Growing up I was a fan of the I Love Lucy show and would watch all the re-runs on TV Land. When I heard that Amazon Prime Video was producing a film about the lives and marriage of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, I definitely had to watch. Lucy and Desi were controversial and yet ground breaking. Not only starring and co-producing a show featuring a woman as the lead but as an interracial couple altogether in Hollywood.
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Much of the film is centered on the show itself, probably because it was a huge part of their lives together. For me however, I felt that this might have done the movie a disservice as a whole. Their marriage was largely condensed to their work. As entertainers with hectic schedules, compromises often had to made with their marriage being the cost. It’s a dilemma long faced by celebrity couples.
Being The Ricardos succeeds in showing the influence Lucy and Desi had on their show and with the network. For a woman and non white man in 50’s television, this was a feat in itself. I Love Lucy was the first show to have a pregnant woman openly on air. Censorship was airtight back in those days, the mere thought or implication of sex was taboo. The ideas of propriety back then were… illogical.
They also showed how Lucy attempted to defer to her husband as much as possible, how they were partners in everything and how much she respected him. However, with two strong personalities such as these, it wasn’t enough. The story jumps back and forth to different phases of their marriage which didn’t really flow as well as it should have honestly.
The dialogue however was remarkable and fully displayed the talent of the cast. Nicole Kidman does an outstanding job as Lucille Ball as does JK Simmons as William Frawley and Nina Arianda as Vivian Vance. The costumes were authentic and beautiful in turns and the scene where Desi and Lucy meet is dressed to the nines. It’s easy to see how Lucy fell for Desi and him for her.
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Overall, while Being The Ricardos was an easy and palatable watch, it doesn’t really do justice to the relationship between these two icons and comes off a little hollow. The film is more about the struggles of a relationship in showbiz than Lucy and Desi. Watch ‘Being the Ricardos’ on Prime Video here.
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