Biopic Series: Being the Ricardos
It’s hard to watch this film without feeling empathy, or at least sympathy, for Lucille Ball. After getting released from her previous contract where she’s the second female lead in an obscure TV show, she works her way up to landing lead in an A-picture, meeting the love of her life, Desi Arnaz, and being the titular star of arguably America’s most popular sitcom ever with 67 million viewers. She has it all but is not content. And what does she want? Her husband to come home after work.
Over the course of the film, we see Lucille repeatedly trying to save her marriage, or save her show in order to save her marriage, or save her reputation in order to save her show in order to save her marriage. Her relationship with her husband is explored in unorthodox ways, and while Desi’s authority is questioned numerous times, there is always a mutual sense of respect between the couple. Desi wants to protect his wife from Hollywood, while allowing her to keep being Television’s most adored persona. Lucille, again, just wants her husband home, and so she makes their fake life on the wooden constructed apartment their ‘home,’ and spends every minute of rehearsals attempting to ensure the show — the only place she gets to be with her husband — is perfect.
In the final of five acts, Lucille proposes an alternate scene to the screenplay: she’s meticulously setting a table with freshly cut flowers when Desi comes on stage and announces “Honey, I’m home!” Lucille, who only did this show to be with her husband, and who for years has only wanted to be with her husband, freezes on set. She’s been waiting so long to hear those words that when she hears them, she realizes that’s all they ever will be — lines on a script. This alternate scene allowed Lucille to live vicariously through the character she portrayed, and in that moment, she finally gave up trying to clip a wing that was meant to fly. Eventually they go with the writer’s original scene and the camera fades away.
Being the Ricardos is a film that doesn’t have a whole lot going for it, but is heavily supported by incredibly strong acting. Kidman, Bardem, Simmons, Arianda, and Shawcat all put in their arguable career best performances. J. K. Simmons especially is incredible and although we see him in a lot of stuff, his performances remain very convincing and you can’t help but admit his filmography is the definition of range.
