Tuesday
Oct192021
Yes No Maybe So: "Being the Ricardos"
Tuesday, October 19, 2021 at 2:30PM by Nathaniel R
the stars at a table read
The teaser is out for Amazon's Being the Ricardo, which is not a biopic in the common sense but a behind-the-scenes drama about one week in the making of the I Love Lucy show and the volatile Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball marriage/working relationship. At least that's what we've heard about it. The trailer on the other hand, suggests something more like a glimpse of Lucille Ball's ego and fight to stay on top in the (then) new medium of television.
Let's discuss after the jump...
YES
- Javier Bardem and Nicole Kidman together is automatic bonus points for "things we can't wait to see". And the casting of Fred & Vivian (J.K. Simmons and Nina Arianda) feels inspired... at least on paper and in this brief glimpse.
- The best kind of biopics are these kinds -- where its just a tiny segment of the life to give us an impression of a moment in history
- Aaron Sorkin as a writer.
J.K. and Nina as Fred & Vivien rubbernecking like they're moviegoers checking out Nicole & Javier as Ricky & Lucy
NO
- Um... why are they hiding Nicole's face? This does not scream confidence in the film. It would be one thing if the trailer didn't show her at all and ended with a real reveal in closeup but she's visible in medium and longshots (though sometimes unintentionally funny in strenuous -we're not letting you look at her! - ways) all throughout the trailer. The only clear shot is when she steps into the grapes from a very famous I Love Lucy skit and even that is a medium shot and in black and white so it doesn't feel like a "reveal" of the star.
- Aaron Sorkin as a director.
MAYBE SO
- Nicole Kidman doesn't sound like herself which is a good thing. But does she sound like Lucille Ball? Today's film culture demands total mimicry from this type of performance which is a pity as there is FAR more to acting than mimicry. But still. The leap from a dramatic Australian megastar of the 21st century backwards to an comedic American megastar of the 1950s is going to be too great for a lot of people. We don't look forward to the discourse but we are curious about the movie.
What do you make of this teaser? Did it change your assumptions about this movie?
Reader Comments (24)
Definite yes. Months back when we were all counting how many Nicole movies we've seen, I was ashamed of my result. Never again!
absolutely YES.
Huge chance now, given Bardem's look and performance, AMPAS may have the temptation of awarding the marriage Bardem-Cruz this year with wins for both at Lead.
It would be fantastic.
... also, look at the cast. This has SAG Ensemble nomination, maybe win, written all over it, already.
Nicole is my favorite actor, so I’m a yes automatically. I know the casting is controversial, and I was growing wary as time went by without us hearing a peep about the film, but the trailer actually gives me a little bit of hope. I’m really interested in seeing how all of these actors embody the people they’re portraying, since none of them (not just Nicole) look like their real-life counterparts. I’m glad this isn’t a prosthetic/makeup heavy biopic where they rely on that sort of wizardry to “transform” the actors.
As for the voice, I think this is closer to what Nicole sounds like in terms of tone/vocal register (the accent is another story). I always get a kick out of hearing her speak in a deeper voice, though I obviously love whispery Nicole too.
Sorkin in the director’s chair is the biggest drawback, but the combo of cast and subject matter outweighs that for me.
Looks hopelessly artificial and perfunctory, much like the Hopkins-Mirren HITCHCOCK.
And I say this as a massive Lucy fan.
Terrified to get my hopes up after Trial of the Chicago 7, but television is obviously a medium Sorkin knows well so his take on the "golden age" should be interesting at least. And it looks less self-serious than Sorkin's most ill-fated works. So this has me more optimistic than I was before.
Agree it was very peculiar not to have a big reveal of Kidman's face given the editing choices in the trailer.
Who are we kidding? When that memorable theme by composer Eliot Daniel starts at the end of the trailer, every I Love Lucy fan within earshot shrugs knowing we won’t miss Being the Ricardos this holiday season.
Really excited about the movie thanks to this fun and energetic trailer. Can't wait to see it.
I do feel that Kidman may be a hit or miss here. I hope I'm pleasantly surprised.
I agree that Aaron Sorkin, the director, is more of a NO.
