‘I get paid a fortune to do exactly what I love doing…’
Aaron Sorkin rubs people up the wrong way. I suppose I kinda get why. He is overtly political. He can come across as very pleased with himself at times. But he knows story structure, and he knows how to create something that is compelling and stylish and wonderfully written. With the massive success of The Trial of the Chicago Seven still ringing in his ears, Sorkin has turned his attention to Hollywood royalty, and while Being the Ricardos isn’t quite as entertaining as the film that preceded it, it’s still a heart-warming Hollywood fairy tale for the ages…
Lucille Ball (Nicole Kidman) and her flamboyant husband Desi Arnaz (Javier Bardem) try to hold their marriage together in the face of his infidelity, accusations of being a communist and the struggle for creative control.
Now, I knew next to nothing about Ball going into Being the Ricardos, but the presence of Sorkin behind the camera (and on writing duties) as well as a great cast lured me in. And I’m glad it did, because this really is a fine piece of work. The decision to intercut the story with real interviews with people who helped make the seminal ’50s sitcom I Love Lucy is a classic example of Sorkin overreach, but aside from that, Kidman and particularly Bardem are both electric as the titular couple, and JK Simmons provides typically grumpy support as the Ricardos co-star and frequent tormentor William Frawley. Elsewhere, Tony Hale and Alia Shawkat help to flesh out the cast and provide able support, but this is all about the couple at the heart of the story, and they really are magnificent.
Now, I’m not the kind of person to throw their underwear at someone in an act of flagrant adoration, but when Bardem starts playing Spanish guitar here whilst gently crooning I came over all a-flutter. That’s a man who knows how to change a tire. But I imagine he’d also be sensitive to one’s feelings in times of crisis. Imagine being in his arms. The sheer brute strength of him. What was I writing about again? Ah yes, Being the Ricardos. Forgive me, dear reader, forgive me…
It’s a well known Hollywood quirk that film studios often bring out rival productions about the same specific subject in the same year, and so it is this year with Amy Poehler’s documentary Lucy and Desi offering an alternative viewpoint on the charismatic couple. While there is room for both a feature film and a documentary about a subject so rich, if you only watch one of them, make it this one. If not for Sorkin’s typically smart script then for a pair of stunning performances from Bardem and Kidman. Just don’t gaze into Bardem’s eyes too much. It’s easy to get lost.