Being the Ricardos review: Aaron Sorkin’s I Love Lucy biopic is too tame
Most people reading this won’t have been born when US sitcom I Love Lucy went off air in 1957. How- ever, it’s an evergreen institution to Americans, entertaining generations (as recently as 2011, 40m people worldwide watched re-runs). A movie about the show, or a biopic of star Lucille Ball, has been rumoured for some time, but who can accurately por- tray a figure so many know so well?
The man to take on that task is Aaron Sorkin, the TV writing god looking for his third hit as a film director following Molly’s Game and The Trial of The Chicago Seven. Nicole Kidman plays Lucille Ball in a fictionalised retelling of a week in the production of the show. Notoriously tough on her cast and crew, the star works round the clock even as the papers run with a story about her being a communist. Worse still, she becomes suspicious of her hus- band and co-star Desi Arnaz (Javier Bardem), amid rumours of infidelity.
Many of Sorkin’s calling cards are strewn across the film – non-linear sto- rytelling pulls us between the week in question and flashback sequences detailing how Ball met Arnaz. Characters walk and talk through corridors, and there’s detail in every interaction. The consequence is few subjects get a moment to breathe. There are some excellent lines about Ball’s status as a woman in a man’s industry, the executives’ mistrust of Cuban-born Desi, and just what Lucy Ricardo, Ball’s character, meant to the world. But little is addressed or resolved in a satisfying way, particularly in the film’s damp conclusion. Sorkin finds entertainment in the chaos, but draws few conclusions.
Replacing original star Cate Blanchett, Kidman had a thankless task playing such a well-known figure. She dons what appears to be facial prosthetics to achieve a more familiar shape, but the effort becomes self-defeating. It creates a stiff, shiny look that makes some scenes appear as if she’s talking through a rubber mask, and emoting is clearly a challenge.
Far more impressive is Bardem as Desi, grappling with his machismo and need to feel he’s in control. There are layers to him, not all of them nice, and the ongoing suspicion of his infidelity is played beautifully. His charm makes it tempting to believe he’s sincere, but there’s always something behind the smile.
Despite being user-friendly to newcomers, Being The Ricardos is unlikely to mean much to those who weren’t brought up on the sitcom. Beneath Sorkin’s ornate script lies a The Show Must Go On parable that’s been done better elsewhere. For a figure so key to American culture, it’s a sadly ordinary tribute.