Kidman’s performance leaves this Lucy tribute lacking
Film Critic Jason Evans is on a mission to tell you everything you need to know about movies in less time than it takes to stomp grapes into wine. Jason’s reviews are exactly 100 words (not 99, not 101). This is his 100 word review of Meet The Ricardos.
The Premise – Welcome to the worst week in the life of Lucile
Ball (Nicole Kidman) and Desi Arnaz (Javier Bardem). Lucy is worried Desi is
cheating on her, they are trying to figure out how to tell CBS that Lucy is
pregnant, and there are rumors flying around that Lucy is secretly a communist.
Through flashbacks and tense interactions with the cast and crew we get the
history of how this couple came to be the most popular stars on television… but
it could all come crashing down at any moment. The film is written and
directed by Aaron Sorkin (The Social Network, The West Wing, Trial of the
Chicago 7). It also stars J.K. Simmons (Whiplash) as William Frawley, the man who
played Fred Mertz on I Love Lucy.
The 100 Words – Though a high-quality production laced with
Sorkin’s crackling dialogue, Kidman is horribly miscast as Lucy. She has none
of the comedic skills or physical abilities that made Lucy into a legend. Plus,
she is forced to operate behind annoying facial prosthetics that make it even harder
for her to generate a believable performance. The rest of the cast, especially
the supporting characters, are stellar and it is fun to see the politics and
practicality of how TV worked in the 1950s, but the film drags through the
middle third. Sorkin needed both a tighter script and a different lead actress.
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