‘Being the Ricardos’ Brings Lucy Back to Life

Kidman’s incredible interpretation of Lucille Ball showed her wit, strength, and poise amidst the constant adversity from every angle.

Slightly reminiscent of an Arthur Miller play—being that it’s set in the 1950s and takes place in four acts—Being the Ricardos is a nostalgic drama. In the film, Lucille unravels over the course of a week due to the pressures of motherhood, her fragile marriage, and a national inquiry into her past. Flashbacks to Lucille’s rise to stardom along with Desi are woven throughout. Early in the film, Lucille shares that her deepest desire is to “have a home,” giving us insight into the birthplace of I Love Lucy and Desilu Studios. Along with striking black and white scenes that take us inside Lucille’s artistic genius, Sorkin also added faux-documentary style scenes which seemed to dull the momentum. Thankfully, nostalgic gems like Lucy’s trip to Italy are nestled in Being the Ricardos which lift the film and help us remember once again why we all love Lucy.

Kidman’s incredible interpretation of Lucille Ball showed her wit, strength, and poise amidst the constant adversity from every angle. Her voicework alone deserves an Oscar. Instead of a lifeless replica, Kidman gave us a living, inspired portrait of Lucille Ball. Bardem matched Kidman step for step as his portrayal of the devastatingly charming Arnaz was lively yet tragic. The supporting cast, featuring theater veterans J.K. Simmons and Nina Arianda, was fantastic, bringing crass humor and rich depth to the I Love Lucy family as the iconic Fred and Ethel Mertz.

Sorkin’s signature lightspeed dialogue finds its perfect canvas in Being the Ricardos. Altogether, it’s a beautiful film, and yet I left feeling disappointed. With so much build up and such an incredible creative team across the board, the script felt overworked. It’s certainly an ambitious film in scale and story, having been shot, edited, and released all in 2021. And speaking of shooting the film…

I had a small role in Being the Ricardos! This is definitely a first for me as both a writer and an actor, but if you look hard, you can find me having a good laugh in the radio scene towards the end of the film. I’ve been a professional actor for a long time, but this was my first job on a feature film set of this scale. It was such a pleasure to watch Aaron Sorkin direct.

While there’s a lot I can’t disclose, I can say that being on a set with Nicole Kidman was amazing. My best takeaway from the entire day was watching her in between takes tinkering with instruments on stage, dancing, and discovering new possibilities in the scene. She reminded me that day of why I started acting: the love of play. Even though I’m only in the film for a quick moment, I’m so thankful for that opportunity and to watch one of our generation’s greatest actors at work. 

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