Being the Ricardos is a behind the scenes look at the making of the I Love Lucy sitcom — during one tumultuous week.
Review
I have to say, I have mixed feelings on Being the Ricardos.
The Bad
- Javier Bardem’s accent is frankly thicker than Desi Arnaz’ was. And, sometimes, he was hard to understand.
- There’s a lot of vulgarity. Frankly, that doesn’t surprise me. It’s probably accurate to how it was during the script meetings, behind the scenes, etc. But consider yourself forewarned.
- Although the acting was excellent, at first it was hard to tell who was supposed to be who. J. K. Simmons does a good job as William Frawley, but at first I thought he was supposed to be one of the writers.
- With all of the flashbacks, sometimes it was a little hard to follow.
- William Frawley and Vivian Vance couldn’t stand each other off-screen. There’s little to no sense of that here.
- It tries to make Desi’s cheating on Lucy a surprise. Having read Desi’s autobiography, A Book — I know better. He cheated on her frequently, often, and at every possibility. Lucy wasn’t a suspicious shrew. She had every reason in the world to suspect him of adultery.
The Good
- As I say, the acting is excellent all around.
- Being the Ricardos does a good job of showing Lucille Ball’s perfectionist streak.
- It’s a very enjoyable documentary. The sets, costuming, etc. all look correct.
Editorial review of Being the Ricardos courtesy of Amazon.com
During one production week of “I Love Lucy” — from Monday table read through Friday audience taping — Lucille Ball (Nicole Kidman) and Desi Arnaz (Javier Bardem) face a series of personal and professional crises that threaten their show, their careers and their marriage, in writer-director Aaron Sorkin’s behind-the-scenes drama.
Cast of characters
- Nicole Kidman (Aquaman, Batman Forever) … Lucille Ball. Playing both Lucy, and Lucy Ricardo. As she’s striving to get something right in one episode. Which is really how she’s hiding what she’s really dealing with.
- Javier Bardem (Skyfall) … Desi Arnaz. The president of Desilu. He truly loves Lucy, and is trying to protect her. During the Red Scare.
- J.K. Simmons (Spider-Man, Invincible) … William Frawley. A working alcoholic, he’s trying to help both Desi & Lucy.
- Nina Arianda (Stan & Ollie) … Vivian Vance. Lucy’s friend and co-worker. Whom Lucy both fights with & truly trusts.
- Tony Hale (Toy Story 4) … Jess Oppenheimer
- Alia Shawkat … Madelyn Pugh
- Jake Lacy (Rampage) … Bob Carroll
- Linda Lavin (Alice, Barney Miller) … Older Madelyn Pugh
- Ronny Cox (Total Recall, Robocop) … Older Bob Carroll
- John Rubinstein (The Boys from Brazil) … Older Jess Oppenheimer
- Clark Gregg (The Avengers, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) … Howard Wenke