Being the Ricardos

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Being the Ricardos
Being the Ricardos.jpeg
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 also star.

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 generally positive reviews from critics, who praised the performances of Kidman and Bardem, as well as the dialogue. 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; flashbacks; and preparations for a live taping 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 play made into an even worse movie. She meets one of the film's cast, charismatic 22-year-old Cuban singer Desi Arnaz and the two fall for each other instantaneously.

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

Lucy 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. But Koerner 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 success.

The show draws interest from CBS and Philip Morris, but Ball only agrees if Desi plays her on screen husband. The executives refuse because Arnaz is Hispanic, but relent after Lucy refuses to give them the show. Ball also hopes that working with Desi will curb his cheating and save their marriage.

By 1953, the show is renamed I Love Lucy and becomes a smash hit with nearly 60 million viewers each week. A three camera system, designed by Desi, allows viewers on the East Coast to see the show live and without static. Lucy deals with several issues on the show. Vivian Vance and William Frawley, who play the Ricardos' married neighbors the Mertzes, cannot get along, and Frawley's is shown explicitly drunk on the set.

Lucy also clashes with the directors and writers at the table reads, scene blockings and run throughs. Particularly a scene where Desi comes home and covers Lucy's eyes while she sets the table, and she names several different men before Desi reveals its him. The couple announce to CBS and Phillip Morris executives that Lucy is pregnant. They insist Lucy hide the pregnancy behind large objects, but the couple refuse and suggest that the pregnancy will be shown (though they are never allowed to say the word on television).

Lucy also deals with Desi being out late and a picture in the tabloids of him with another woman. He tells her 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 6 months old. She reluctantly believes him. Frawley has Lucy understand that Desi's adultery may stem from her making the business and creative decisions on the show which makes him feel emasculated, though she tells everyone he makes all the decisions. She asks Jess to give Arnaz a producer credit hoping it will stop Desi's cheating and save the marriage. Oppenheimer, instead tells Desi that he has top billing being the "I" in I love Lucy to placate him. Lucy confronts him, and Oppenheimer relents.

The night of the live filming, a newspaper article deems Lucy a Communist, though she was cleared during a HUAC hearing months earlier. Lucy admits she registered as a member of the Communist Party, but Desi insists she lie and say she accidentally marked the wrong box to which she refuses. Desi cancels his usual warm up to inform the audience of the accusations. He takes a live call with FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover, who assures the crew and audience that Lucy has been cleared of all the charges.

As the couple celebrates backstage, Lucy shows Desi a handkerchief with lipstick on it. Desi says it's hers, but Lucy shows him another one with her own lipstick on it, proving Desi's infidelity. When taping begins, Lucy momentarily loses her concentration. They start over, with Lucy focused.

The film ends with a title card saying Ball filed for divorce after the taping of the 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]

Accolades[]

Award Date of Ceremony Category Recipient(s)/Nominee(s) Results Ref.
Critics' Choice Movie Awards March 13, 2022 Best Actress Nicole Kidman Pending [17]
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 [18]
Golden Globe Awards January 9, 2022 Best Actor - Drama Javier Bardem Nominated [19]
Best Actress - Drama Nicole Kidman Won
Best Screenplay Aaron Sorkin Nominated
Hollywood Critics Association Awards January 8, 2022 Best Picture Being the Ricardos Pending [20]
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
Satellite Awards January 5, 2022 Best Actress Nicole Kidman Pending [21]
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 [22]
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 [23]
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 [24]

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. ^ "Nicole Kidman stuns in glamorous gown at 'Being the Ricardos' premiere". The Hollywood Reporter. December 7, 2021. 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. ^ "West Side Story Isn't Kicking Up With $10M+ Opening: What That Means Right Now During Another Pandemic Holiday". Deadline Hollywood. December 11, 2021. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  15. ^ "Being the Ricardos (2021)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
  16. ^ "Being the Ricardos Reviews". Metacritic. Red Ventures. Retrieved December 26, 2021.
  17. ^ Hammond, Peter. "Critics Choice Awards Film Nominations Led By 'Belfast' And 'West Side Story'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
  18. ^ "Detroit Film Critics Society Announces 2021 Nominations". www.detroitfilmcritics.com. Retrieved December 4, 2021.
  19. ^ Golden Globes 2022: The Complete Nominations List Variety, December 13, 2021
  20. ^ "The 5th Annual HCA Film Awards". www.hollywoodcriticsassociation.com. Retrieved December 4, 2021.
  21. ^ Fuster, Jeremy (December 1, 2021). "'Power of the Dog' and 'Belfast' Lead Nominations for IPA Satellite Awards". TheWrap. Retrieved December 1, 2021.
  22. ^ Carras, Christi (January 12, 2022). "Here's the full list of 2022 Screen Actors Guild Award nominations". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 14, 2022.
  23. ^ Neglia, Matt. "The 2021 St. Louis Film Critics Association (StLFCA) Nominations". NextBestPicture. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
  24. ^ Anderson, Erik (December 4, 2021). "Washington DC Critics: 'Belfast,' 'The Power of the Dog' lead nominations". awardswatch.com. Retrieved December 26, 2021.

External links[]

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