Lucy was a Communist at one time and that Desi (also accurately despite his denials) is a philanderer. They also try to convince CBS to allow a storyline about Lucy’s pregnancy on the show despite the pearl-clutchers in senior management and at primary sponsor Phillip Morris.
Are Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem miscast for playing this legendary couple? Technically no. Bardem is great here, unsurprisingly, and seems to really enjoy playing this character because Arnaz’s charisma matches Bardem’s. Though, it could be noted, Bardem is Spanish and Arnaz was Cuban. Nicole Kidman is a different story. She’s earned the right to play any part she fancies and if she were to decide she wanted to play, say, Fidel Castro, none of us have the standing to tell her otherwise. Having said that, there’s no real striking resemblance between the two and Lucille Ball was a much more gifted physical comedian that used her facial expressions as a source of comedy. That is something Kidman just cannot replicate (though I couldn’t name any contemporary actress off the top of my head who could).
There are some real positives here, though. The history on display may lean towards fuzzy and revisionist, but the dialogue pops as the way you would expect Sorkin dialogue to. Still, I am willing to place my entire 401K on a bet that says Lucille Ball never once accused anyone of “gaslighting” her during her entire life. The supporting cast is also excellent, especially Alia Shawkat as the younger Madelyn Pugh (Linda Lavin was Pugh in her later years that I mentioned above) and J.K. Simmons and Nina Arianda as the actors playing Fred and Ethyl Mertz were a lot of fun.
The movie is a love letter to one of Hollywood’s greatest TV shows and the geniuses who made it work. Sometimes Sorkin’s films feel like high level cosplays (even when I’m enjoying them more than I should) but I’m a sucker for stories about film and television before my time growing up.
Being the Ricardos has some major flaws, but it’s also an enjoyable trip down memory lane.
Being the Ricardos opens in theaters on December 10 and comes to Amazon Prime on December 21.