Being the Ricardos (2021)

[Thomas T]

Title: Being the Ricardos

Genre: Drama, History

Director: Aaron Sorkin

Cast: Nicole Kidman, Javier Bardem, J.K. Simmons, Jake Lacy, Nina Arianda, Alia Shawkat, Linda Lavin, Clark Gregg, Tony Hale, Robert Pine, Ronny Cox, Nelson Franklin, Christopher Denham, John Rubinstein, Jonah Platt, Matt Cook, Jamie Miller, Pamela Mitchell, Renee Pezzotta, Ron Ostrow, Breanna Wing, Kate Ellie Fitzgerald, John Funk, Dana Lyn Baron, Dan Sachoff, Jenya Chaplin, John F. Carpenter, Gail Rastorfer, Shiree Nelson, Lori Dorfman, Jeremiah Ripley, Angela Leib, Evie Nicholson, Louis Delavenne

Release: 2021-12-10

Runtime: 125

Plot: Follows Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz as they face a crisis that could end their careers and another that could end their marriage.

https://variety.com/2021/film/news/nicole-kidman-javier-bardem-lucille-ball-desi-arnaz-1234882890/

 

[Garysb]

Nicole Kidman And Javier Bardem Eyed To Play Lucille Ball And Desi Arnaz With Aaron Sorkin Directing ‘Being The Ricardos’ For Amazon Studios

Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem are in negotiations to play Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz Aaron Sorkin's 'Being the Ricardos' biopic for Amazon.

deadline.com

Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem in discussions to play Lucy and Desi. Movie has been written by and will be directed by Aaron Sorkin.
The description states The film is set during one production week of I Love Lucy — Monday table read through Friday audience filming— when Lucy and Desi face a crisis that could end their careers and another that could end their marriage.

From that description I would guess it takes place during the week Lucy was accused of being a communist. She had register to vote communist in 1936 though she stated she never voted communist. Walter Winchell broke the story as a blind item on his radio show. If memory serves the episode being filmed was "The Girls Go Into Business" where Lucy and Ethel buy a Dress Shop (Ethellu or Lucyeth)

 

[EricSchulz]

Hmmmm...it doesn't say it explicitly but is this a "speculative fiction" take (like Ryan Murphy's "Hollywood") or is it relatively biographical?

 

[Thomas T]

Hmmmm...it doesn't say it explicitly but is this a "speculative fiction" take (like Ryan Murphy's "Hollywood") or is it relatively biographical?

Knowing Sorkin's work, I suspect a little bit of both

 

[DVBRD]

Given the fact that Lucy and Desi's kids are involved in this one, I suspect that the two will be treated with the utmost respect.

 

[Robert Crawford]

The only thing I want to know is who is playing Vivian Vance and William Frawley?

 

[Johnny Angell]

The only thing I want to know is who is playing Vivian Vance and William Frawley?

The Mertzes.

 

[TravisR]

The only thing I want to know is who is playing Vivian Vance and William Frawley?

After the past year, my body has deteriorated to the point that I now look like William Frawley.

 

[Robert Crawford]

After the past year, my body has deteriorated to the point that I now look like William Frawley.

Hell, William Frawley even looks better than me now.

 

[Thomas T]

The only thing I want to know is who is playing Vivian Vance and William Frawley?

I'm not a casting director but may I suggest Allison Janney and Bill Murray.

 

[Sega]

Nicole Kidman And Javier Bardem Eyed To Play Lucille Ball And Desi Arnaz With Aaron Sorkin Directing ‘Being The Ricardos’ For Amazon Studios

Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem are in negotiations to play Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz Aaron Sorkin's 'Being the Ricardos' biopic for Amazon.

deadline.com

Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem in discussions to play Lucy and Desi. Movie has been written by and will be directed by Aaron Sorkin.
The description states The film is set during one production week of I Love Lucy — Monday table read through Friday audience filming— when Lucy and Desi face a crisis that could end their careers and another that could end their marriage.

From that description I would guess it takes place during the week Lucy was accused of being a communist. She had register to vote communist in 1936 though she stated she never voted communist. Walter Winchell broke the story as a blind item on his radio show. If memory serves the episode being filmed was "The Girls Go Into Business" where Lucy and Ethel buy a Dress Shop (Ethellu or Lucyeth)

Man. What a mess. And waste. Lucy & Desi are rolling in their graves.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

These are all wonderful talents but at first glance I don’t see it. On the other hand, the casting director and director have the script and heard the actors read for the role, so they must’ve seen something they liked. I’ll give it a chance.

