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Being the Ricardos

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Being the Ricardos
Promotional release poster
Directed byAaron Sorkin
Written byAaron Sorkin
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyJeff Cronenweth
Edited byAlan Baumgarten
Music byDaniel Pemberton
Production
companies
Distributed byAmazon Studios
Release dates
  • December 7, 2021 (2021-12-07) (New York City)
  • December 10, 2021 (2021-12-10) (United States)
Running time
131 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$450,000 (estimate)

Being the Ricardos is a 2021 American biographical drama film written and directed by Aaron Sorkin, about the relationship between I Love Lucy stars Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem star as Ball and Arnaz, while J. K. Simmons, Nina Arianda, Tony Hale, Alia Shawkat, Jake Lacy, and Clark Gregg appear in supporting roles.

It received a limited theatrical release by Amazon Studios in the United States on December 10, 2021, prior to streaming worldwide on Prime Video on December 21, 2021. The film received mixed reviews from critics, who praised the performances. For her performance, Kidman won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama.

Plot

The film is told from three perspectives: interviews with the show's three lead writers: Jess Oppenheimer (who was also the show runner), Madelyn Pugh, and Bob Carroll Jr.; flashbacks; and preparations for a live filming in 1953.

In 1939, Ball, 28, is an actress contracted to RKO Pictures. She gets small parts in big studio productions, but featured mainly in low budget films which gives her the moniker "Queen of the B-Movies." She is cast in the comedy Too Many Girls, a film Pugh describes as a bad stage play made into an even worse movie. She meets one of the film's cast, charismatic 22-year-old Cuban singer Desi Arnaz and they fall in love for each other instantaneously.

Months after filming, they marry and buy a home in Hollywood. Arnaz has a successful stint fronting the Desi Arnaz Orchestra that tours around the country, while Ball continues her film career with little success. After Arnaz serves in World War II, he resumes his success with his orchestra, with Ball having to accompany him because of his infidelity.

Ball finally gets a break when she is cast in 1942's The Big Street. The film is only a modest hit, but Ball's performance is praised. She meets with RKO President Charles Koerner confident she will get better scripts on par with established stars like Rita Hayworth and Bette Davis. Instead he terminates her contract as several actresses RKO loaned to other studios will be returning and there will be nothing for her. He suggests she use her voice for radio, and with no substantial film roles coming, she does. In 1948, she is cast in the radio show My Favorite Husband, which becomes a massive success.

The show draws interest from CBS and cigarette company Philip Morris,who suggested to turn "My Favorite Husband" into a television show . Ball agrees but only if Arnaz plays her on-screen husband. The executives initially refuse because Arnaz is Cuban, but later concede after Ball refuses to give them the copyright of the show. She also hopes that working with Arnaz will decreased his infidelity and save their marriage.

By 1953, the show is renamed into I Love Lucy and becomes a smash hit with nearly 60 million viewers each week. A three camera system, designed by Arnaz, allows viewers on the East Coast of United States to see the show live and without static (since the show is filmed on the West Coast). During production, Ball deals with several issues on the show; Vivian Vance and William Frawley, who play the Ricardos' married neighbors the Mertzes, do not get along, and Frawley is often drunk on the filming set.

Ball also clashes with the directors and writers during table reads,and scene blocking . Particularly troublesome is a scene where Arnaz comes home and covers Ball's eyes while she is setting the table, and she names several different men before he reveals it's him. The couple announce to CBS and Phillip Morris executives that Ball is pregnant. The executives insist Ball hide the pregnancy behind large objects, but the couple refuses and proposes the pregnancy be shown (though they are never allowed to say the word "pregnant" on air).

Ball also deals with Arnaz staying out late, and a photo emerges in the tabloids of him with another woman. Desi tells Lucy that he plays cards on a boat with some other celebrities and sleeps there when he is too tired to come home, and that the picture is taken six months ago. She reluctantly believes him. Frawley has Ball understand that Arnaz's infidelity may stem from her making the business and creative decisions on the show which makes him feel emasculated, though she explains to everyone that he is the one who makes all the decisions. She asks Oppenheimer to give Arnaz a producer credit, hoping it will stop Arnaz's infidelity and save the marriage. Instead, Oppenheimer, reminds Arnaz he has top billing, as he is the person saying "I" in I love Lucy, in attempt to placate him. Arnaz responses by sharply scolding Oppenheimer for trying to patronize him.

