When the casting of Nicole Kidman was announced as Lucille Ball, I, like many raised my eyebrow - Kidman is a masterful actor, one of the most ambitious and adventurous of her generation. She is also, known for subtlety and naturalism. I thought to myself "how is she going to pull of playing essentially, a clown?". That was until I read up on the project - this is not a film adaptation of "I Love Lucy", it is not Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem starring as Lucy and Ricky Ricardo. It is in fact a look at the behind the scenes troubles and issues within the Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz's marriage. I went into watching this film expecting it for what it was - a drama. I knew not to expect a laugh-a-minute comedy in which Kidman and Bardem recreate classic scenes which are, in mine and many people's opinion, inimitable.
Set across the space of one week from the table read on Monday morning to the shooting of the episode on Friday evening; it is written with a compressed timeline in which we see quite frankly, what many people would consider the week from hell. There is a threat of Lucille being outed as a communist, the Arnaz's must face studio executives, producers and sponsors with the news that Ball is pregnant and they want a storyline in which the character is pregnant - something that had never been done on TV at the time. At the same time, rumours are rushing around the media that Desi is cheating on his wife. This is presented in a linear; Monday to Friday narrative with some flashbacks that portray some of the biggest moments in Ball's career and her relationship with Arnaz. There are also scenes in which a documentary-type set-up is used. The 'interviews' are with older versions of Bob Carroll Jr., Jess Oppenheimer and Madelyn Pugh (played respectively by Ronny Cox, John Rubinstein and Linda Lavin). The film has pace, efficiency and effectiveness - running at 125 minutes; it really does fly by. The weakest part of the layout is in fact, the 'interview' type scenes; they slow the action down and feel like an unnecessary way to inform the audience of what has just happened.
The writing is very strong; it features all of Aaron Sorkin's famous wit, pointedness and intelligence and it avoids falling into the patronising nature of "The Trial of the Chicago 7", in which the whole film felt as if Sorkin was saying 'I am much smarter than anyone else'. He writes every character with detail, precision and heart - he goes bold with his decision that it is not "I Love Lucy" but instead a look at the geniuses behind the show. Lucille especially is written as a perfectionist, a slave-driver and incredibly dead-pan, this creates a perfect contrast to the clown we see in the TV show. I will now watch "I Love Lucy" with a new appreciation of Ball's genius. There are a couple of moments in which the language feels to modern in lines such as "I literally just said that." and "Don't gaslight me." These were not phrases of the time.
The performances are outstanding across the board. Nicole Kidman's Lucille Ball is one hundred percent believable, lived in and heartfelt. The performance is an impressive mix of immersion and technique. One thing I've always admired about Kidman is the ability to hide her technique and make everything feel spontaneous and completely in the moment. In playing Ball, she is able to show what a fabulous, methodical and technical actor she is. Lucille was incredibly technical in her approach to comedy and her process and Kidman takes every line, every moment, every beat and is a revelation. I think this is probably her strongest performance in a film since her 2012 pulpy and sweaty performance in "The Paperboy". She is long overdue a second Academy Award and is well deserving for this performance. Javier Bardem as Desi Arnaz is charming, loveable and incredibly determined. His drive to make the show work is incredibly infectious and we are with him every step of the way. There are strong supporting turns from J. K. Simmons and Nina Arianda as William Frawley and Vivian Vance (Ball and Arnaz's co-stars in "I Love Lucy" and the rest of the ensemble are brilliant.
"Being the Ricardos" isn't "I Love Lucy" - it doesn't really even feature more than five minutes of "I Love Lucy"; but those scenes are portrayed with authenticity and a fabulous Lucy, Ricky, Ethel and Fred from the respective performers. The film is, in fact, a look at a marriage, past mistakes or decisions that might not be entirely appropriate as we age and most of all, the masterful perfectionist and technically brilliant woman that became America's sweetheart. I think I love Lucille more than Lucy.
4 stars out of 5.
Set across the space of one week from the table read on Monday morning to the shooting of the episode on Friday evening; it is written with a compressed timeline in which we see quite frankly, what many people would consider the week from hell. There is a threat of Lucille being outed as a communist, the Arnaz's must face studio executives, producers and sponsors with the news that Ball is pregnant and they want a storyline in which the character is pregnant - something that had never been done on TV at the time. At the same time, rumours are rushing around the media that Desi is cheating on his wife. This is presented in a linear; Monday to Friday narrative with some flashbacks that portray some of the biggest moments in Ball's career and her relationship with Arnaz. There are also scenes in which a documentary-type set-up is used. The 'interviews' are with older versions of Bob Carroll Jr., Jess Oppenheimer and Madelyn Pugh (played respectively by Ronny Cox, John Rubinstein and Linda Lavin). The film has pace, efficiency and effectiveness - running at 125 minutes; it really does fly by. The weakest part of the layout is in fact, the 'interview' type scenes; they slow the action down and feel like an unnecessary way to inform the audience of what has just happened.
The writing is very strong; it features all of Aaron Sorkin's famous wit, pointedness and intelligence and it avoids falling into the patronising nature of "The Trial of the Chicago 7", in which the whole film felt as if Sorkin was saying 'I am much smarter than anyone else'. He writes every character with detail, precision and heart - he goes bold with his decision that it is not "I Love Lucy" but instead a look at the geniuses behind the show. Lucille especially is written as a perfectionist, a slave-driver and incredibly dead-pan, this creates a perfect contrast to the clown we see in the TV show. I will now watch "I Love Lucy" with a new appreciation of Ball's genius. There are a couple of moments in which the language feels to modern in lines such as "I literally just said that." and "Don't gaslight me." These were not phrases of the time.
The performances are outstanding across the board. Nicole Kidman's Lucille Ball is one hundred percent believable, lived in and heartfelt. The performance is an impressive mix of immersion and technique. One thing I've always admired about Kidman is the ability to hide her technique and make everything feel spontaneous and completely in the moment. In playing Ball, she is able to show what a fabulous, methodical and technical actor she is. Lucille was incredibly technical in her approach to comedy and her process and Kidman takes every line, every moment, every beat and is a revelation. I think this is probably her strongest performance in a film since her 2012 pulpy and sweaty performance in "The Paperboy". She is long overdue a second Academy Award and is well deserving for this performance. Javier Bardem as Desi Arnaz is charming, loveable and incredibly determined. His drive to make the show work is incredibly infectious and we are with him every step of the way. There are strong supporting turns from J. K. Simmons and Nina Arianda as William Frawley and Vivian Vance (Ball and Arnaz's co-stars in "I Love Lucy" and the rest of the ensemble are brilliant.
"Being the Ricardos" isn't "I Love Lucy" - it doesn't really even feature more than five minutes of "I Love Lucy"; but those scenes are portrayed with authenticity and a fabulous Lucy, Ricky, Ethel and Fred from the respective performers. The film is, in fact, a look at a marriage, past mistakes or decisions that might not be entirely appropriate as we age and most of all, the masterful perfectionist and technically brilliant woman that became America's sweetheart. I think I love Lucille more than Lucy.
4 stars out of 5.