Get the MovieNight app
Add it to your home screen — faster & full screen
Get the MovieNight app
Add it to your home screen — faster & full screen
Amazon Studios
Big Indie Pictures
Escape Artists
Not part of a collection.
A story behind one of the most influential shows of all time.
Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz face a crisis that could end their careers and another that could end their marriage.
tmdb28039023
Aug 28, 2022 · via TMDB
There are two lines of dialogue in Being the Ricardos that really caught my attention. One is “I literally said that 30 seconds ago,” and the other is “It takes fewer words to say that than the truth.” This film feels like a lot of the former when it should be more of the latter. Why does a movie called Being the Ricardos spends so much time on Ethel/Vivian Vance (Nina Arianda) and Fred/William Frawley (J.K. Simmons), whom nobody cared about 70 years ago, and no one cares about today? Speaking of redundant characters, writer/director Aaron Sorkin aims to give the film a documentary feel with asides set in the present day in which people involved with the production of I Love Lucy talk about it — kind of like in Reds, except that Reds worked because the individuals interviewed were who they were supposed to be, and not actors playing aged versions of people who are already played by other, younger actors in the main narrative. These parentheses do little but repeat things we have just seen, or are about to see, dramatized in the scene immediately before or after (either show or tell — preferably show —, but not both); they have no value other than as filler, and filler is exactly the last thing a two-hour-plus movie needs. Ostensibly, the plot revolves around a typical week on I Love Lucy’s set, including rehearsals, filming, etc. — and indeed a fly-on-the-wall behind-the-scenes approach to the inner workings of one of the most influential TV shows history should be able to generate more than enough interest on its own. Sorkin, however, brings up momentous events only to gloss them over. For example, Lucille Ball (an unrecognizable Nicole Kidman) and Desi Arnaz (Javier Bardem in the perfect role for his routine massacre of the English language) are having a second child (although their firstborn is so irrelevant to Sorkin that she is named a couple of times and seen only once), and they both decide that Lucy and Ricky will have a kid too; this aspect is mentioned, and even discussed, but never really addressed, and the reason for this omission is obvious: since, as I already pointed out, the central section of the film takes place over the course of a week (with flashbacks that become an unnecessary distraction), her pregnancy never gets a chance to be truly incorporated into the plot. Another incident that Sorkin touches on but doesn’t even begin to explore is when Ball was accused of being a communist. This is treated as no more than a minor annoyance, but surely it should have affected her career much more than the film lets on —and if it didn’t, what was it that made Ball so special that this didn’t even qualify as a bump in the road? All things considered, Being the Ricardos devotes way too much time to extracurricular activities. Sacrificing length for depth might have turned this 125-minute behemoth into a much more manageable 90-minute romp.
CinemaSerf
Mar 27, 2022 · via TMDB
I vaguely recall watching "I Love Lucy" - or perhaps I just recall that memorable theme tune, but I have to say I knew nothing at all about the "Desilu" couple before watching this. As ever, it has Sorkin's trademark dialogue - quickly paced, pithy at times; but somehow the performances just didn't catch fire. Kidman is a very versatile actress, she can turn her hand to just abut anything - but for this to have worked better, she would have needed a more convincing foil. Javier Bardem just isn't him. Their lively relationship is suggested rather than demonstrated and much of what made them the US household names they were is, again, just taken for granted. Their domestic status as super-stars was not replicated globally, and yet little time is spent trying to explain to those less familiar just who they were and why they were so popular. JK Simmons is effective as their co-star "Bill Frawley" and all told it is a watchable biopic, but for me it looked more like a labour of love for an auteur who was maybe just a bit too close to the subject matter, and who made assumptions that the rest of us would be also. It looks great, has a ping at the Communist witch-hunt apparatus in place at the time, but is all just to shallow for me. I bet there is a proper, deep-drama, to be made about this pair, though - just not this film.
User reviews courtesy of TMDB.
