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You are here: Home / Culture / Film / BEING THE RICARDOS: Nicole Kidman’s Lucille Ball biopic is no laughing matter

BEING THE RICARDOS: Nicole Kidman’s Lucille Ball biopic is no laughing matter

December 16, 2021 Category: Film, Reviews
Being The Ricardos
Being The Ricardos

Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz – the subject matter of Being The Ricardos – were superstars in the dawn of television, their 1950s sitcom I Love Lucy was watched by over 60 million people a week. Behind the scenes, however, things were rather rockier. Arnaz was a womanizer, Ball a would-be serious actress sidelined into physical comedy and accused of being a communist. Writer/director Aaron Sorkin compresses these events into a single week of recording an episode of the series, with middling results.

RELATED: ‘Jane Campion and Benedict Cumberbatch’s Netflix cowboy drama The Power of the Dog leaves much to muse upon.’

Nicole Kidman stars as Ball – the most famous, bankable star of the time, fighting against the studio and the patriarchy alike while making sure she is the star and nitpicking over moments of physical comedy. Javier Bardem oozes charm and charisma as the driven, apparently laidback Arnaz, happy banging bongos but with a core of steel. They create a believable duo, negotiating their marriage and their show as partners, but with Arnaz in Ball’s shadow.

The cast is rounded out by great performances from JK Simmons as curmudgeonly elder actor William Frawley, Tony Hale’s exasperated head writer and Alia Shawkat’s snarky female writer in a male-dominated room. It’s not a funny film – the screwball nature of Lucille is barely captured by Sorkin and Kidman, but Being The Ricardos has plenty of dramatic resonance with today: women fighting to be heard, societal pressures and norms, and the stupidity of the Anti-American Committee. It is these strands that work best, making being with the Ricardos less fun but worthy.

Dir: Aaron Sorkin (15) (127 mins)

Out now in cinemas; streaming soon on Amazon Prime

words KEIRON SELF

KEEP READING: ‘Watchable, downbeat with not quite the euphoric punch in the air finale, Halle Berry’s Bruised is still a solid grapple.’

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About Noel Gardner

Noel is the listings, reviews, music and books editor at Buzz and has been doing some or all of these things here since the days of dial-up internet. He was raised in Cornwall, lives in Cardiff and that is more or less all he has ever known.
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Tag: Aaron Sorkin, being the ricardos, buzz film review, jk simmons, keiron self, Nicole Kidman

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