The night of the live filming, a newspaper article deems Ball a Communist, though she was cleared during a HUAC hearing months ago. Ball admits she registered as a member of the Communist Party when she was young and influenced by a relative, but Arnaz insists she lie to the public and claim she accidentally marked the wrong box. Ball refuses to lied to the public, fearing she will be humiliated. Arnaz cancels his usual show warm up with the audience, and instead addresses the audience about the accusations. He takes a live call with FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover, who assures all of the audience that Lucy has been cleared of all the charges.

As the couple celebrates backstage, Ball shows Arnaz a handkerchief with lipstick on it. Arnaz says it's hers, but Ball shows him another handkerchief with her own lipstick on it, proving Arnaz's infidelity. When filming begins, Ball momentarily loses her concentration. They start over, with Ball being more focused.

The film ends with a title card saying Ball filed for divorce after the taping of their last show in 1960.

Cast

Production

The project was first announced in September 2015, with Cate Blanchett announced to star as Lucille Ball and Aaron Sorkin writing the screenplay.[1] The film would be acquired by Amazon Studios in August 2017.[2]

Production was originally given a tax credit to film in California in November 2019,[3] and producers were revealed to be meeting with directors in January 2020.[4] However, by January 2021, Blanchett had dropped out of the project, with Nicole Kidman in negotiations to replace her and Javier Bardem in negotiations to portray Desi Arnaz. Sorkin, having enjoyed the experience of directing The Trial of the Chicago 7, had elected to serve as director himself.[5] The casting of Kidman was met with some controversy on social media, to which Lucie Arnaz spoke out in defense of Kidman's casting.[6] In February, J. K. Simmons and Nina Arianda were cast to portray William Frawley and Vivian Vance respectively.[7]

Filming began on March 29, 2021, in Los Angeles, with Tony Hale, Alia Shawkat, Jake Lacy, and Clark Gregg added to the cast.[8][9] The production canceled filming at Chateau Marmont due to backlash against the establishment.[10] In September 2021, Sorkin stated that the film was in post-production.[11]

Release

The film premiered in New York City on December 7, 2021.[12] The film was released in a limited release exclusively in the United States on December 10, 2021, prior to streaming globally on Prime Video on December 21, 2021.[13]

Reception

Box office

Though Amazon does not publicly release box office grosses, the film made an estimated $150,000 from 450 theaters on its first day, and a total of $450,000 in its opening weekend.[14]

Critical response

The review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes reports an approval rating of 68% based on 251 reviews, with an average rating of 6.7/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "Being the Ricardos can't hope to truly capture its subjects' brilliant star power, but Nicole Kidman has a ball with Aaron Sorkin's spitfire dialogue."[15] Metacritic assigned the film a weighted average score of 60 out of 100, based on 51 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[16]

Several critics praised the performances of Kidman and Bardem in particular. Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film a 3.5 out of 4 stars, and pointed out how, despite unfavorable reactions in response to the casting of Kidman and Bardem in the lead roles, "Bardem does a solid job of capturing Arnaz' charismatic stage presence, business acumen and duplicitous ways with the ladies, while Kidman is outstanding at reminding us there were two Lucys [...] It’s not an impersonation so much as it is a fully realized characterization."[17] Mark Feeney from The Boston Globe mentioned that Kidman gets "the smokiness of Ball's voice. And in the black-and-white that's used for scenes from the sitcom the physical resemblance is uncanny. It's Kidman playing one Lucy as that Lucy plays another", and mentioned how, although Bardem doesn't physically resemble his character much, "that's not a problem, since what Bardem does convey, and it matters a lot more, is Arnaz's babalu gusto and coiled-spring alertness."[18] Lindsey Bahr of the Associated Press stated that "while no one is going to mistake either Kidman or Bardem for either of their real-life counterparts, they were hired to be actors, not mimics and do a terrific job bringing to life the spirit of their characters off-camera lives, illustrating a full, complex, adult relationship."[19] Stephanie Zacharek from Time mentioned how "Kidman makes a fine Lucille Ball in many ways", such as when "capturing Ball's smarts", and continued on by saying that "Bardem is terrific as Arnaz, finding complexities in the man that we might not have known were there."[20] David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter stated that "the performances of Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem as golden-age TV’s best-loved couple can’t be faulted", describing Bardem's performance as "oozing charisma" and showing "a roguish charm and a shrewd mind" as Arnaz. He also reiterated that despite Kidman not physically resembling Ball, "she plays the laser-focused professionalism and self-preservation with stirring conviction, and she nails the dual on- and off-camera personae in her movements, and above all, in vocal distinctions between the raspy heavy smoker in the writers’ room and the squawking comic on TV."[21]

