Academy Award-winner Nicole Kidman stars as Lucille Ball, best known to audiences as Lucy Ricardo, the star of I Love Lucy. By her side, of course, is her husband, co-star, and business partner Desi Arnaz, played by fellow Oscar-winner Javier Bardem. Neither look particularly like their subjects, which wouldn’t be a problem if the production weren’t trying so hard to convince us that they do.
Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz are threatened by shocking personal accusations, a political smear, and cultural taboos in Academy Award®-winning writer and director Aaron Sorkin’s behind-the-scenes drama Being the Ricardos. A revealing glimpse of the couple’s complex romantic and professional relationship, the film takes audiences into the writers’ room, onto the soundstage, and behind closed doors with Ball and Arnaz during one critical production week of their groundbreaking sitcom I Love Lucy. Featuring J.K. Simmons and Nina Arianda.
Aaron Sorkin returns to his Studio 60 From The Sunset Strip mode here, which is probably his worst mode, right? Producing a comedy show with all the self-importance of signing the Declaration of Independence rarely makes for compelling narratives. In this writer’s opinion, the prolific writer-director certainly has his moments, but this feels like a mismatch on all counts.
Or maybe Walk Hard just ruined biopics. Maybe it’s both.
Being The Ricardos is in theaters on December 10 and streams on Amazon Prime Video on December 22.
