Being the Ricardos

Here’s your Best Actress, ladies and gentlemen: Nicole Kidman is a marvel as Hollywood legend Lucille Ball, delivering not only comedy but intellect, wit, strength, vulnerability, and compassion in a performance that is truly remarkable. Kidman headlines a stellar cast including Javier Bardem, JK Simmons, Nina Arianda (a revelation as Vivian Vance), Tony Hale, and Alia Shawkat. Alas, the film itself is not perfect - the overly didactic script relies on a completely unnecessary pseudo-documentary conceit to “educate” the viewer about the history of the events rather than just trusting that we are smart enough to follow along without an outline. Nonetheless, the acting and the marvelous midcentury production design transcend the lecturing. (Being the Ricardos is available on Amazon Prime, so you can stream it right now for no additional charge!)