Accolades

Award Date of Ceremony Category Recipients Results Ref.
AACTA International Awards January 26, 2022 Best Actress Nicole Kidman Won [22]
BAFTA Awards March 13, 2022 Best Original Screenplay Aaron Sorkin Pending [23]
Best Original Music Daniel Pemberton Pending
Critics' Choice Movie Awards March 13, 2022 Best Actress Nicole Kidman Pending [24]
Best Supporting Actor J. K. Simmons Pending
Best Original Screenplay Aaron Sorkin Pending
Detroit Film Critics Society December 6, 2021 Best Actress Nicole Kidman Nominated [25]
Golden Globe Awards January 9, 2022 Best Actor - Drama Javier Bardem Nominated [26]
Best Actress - Drama Nicole Kidman Won
Best Screenplay Aaron Sorkin Nominated
Hollywood Critics Association Awards February 28, 2022 Best Picture Being the Ricardos Pending [27]
Best Actress Nicole Kidman Pending
Best Original Screenplay Aaron Sorkin Pending
Best Hair and Makeup Ana Lozano, David Craig Forrest, Kim Santantonio, Kyra Panchenko, Michael Ornelaz, Teressa Hill and Yvonne DePatis Kupka Pending
Producers Guild of America March 19, 2022 Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures Todd Black Pending [28]
Satellite Awards March 18, 2022 Best Actress Nicole Kidman Pending [29]
Best Supporting Actor J. K. Simmons Pending
Screen Actors Guild Awards February 27, 2022 Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role Javier Bardem Pending [30]
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role Nicole Kidman Pending
St. Louis Film Critics Association December 19, 2021 Best Actress Nicole Kidman Nominated [31]
Best Original Screenplay Aaron Sorkin Nominated
Best Ensemble Being the Ricardos Nominated
Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association December 6, 2021 Best Actress Nicole Kidman Nominated [32]
Writers Guild of America March 20, 2022 Best Original Screenplay Aaron Sorkin Pending [33]

