Nina Arianda Archives - Sean Kelly On Movies

Drama develops on the set of the sitcom I Love Lucy in Being the Ricardos. Starring the real-life married couple of Lucille Ball (Nicole Kidman) and Desi Arnaz (Javier Bardem), the sitcom I Love Lucy became a huge hit when it began airing in the early 1950s. However, while in the middle of taping the show's second season, news begins to spread that Lucille Ball is a registered member of the communist party. However, more damning for the couple is another rumour that Desi Arnaz has been having an extramarital affair. Being the Ricardos is a biopic written and directed by Aaron Sorkin (The Trial of the Chicago 7), telling the story of married couple Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz and the drama behind the scenes of their hit sitcom I Love Lucy. The story of the film is framed through faux-documentary segments featuring interviews with the show's writers Jess Oppenheimer (John Rubinstein), Madelyn Pugh (Linda Lavin), and Bob Carroll (Ronny Cox), played as their younger selves by Tony Hale, Alia Shawkat, and Jake Lacy respectively. The film features flashbacks of how Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz met, while also following a disastrous week during the production of I Love Lucy, as the two stars run into conflicts with both the writers and their co-stars William Frawley (J.K. Simmons) and Vivian Vance (Nina Arianda). Being the Ricardos might be a more structurally sound film if it stuck the base premise of following a week in the production of I Love Lucy from the Monday table read to the Friday shooting, the latter of which is threatened by dual news of Lucille Ball's registration with the communist party and Desi Arnaz's possible infidelity. However, the narrative shoehorns in flashbacks of Lucille and Desi's courtship and how the former when from a contract film actress considered washed up in her late-30s to the star of the most popular sitcom in America. Despite the solid lead performances by Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem, Being the Ricardos never truly felt like a film and instead felt like a series truncated into a feature film. Part of this comes from how most of the supporting cast, except for perhaps J.K. Simmons, are better known for their TV work. This includes the dual Arrested Development alumni of Tony Hale and Alia Shawkat, Jake Lacy (The Office, The White Lotus), and Clark Gregg (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.). However, I can still praise Being the Ricardos for the little touches that Aaron Sorkin adds, such as the black and white recreation of moments from I Love Lucy, with Nicole Kidman doing a quite solid job of mimicking Lucille Ball's performance as Lucy. In addition, Javier Bardem shows off some decent singing skills during flashbacks featuring performances of Desi Arnaz's hits, including "Babalú" and "Cuban Pete." Altogether, despite solid performances by Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem, Being the Ricardos is a biopic that doesn't really add much to the legacy of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. Being the Ricardos is now streaming on Prime Video Related Links In FearLucyMarriage StoryTu Dors NicoleOkja

Nina Arianda

Being the Ricardos

Midnight in Paris

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