Amazon Video
Apple TV Store
Google Play Movies
YouTube
Fandango At Home
Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Prime Video with Ads
Amazon Video
Google Play Movies
YouTube
Fandango At Home
Nicole Kidman
Lucille Ball
Javier Bardem
Desi Arnaz
J.K. Simmons
William Frawley
Nina Arianda
Vivian Vance
Tony Hale
Jess Oppenheimer
Alia Shawkat
Madelyn Pugh
Jake Lacy
Bob Carroll Jr.
Linda Lavin
Older Madelyn Pugh
Ronny Cox
Older Bob Carroll
John Rubinstein
Older Jess Oppenheimer
Clark Gregg
Howard Wenke
Nelson Franklin
Joe Strickland
Jeff Holman
Roger Otter
Jonah Platt
Tip Tribby
Christopher Denham
Donald Glass
Brian Howe
Charles Koerner
Ron Perkins
Macy
Baize Buzan
Mary Pat
Matt Cook
1st AD
Dan Sachoff
David Levy
Max Silvestri
David Hart
Renee Pezzotta
Italian Woman
Breanna Wing
Chorus Girl Angie
Caroline Anderson
Chorus Girl Daisy
Jamie Miller
Chorus Girl Patty
Gail Rastorfer
Dresser
John Funk
J. Edgar Hoover (voice)
Stephanie Lesh-Farrell
Radio Show Katy
Ron Ostrow
Radio Show Man
Pamela Bell Mitchell
Radio Show Woman
Jack Benza
Security Guard Bobby
Peter Onorati
Vittorio
Evie Nicholson
Woman Outside Ciro's
John F. Carpenter
Radio Show Announcer
Melinda Sullivan
Ann Miller
Allan Wayne Anderson
Camera C Focus Puller
Val Chmerkovskiy
Ciro's Dancer
Asiel Hardison
Ciro's Dancer
Reina Hidalgo
Ciro's Dancer
Leo Moctezuma
Ciro's Dancer
Britt Stewart
Ciro's Dancer
Jenna Johnson
Ciro's Dancer
Emily Marsh
Woman #1
Chris Wolfe
Announcer
Jon Hutman
Production Design
Lucas Bielan
Camera Operator
Jeff Cronenweth
Director of Photography
Kyra Panchenko
Makeup Artist
Ana Lozano
Makeup Department Head
Christopher Scott
Choreographer
Aaron Sorkin
Director
Francine Maisler
Casting
Desi Arnaz Jr.
Executive Producer
Lucie Arnaz
Executive Producer
Jason Blumenthal
Producer
Steve Tisch
Producer
Todd Black
Producer
Mary Ramos
Music Supervisor
Daniel Pemberton
Original Music Composer
Steven A. Morrow
Sound Mixer
Trey McMenamin
Visual Effects Producer
Aaron Sorkin
Writer
Emilie Busquant, an Algerian passion
Ich bin nicht Gott, aber wie Gott
Twice Lost
Manto
Lost in the Wilderness
Only One Woman
Ayaz
The Godfather
The Godfather Part II
Henry IV
Hope
The Elephant Man
Children of Paradise
Drei Tage im April
Rikard Nordraak
Prologue
The Secrets of St. Yuri
UnMarry
Braveheart
Flamin' Hot
A Beautiful Mind
Mulholland Drive
The King of Comedy
Hotel Rwanda
Always - Sunset on Third Street
An Adventure in Space and Time
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
The Crowd
Changeling
I Still Believe
Girl, Interrupted
Eyes Wide Shut
Badlands
Kim Jong-un: The Unauthorized Biography
On Promised Land
Glory
Ludwig
H-8...
Glory Road
Boys Don't Cry
Frida
Selma
Sissi
Becoming Jane
The Patriot
Desert Hearts
Sissi: The Young Empress
Lorenzo's Oil
Sophie Scholl: The Final Days
Intolerance: Love's Struggle Throughout the Ages
Lords of Dogtown
United 93
The Bravest
Father Stu
Good Night, and Good Luck.