References

  1. ^ Hipes, Patrick (September 2, 2015). "Cate Blanchett Attached To Lucille Ball Biopic With Aaron Sorkin In Talks To Write; Who Should Play Desi?". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on October 29, 2020. Retrieved January 11, 2021.
  2. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (August 7, 2017). "Amazon Studios Boards 'Lucy And Desi'; Aaron Sorkin Scripting, Cate Blanchett To Play Lucille Ball". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on August 7, 2017. Retrieved January 11, 2021.
  3. ^ Patten, Dominic (November 12, 2019). "Brad Pitt, Kerry Washington & Cate Blanchett Projects Among 13 Films Scoring California Tax Credits". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on September 21, 2020. Retrieved January 11, 2021.
  4. ^ Ramos, Dino-Ray (January 14, 2020). "Amazon "Meeting With Directors" For Aaron Sorkin's Lucille Ball Feature Starring Cate Blanchett – TCA". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on December 3, 2020. Retrieved January 11, 2021.
  5. ^ Kroll, Justin (January 11, 2021). "Nicole Kidman And Javier Bardem Eyed To Play Lucille Ball And Desi Arnaz With Aaron Sorkin Directing 'Being The Ricardos' For Amazon Studios". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on January 28, 2021. Retrieved January 11, 2021.
  6. ^ Del Rosario, Alexandra (January 19, 2021). "Lucille Ball's Daughter Defends Nicole Kidman Casting For Aaron Sorkin's 'Being The Ricardos'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on January 28, 2021. Retrieved January 28, 2021.
  7. ^ Kroll, Justin (February 9, 2021). "J.K. Simmons And Nina Arianda Join Amazon's Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Pic 'Being The Ricardos'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
  8. ^ Hipes, Patrick (March 29, 2021). "'Being The Ricardos' Adds Tony Hale, Alia Shawkat, Jake Lacy, More To Cast As Production Begins". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on March 29, 2021. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  9. ^ Lattanzio, Ryan (March 29, 2021). "Aaron Sorkin, Nicole Kidman's Lucille Ball Movie Now Filming with Fincher DP Jeff Cronenweth". IndieWire. Archived from the original on March 30, 2021. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
  10. ^ Baum, Gary (April 22, 2021). "Aaron Sorkin's Lucy-Desi Movie Scraps Chateau Marmont Shoot Amid Boycott (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
  11. ^ Ford, Rebecca (September 30, 2021). "Aaron Sorkin on Scott Rudin: "Scott Got What He Deserves"". Vanity Fair. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
  12. ^ Southwick, Hannah (December 7, 2021). "Nicole Kidman stuns in glamorous gown at 'Being the Ricardos' premiere". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
  13. ^ Lee Linker, Maureen (October 19, 2021). "Aaron Sorkin shows a new side of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz in Being the Ricardos teaser". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
  14. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (December 11, 2021). "West Side Story Isn't Kicking Up With $10M+ Opening: What That Means Right Now During Another Pandemic Holiday". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  15. ^ "Being the Ricardos (2021)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
  16. ^ "Being the Ricardos Reviews". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved December 26, 2021.
  17. ^ Roeper, Richard (December 9, 2021). "'Being the Ricardos': Nicole Kidman amazes as the Lucy easy to love and the Lucy hard as nails". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
  18. ^ Feeney, Mark (December 9, 2021). "'Being the Ricardos' brings love, marriage, and feminine mystique to the big screen". The Boston Globe. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
  19. ^ Bahr, Lindsey (December 8, 2021). "Review: Sorkin goes behind the scenes of Lucy and Desi". Associated Press. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
  20. ^ Zacharek, Stephanie (December 10, 2021). "'Being the Ricardos' Tells the Story of a Brilliant Partnership". Time. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
  21. ^ Rooney, David (December 7, 2021). "'Being the Ricardos' Review – The Hollywood Reporter". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
  22. ^ Jackson, Angelique (January 26, 2022). "Nicole Kidman, 'The Power of the Dog' Win Top Prizes at 11th Annual AACTA International Awards". Variety. Retrieved January 29, 2022.
  23. ^ Ravindran, Manori (February 3, 2022). "BAFTA Awards Nominations Unveiled: 'Dune,' 'Power of the Dog' Lead Field, Will Smith Earns First BAFTA Nod". Variety. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
  24. ^ Hammond, Peter. "Critics Choice Awards Film Nominations Led By 'Belfast' And 'West Side Story'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
  25. ^ "Detroit Film Critics Society Announces 2021 Nominations". www.detroitfilmcritics.com. Retrieved December 4, 2021.
  26. ^ Golden Globes 2022: The Complete Nominations List Variety, December 13, 2021
  27. ^ "The 5th Annual HCA Film Awards". hollywoodcriticsassociation.com. December 2, 2021. Retrieved December 4, 2021.
  28. ^ Davis, Clayton (January 27, 2022). "PGA Nominees: Netflix Dominates While 'Being the Ricardos' Surprises". Variety. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
  29. ^ Fuster, Jeremy (December 1, 2021). "'Power of the Dog' and 'Belfast' Lead Nominations for IPA Satellite Awards". TheWrap. Retrieved December 1, 2021.
  30. ^ Carras, Christi (January 12, 2022). "Here's the full list of 2022 Screen Actors Guild Award nominations". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 14, 2022.
  31. ^ Neglia, Matt. "The 2021 St. Louis Film Critics Association (StLFCA) Nominations". NextBestPicture. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
  32. ^ Anderson, Erik (December 4, 2021). "Washington DC Critics: 'Belfast,' 'The Power of the Dog' lead nominations". awardswatch.com. Retrieved December 26, 2021.
  33. ^ Coates, Tyler; Nordyke, Kimberly (January 27, 2022). "WGA Awards: 'King Richard,' 'CODA,' 'Dune' Among Nominees in the Screenplay Categories". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
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