Being the Ricardos

Starring: Nicole Kidman, Javier Bardem, J.K. Simmons, Nina Arianda, Tony Hale, Alia Shawkat, Jake Lacy, Linda Lavin, Ronny Cox, Clark Gregg, Nelson Franklin, Brian Howe, Max Silvestri
Directed by: Aaron Sorkin
Rating: R
Genre: Drama
2021

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Lucy (Nicole Kidman) and Desi (Javier Bardem) faces multiple crises while trying to put on an episode of "I Love Lucy".

Review:

Tim: I really like Aaron Sorkin, so I was intrigued to see Amazon Prime's Being the Ricardos. The movie, unfortunately, is a bit too uneven. This is still a good movie, but it's clearly the weakest film Sorkin has directed yet. It's a mixed bag- for every flaw you see, there is an incredible strength. In the end, the positives just slightly outweigh the negatives, making this a good, but flawed film.

The subject matter was fascinating. As a kid, I'd occasionally watch reruns of I Love Lucy with my parents, so I had some familiarity with the show and performers. I didn't know much of the backstory though, and this film dives heavily into it. We see the actors bringing the show to life and their professional and personal troubles. Sorkin writes a script that is incredibly interesting- that digs into the behind-the-scenes affairs of one hectic week. The movie is frantically directed, always in constant motion. Sorkin's trademark lightning-fast dialogue comes during many of the better moments of the film. But, as I said, it doesn't all work. Here's my experience with the film- it's peppered with this brilliant, compelling vignettes, these little moments or scenes where everything clicks- the writing is on point, Sorkin pulls us into the drama, and the actors are hitting home runs with their performance. There's probably a dozen of these moments that are just incredible and I was transfixed watching them. However, the in-between sequences are dull, unrefined. I lost focus, I didn't care about the characters as much. The film plods ahead in unsatisfying fashion, before Sorkin pulls it together for another incredible sequence. Individual sequences, no matter how great, do not make for a great film. You have to weave everything together into a compelling whole- that's where Sorkin stumbles here. Now, the individual scenes are so good that it lifts the whole film, but this prevents the movie from achieving the heights of some of Sorkin's previous films.

One thing I did love is how Sorkin showed us the thought process behind Lucille Ball's creative process. I adored these scenes- Ball was a comedic genius, and Sorkin shows us how she imagines a comedic sequence, how she recognizes the shortcomings, how she improvises to maximize the humor. We get a lot of movies about creative geniuses, but I always lament that we're not let into their brilliant mental processes. We see the drama, we see their flaws, but we don't leave the film understanding why they were a genius. Most musical biopics fall into this trap. Sorkin nails it here, though. Those scenes (which take up a lot of the movie) are some of the most compelling and fascinating of the film. We walk away awed by what Ball could see that no one else could see. We understand why she was a legendary comedian.

The problem is that not everything is as good as these scenes. We get a lot of sequences that feel throwaway, like Sorkin spent too much energy on the great scenes and he just meanders to the next one. These other scenes aren't bad, necessarily, but they're too dull, not engaging enough. The other issue that hurts this is that it's hard to find many sympathetic characters in the film. Sorkin's script shows us the complex, complicated nature of these human beings- they all have flaws, they're multidimensional. However, he leans a bit too heavily into the flaws. I never really cared about the characters. Lucy should have been the most sympathetic character in the film- she's arguably victimized on multiple fronts during the course of this film. However, she's presented as too tough, too unrestrained in her criticism and drive to be very sympathetic. That was shocking to me. Desi is obviously a flawed character and while we appreciate his charisma, he's not always likeable. The supporting cast isn't there for us to connect with powerfully, although William and Vivian get close- but we don't see deeply enough into their characters to care strongly enough. So, I watched this movie, interested, yet distant from the characters.

What helps with this is that the cast give all-out terrific performances. That's truly the strongest part of this film- the script and directing are a bit uneven, but Sorkin provides enough fodder and space for his cast to give absolutely showstopping performances. I might not have loved how Lucy was depicted in the script, but I adored how Nicole Kidman played her. Kidman is one of the best actresses in Hollywood, yet also manages to be underrated. I have no earthly understanding of how she transformed herself into Lucille Ball. The makeup, the nose helps immensely, but I was stunned watching her here. It never felt like we were watching Kidman. Her performance is so realistic, so impeccable, I was blown away. While Kidman is undoubtedly a master performer, I was still unprepared for what she did her. Kidman is the best part of the entire film, hands down. I was so happy she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress. I thought she was clearly better than Jessica Chastain in The Eyes of Tammy Faye, and I wish Kidman had beat her.

Javier Bardem may not give as good of a performance as Kidman, but he's still excellent. This role felt very much in his wheelhouse, so it's no surprise that his performance is oozing charm and charisma. He never steals the spotlight from Kidman, but he amplifies every scene he's in. Bardem is likewise a fantastic actor that I likely don't give enough credit to. Bringing to life Desi Arnaz in this way is so impressive, though. He was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor. That brings me to J.K. Simmons, who has an important supporting role, but not as important as you might think. What Simmons does is stunning, though- he elevates the character on the page by bringing such complexity, such depth of feeling, such heart to the role that he emerges as one of the best aspects of the entire film. He doesn't get a lot of screen time, but Simmons makes the most of every second. He makes his presence felt, he makes the movie better. Simmons received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor, which is a hell of an achievement. And, as far as Oscars, that was it- three nominations, all acting, and no wins. That doesn't surprise me- Sorkin absolutely directs a film that allows his actors to shine, but this isn't a great film.

One quick note- the rest of the supporting cast is so strong, too. Nina Arianda has several beautiful, poignant moments. Tony Hale did yeoman's work. Alia Shawkat elevated her character with energy and pizzazz in nearly every single scene. Jake Lacy added a lot in a thankless role. I loved seeing Clark Gregg here, too. I'm a big fan of him. As a whole, the cast is the greatest strength of this film.

My review probably feels a bit uneven- there's things I truly loved about this film, but I also have frustrations that the overall film isn't better. But still, Sorkin is a guy you need to watch. I believe he's a genius writer and a mostly surprisingly good director. If Being the Ricardos feels like a lesser effort, but still is a good film, still resulted in 3 Academy Award nominations, well, that's wildly impressive. I did like the movie, I was interested and mostly engaged in it. I always love seeing the "inside baseball" films and this one dives deep into a precarious time in American history, showing one of America's greatest performers during one of the hardest weeks of her life. That is absolutely worth our time.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



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