Being The Ricardos
Directed by Aaron Sorkin
★★★½
NICOLE KIDMAN stars in BEING THE RICARDOS Photo: GLEN WILSON © AMAZON CONTENT SERVICES LLC
Photo Credit
Glen Wilson/ © 2021 Amazon Content Services LLC
Copyright
© Amazon Content Services LLC
My aunt has always been obsessed with I Love Lucy, so growing up we would watch it together. I always found her captivating. Even though the show was well before my time, it held up. And that is mostly due to Lucille Ball’s flawless comedic timing and knack for physical comedy. Nicole Kidman, who plays Ball in Aaron Sorkin’s newest directorial adventure Being The Ricardo’s, perfectly captures the essence of Ball and her Lucy character, without ever veering into impersonation.
Being the Ricardos is a very non-traditional narrative, opting to interweave documentary style interviews with some of the real life involved in the story with the fictionalized portrayal. Sorkin excels as a screenwriter, but as a director he has many people split on some of his more baffling, excuse me, ambitious choices. The documentary aspects of this film will undoubtedly add to the mixed opinions. For this critic, while I found it interesting to hear the real life people recount what it was like on set with Ball, it was by far the weakest part of the film, constantly making the film lose focus. If Sorkin wants to also make a documentary about Ball, he should. Just don’t combine the two.
The film mostly takes place over the course of a few weeks on the set of I Love Lucy, mainly focusing around the time that Ball was accused of being a communist. However, Sorkin sprinkles bits and pieces of the past throughout the film. While it doesn’t feel like all the pieces fit together seamlessly, it mostly works.
Being the Ricardos rests on the back of Nicole Kidman who captivates the screen in a mannered and dynamic fashion. Not only is she playing Ball, but also has to play Ball playing her character of Lucy. Not many actors can pull off this type of feat, but Kidman is more than up to task. She evokes all the mannerisms of Lucille Ball and showcases her knack for comedic timing and physical comedy without ever becoming an impression. Though this is a fictionalized account of what may have been going on behind the scenes, you can’t help but hope that Ball was actually that involved and understanding of her character and show. This is an homage to an acting giant, and Kidman is brilliant.
The rest of the cast is fantastic as well. J.K. Simmons is perfectly cast as William Frawley and both he and Benecio Del Toro as Ball’s husband Desi Arnez, both get some strong scenes alongside Kidman. But it is Nina Arianda who plays Vivian Vance who really shines in her supporting performance. Arianda brings a subtle nuance to her performance and is able to add something just a little bit extra to Sorkin’s dialogue.
While it may not be a flawless output, Being the Ricardos is stong enough narratively and is heightened by another incredible show stopping performance from Nicole Kidman, who constantly proves herself to be one of the greatest living actresses.
