Being the Ricardos 2021 drama

This show brought back nostalgic memories of watching early TV programs on our boxy, cathode-ray-tube TV set filled with clusters of glowing electronic vacuum tubes. The 1950’s TVs were not reliable, and people were on a first name basis with their TV repairman. The I Love Lucy show was one of the staples because of its broad appeal and physical comedy – simple and perfectly mindless entertainment. This Amazon Studio production (free streaming with Amazon Prime) is a behind-the-scenes look at the real life characters with a focus on Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz.

Being the Ricardos won me over rather quickly. Once you realize that Kidman is playing Lucille Ball and not TV character Lucy Ricardo, it all makes perfect sense. Ball was an intense, complicated person and sometimes, as shown in the film, trying to figure out how to make people laugh was a tough job with a lot of pressure. That pressure only increased when her enemies came after her with accusations of being a commie. Set during the infamous McCarthy era witch hunts adds to the true life drama. I have a soft spot for retro TV and everything about Being the Ricardos just worked; from the great acting job by Nicole Kidman, to rapid-fire dialogue, to the vintage wardrobe. Being the Ricardos is a first class film and gave the famous redhead all the respect she deserves.

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