Quartile rating: 7/10 · 1 rating
Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz face a crisis that could end their careers and another that could end their marriage.
Being the Ricardos is anchored by Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem's committed performances as Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, with Kidman especially earning praise for capturing Ball's fierce intelligence and drive beneath the comedic persona. Aaron Sorkin's script is characteristically sharp and witty in its workplace dynamics and rapid-fire dialogue, but his compressed single-week structure feels somewhat contrived as a dramatic device, and the ending lands with less emotional resonance than the buildup promises. Cinematography is competent period recreation without being particularly distinctive. The film offers an interesting insider perspective on early television production but follows familiar biopic conventions, keeping its novelty middling.