#beingthericardosmoviereview

[filminvasion]

Being the Ricardos Movie Review

with Nicole Kidman, Javier Bardem, J.K. Simmons

Directed by Aaron Sorkin

It’s no surprise “I Love Lucy’s” Lucille Ball had to fight to be the most powerful woman on television and, more than anything, Aaron Sorkin’s “Being the Ricardos” is a loving tribute to her comic acumen and shrewd off-air dealings. The film looks at one tumultuous week where Ball (Nicole Kidman) faced allegations of being a communist, which could have killed her career, and the possible end of her marriage to rampant cheater Desi Arnaz (Javier Bardem), which happened after the show ended.  Sorkin does one cool thing early in just letting us hear Kidman do the raspy voice and it’s right on the money. The hair and make-up do their part later but Kidman gives her the sharp tongue, analytical comedic approach, and backbone to always seem like the smartest person on set. No one is going to accuse Sorkin of being straightforward here- he goes back and forth in time from the week in question to her rise where she faced everything from typecasting, ageism, and social mores to the present where she had to fight even to be able to say “pregnant” on air.  Any fan of television will love the behind the scenes stuff- her mind working overtime to not only fix what isn’t funny but respect audience intelligence as well. And speaking of intelligence, there is a great conversation she has with another comedy writer (Alia Shawkat) about doing right by female characters. Her scenes with Bardem’s Arnaz have a fiery tone and he helps to see the talent and innovation that attracted her to him, while J.K. Simmons and Nina Arianda hilariously bicker, even off camera, as the stars who played Fred and Ethel. He also has a surprising scene of warmth while she reveals a regrettable flaw in Ball’s character.  Sorkin has done more hard-hitting work than this and sometimes it’s just ponderous but in the end, it has just enough to love.