Being the Ricardos

Being the Ricardos: Directed by Aaron Sorkin (2021)

Review ©2021 by Vernon Miles Kerr and VernonMilesKerr.com

A good movie critique should never come across as “effusively complementary,” so, be forewarned, this one will be a bad critique — by that definition — because “Being the Ricardos” is so damned good. It was like watching history. All four of the stars, Nicole Kidman as Lucille Ball; Javier Bardem as Desi Arnaz; J.K. Simmons as William Frawley; and Nina Arianda as Vivian Vance virtually CHANNELED their characters — so much so that you find yourself forgetting you are watching a performance. I came away with a new respect for the the technical genius and the business acumen that both Lucy and Desi exhibited. I also appreciate that the film shows the human, weak side of each partner, in a straight forward but loving way. Even with all their personal turmoil, the end product of Desi and Lucy’s collaborative years is no less worthy of being considered part of our world cultural heritage. Five out of Five Stars. Highly recommended.

VMK