 

[Johnny Angell]

Man. What a mess. And waste. Lucy & Desi are rolling in their graves.

How do you know that. It hasn’t even been produced and you KNOW it’s bad?

 

[Sega]

No One can ever take the place of Lucy & Desi.
This movie will be nothing more than a cheap try and redo. Of one of the all-time great TV shows.
This shows you again. They can't do anything new.
To much work. They can't do that now, can they?

 

[Johnny Angell]

No One can ever take the place of Lucy & Desi.
This movie will be nothing more than a cheap try and redo. Of one of the all-time great TV shows.
This shows you again. They can't do anything new.
To much work. They can't do that now, can they?

I think I can say with confidence that no one is trying to replace Lucy & Desi. As I understand it, the movie will cover a week in the production of their show. Did you complain when Spielberg directed “Lincoln”, that he was trying to replace Abe? No, he was trying to bring history to life. That’s how I see this production.

I’ll wait to trash it when I know it deserves it.

BTW, I was a kid growing up in the 50’s and I lived for the next episode and watched the reruns many times. I’m a big fan.

 

[Thomas T]

No One can ever take the place of Lucy & Desi.
This movie will be nothing more than a cheap try and redo. Of one of the all-time great TV shows.
This shows you again. They can't do anything new.
To much work. They can't do that now, can they?

No one is doing a remake of I Love Lucy! It's a biographical film focusing on a particular time of their lives.

Did you object when Renee Zellweger played Judy Garland?
Did you object when Jamie Foxx played Ray Charles?
Did you object when Cate Blanchett played Katharine Hepburn?
Did you object when Joaquin Phoenix played Johnny Cash?
Did you object when Annette Bening played Gloria Grahame?
Did you object when Robert Downey Jr. played Charlie Chaplin?
Did you object when Carroll Baker played Jean Harlow?
Did you object when Kevin Kline played Errol Flynn?
Did you object when Jessica Lange played Joan Crawford?
Did you object when Rami Malek played Freddie Mercury?
Did you object when Michelle Williams played Marilyn Monroe?
Did you object when Rod Steiger played W.C. Fields?
Did you object when Barbra Streisand played Fanny Brice?
Did you object when Donald O'Connor played Buster Keaton?
Did you object when Helena Bonham Carter played Elizabeth Taylor?
Did you object when Geoffrey Rush played Peter Sellers?
Did you object when Margot Robbie played Sharon Tate?
Did you object when Errol Flynn played John Barrymore?
Did you object when Susan Sarandon played Bette Davis?
Did you object when Kurt Russell played Elvis Presley?
Did you object when Jill Clayburgh played Carole Lombard?
Did you object when Rudolf Nureyev played Rudolph Valentino?
Did you object when Nicole Kidman played Grace Kelly?
Did you object when Ben Affleck played George Reeves?
Did you object when Kristin Stewart played Jean Seberg?
Did you object when John C. Reilly played Stan Laurel?
Did you object when Diane Lane played Paulette Goddard?

 

[Robert Crawford]

Yeah, I don't get the criticism either for the reasons Johnny and Thomas has stated.

 

[bmasters9]

Did you complain when Spielberg directed “Lincoln”, that he was trying to replace Abe? No, he was trying to bring history to life. That’s how I see this production.

And that's how I saw that 1994 Quiz Show film w/Christopher McDonald, John Turturro, et al.-- Robert Redford had the same goal there, IMO, and where the role of Jack Barry was concerned, Chris couldn't replace Jack, but I thought Chris did remarkably well (AAMOF, it seems that Chris was the same age in that film as Jack Barry was at the time of the ill-fated Twenty-One broadcasts).

 

[Garysb]

Lucie Arnaz responds to casting criticism.

Lucille Ball’s Daughter Defends Nicole Kidman Casting For Aaron Sorkin’s ‘Being The Ricardos’

On Sunday, Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz's daughter Lucie Arnaz set the record straight on Nicole Kidman's casting.

deadline.com

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

About the only actress I can think of who could have pulled off Lucille Ball is Brittany Murphy, before her untimely death. You don't just need to be a great actress, you also need to be a great comedic talent.