Gridiron Gang
The Country Girl
Holiday Inn
Pirates of Silicon Valley
Yankee Doodle Dandy
Monarch
Mah e Mir
Hold Me Tight
Heavenly Creatures
Rescue Dawn
Antwone Fisher
The War of the Roses
Gods and Monsters
Frances
The Dam Busters
Friday Night Lights
The Electrical Life of Louis Wain
James Dean
The Purple Gang
Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and the Band
Mat Kilau
Robert Redford: The Golden Look
Kollision
Belle Époque
Louis Cyr: The Strongest Man in the World
Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot
The Children of Huang Shi
Military Wives
Cantinflas
Flyboys
Sobibor
The Last Vermeer
The Perfect Storm
Reflections in a Golden Eye
Infamous
The Bookshop
The Lindbergh Kidnapping Case
Next Goal Wins
Intimate Enemies
Lili Marleen
Tropic Pathway
Sommersby
Battle in Seattle
Uncommon Valor
Mr. Gam’s Victory
Melvin Purvis G-Man
The Good Girl
Nurses on the Line: The Crash of Flight 7
Losing Ground
Julia
In the Name of the Law
Further Prophecies of Nostradamus
Smetana
Plastic
Domino
Lakshmi
The Legend of Paul and Paula
Daphne
Conference
Miracolo a Palermo!
Tattoo
La dernière échappée
Francisco Brennand
No Good Deed
Man About Town
Hollywood 90028
Capone
Running on Empty
Christmas at Maxwell's
Prometey
Murder One
Om Namo Venkatesaya
Achena Uttam
Bocage, the Triumph of Love
Bell Witch Haunting
The Swimmer
Enough
Is This Love?
Cocaine: History Between the Lines
Gilded Rage
Bag Man
Queen Elizabeth II: Her Glorious Reign
Profesor na bielom koni
Starling
Wet Things
Karola
Suzanne
Gadkari
Wonderful Youth
Courting Danger
Heaven and Nature
Strong Hearts Have Scars
Opioid Scare
Children of Nowhere
Killa Bee
Wrath Of A Broken Man
Wherever We Are
12 Years a Slave
Something the Lord Made
Rocketman
Marshall
Pierrepoint: The Last Hangman
The Country Girl
Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody
Shattered Glass
Oranges and Sunshine
Distant Voices, Still Lives
All Eyez on Me
Nickel Boys
Save the Tiger
House of Gucci
Oslo
Experimenter
Born to Be Blue
The Eyes of Tammy Faye
Redbelt
The Smashing Machine
The Day of the Locust
Ferrari
Panther
Blaze
I Am Woman
Where the Truth Lies
De-Lovely
Shirley
Adventures of a Mathematician
Effie Gray
Life
Blonde
Valentino
Dec 10, 2021
Dec 21, 2021
Prime Video
© 2025-2026 MovieNight. All rights reserved.
Versus
Sign in to play →
Seven Dorms of Death
2015
Preview
1982
Sign in to vote
Battle your watched movies head-to-head
Community Top Movies
Evil Dead II
1987 · 14 wins
The Dark Knight
2008 · 14 wins
Halloween
1978 · 13 wins
Final Destination
2000 · 12 wins
Halloween II
1981 · 11 wins
Trivia
Leaderboard →Playing as a guest — sign in to save your score and rank on the leaderboard.
Movie Trivia
Guess the movie from a clue — tagline, plot, cast and more. Pick from four posters.
What movie experience do you prefer?
What is your favorite movie genre?
Versus
Sign in to play →
Seven Dorms of Death
2015
Preview
1982
Sign in to vote
Battle your watched movies head-to-head
Community Top Movies
Evil Dead II
1987 · 14 wins
The Dark Knight
2008 · 14 wins
Halloween
1978 · 13 wins
Final Destination
2000 · 12 wins
Halloween II
1981 · 11 wins
Trivia
Leaderboard →Playing as a guest — sign in to save your score and rank on the leaderboard.
Movie Trivia
Guess the movie from a clue — tagline, plot, cast and more. Pick from four posters.
What movie experience do you prefer?
What is your favorite movie genre?
We use essential cookies to run MovieNight, plus analytics (Google Analytics) and advertising (Google AdSense) cookies. By continuing to browse, you agree to this — or click No and we won't. See our Terms & Privacy Policy to learn more.