BEING THE RICARDOS Trailer
Alright, let’s do this. Let’s dig into the Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz biopic seemingly no one wanted.
The project has been decried since it was first announced, with many hesitant to unearth the lives of two of the biggest comedy stars of all time. You know all about I Love Lucy, I’m sure, as it’s impossible to see a comedy montage without Ball’s antics popping up. The accolades and enduring love the show has received is well earned, but this movie looks to peel off the veneer the show put on the real-life couple.
Consternation about this project comes not just from the concept but from pretty much everyone who is attached, starting with writer and director Aaron Sorkin. The once adored writer has been building up vocal critics for years now, and his current mode of glossy, out-of-touch biopics elicit as many cringes as they do accolades. Just look at the trajectory of his last film, The Trial of the Chicago 7, which was received with a palpable schism between its well-made and effective production and the uncomfortable smoothing it put on its story about protesting at a time when protestors were pushing hard for needed change in America.
Will Sorkin be more attune to the moment with Being the Ricardos? His reactions to pre-release critiques aren’t promising, particularly his comments to The Hollywood Reporter about the casting of Spanish actor Javier Bardem as the Columbian Arnaz, which betrayed some fundamental misunderstandings of the issue.
Bardem is undeniably a great actor, but should he be playing Arnaz? The same can be asked about Nicole Kidman as Ball, but for entirely different reasons.
Sorkin, Bardem, and Kidman are great at what they do, but this project has all sorts of question marks. But whether we like it or not, we’re getting it.
Being the Ricardos is directed by Aaron Sorkin and stars Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem. It will be released in the US theatrically on December 10th, 2021 and on Amazon Prime December 21st.
Will your love drive you to the theater for this one? Let us know in the comments!
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