If good and genuinely enjoyable, this could actually shake the Best Actress line up quite aggressively. Jessica Chastain (very early release + the movie doesn't have good reviews), Kristen Stewart (people are already feeling cold about Spencer), and Lady Gaga (Scott tends to overdirect things sometimes) could be in trouble.
I am a yes. Looks at least entertaining. I am so excited when the theme of I. Love Lucy starts.
I think they keep hiding Nicole's face because they want to keep it as a surprise. She is the main selling point. This is a teaser after all. I think they know by showing too much now will cause it being overly discussed either positively or negatively. I stay optimistic.
Also I am relieved that the release date is early December which is great; at least they don't hold it until end of December which if that's the case will give me pause. I am excited!
YES.
This and SPENCER are the only movies this year that I cannot wait to watch.
I'm going with a maybe as I just hope it's funny. I just hope Bardem can nail Ricky Ricardo's accent and that line... LUCY! YOU GOT SOME 'SPLAINING TO DO!!!!
starring suzanne stone-maretto as lucille ball
nina arianda is surely more of a lucy than a vivian [see above pic as proof]
par - I actually did think that was Lucy but did a double-take as it didn't look like Kidman.
This screams future "This Had Oscar Buzz" episode (Hitchcock energy is right). Still, since it's on Prime, I'll probably watch it some evening and then regret it. Maybe if it fails, they won't let Sorkin direct anymore - but then again, that rarely happens to a prestige male director after just one flop.
I don't get the Bardem Oscar predictions at all. He doesn't resemble Arnaz at all (physical resemblance is half the battle if you're playing a well-known person) and he's not even Latino, much less Cuban. There were so many better choices for that role.
@par - I noticed Nina's resemblance to Lucy in that still as well.
"NO
Aaron Sorkin as a director."
more like,
NO
Aaron Sorkin
Nicole's wig looks bad. I'm automatically a Yes. Even if this isn't very good, I'm intrigued.
Kidman in no shape or form convinced me that she was Grace Kelly in Monaco, so I'm leery at all that she can pull off Lucy. Seems more like a TV docu-drama in the hands of TV master Sorkin.
Really want to know if they can pull off a good Vivian Vance.
I'm surprised at all these positive reviews of the trailer. This just looks very boring to me and I'm the target audience. I don't know, it feels very Jersey Boys to me. Convinced of its own prestige? And Nicole is more of an automatic no to me than a yes, in other words, it depends on the reviews and word of mouth.
Hell yes. I was skeptical about Fosse Verdon and ended up loving it. I know Sorkin can be problematic but The Social Network and The West Wing are both in my top 10s.
And though I kind of hated Nicole's performances in The Undoing and Nine Perfect Strangers (mostly due to script problems), I'm onboard with this project.
I'm a yes, but I love Nicole and the rest of the cast is exciting.
I'm concerned about Sorkin as a writer. I left this trailer most excited to see what Bardem gets up to in this.
I do think this is an oddly cut trailer. I suppose the grapes scene is the big reveal, and it sort of works, but I don't think it quite does. The camera should have stayed with her a bit longer, because she really does embody the Lucy we know in that moment. It will be interesting to see how this film handles, what I suspect will be, the split between the silly Lucy audiences we know and the hard-minded 1950s bussinesswoman.
It's a bit odd that the film takes place during an episode from Season 1 (or so its been reported), but I'm excited to see how that fits into all of this. From the narration, it makes it sound like Lucy is in her 4th or 5th season.
I'm a YES but not because of the trailer (which is fine). The cast is a must-watch and we NEED more "biopics" like these, as Nathaniel mentions, with a narrow focus. I'm SO TIRED of the other kind of biopic that we only get it seems. Plus... I DO love Lucy so at the very least it'll be entertaining and/or informative!
Out-of-focus Arianda totally looks like young Vivian Vance in that screenshot above. That said, Vance no longer looked that when Lucy went on the air. Though she was only in her early 40s (and only two years older than Ball), she had to frump it up to play "middle-aged" landlady Ethel Mertz.
The grapes episode was definitely not Season 1, so not sure that tracks..
^^^^ Season 5, Episode 23 (1956), in fact.