Lucy Eths

The film shows how the sausage is made and it isn’t pretty, not that the film itself was much prettier. Stories about the “Lucy” set have been told in books and articles but this film shows the Hollywood nonsense that comes to mind when one hears of divisions and petty behavior. Perhaps the film intended to show the stress that fame brings, but it conveys immature behaviors and a lack of appreciation that should be a part of success. What a shame. For the film itself, Kidman is simply not believable as Lucille Ball. I’m not referring to great comedic skills, we all know these are impossible shoes to fill. But Kidman didn’t come close to catching even one of the quintessential facial expressions, her attempts are quite forced. The essence of Lucille Ball’s comedy was in looking very natural in all she did. Anyone playing Ball must have that basic comedic ability, to be natural, otherwise don’t recreate well known scenes. Other leading roles were well cast, Bardem was outstanding as Desi Arnaz. As for the story of “I Love Lucy” behind the cameras, the production looked more like kid’s fighting on a playground than actors working on a set (no disrespect to kids intended). Vance and Frawley are constantly jabbing at one another, the writers frequently bicker and vie for credit over ideas, Ball hurls childish insults at a director and generally tries to handle personal struggles by involving her producer and writer, instead of managing any problems with the power she had as the co-owner of Desilu Productions. I was disappointed to come away having more respect for Desi Arnaz, the cheating husband, than for anyone else portrayed. He used his authority as owner of the production to hold together this mix of temperamental actors, network execs and the corporate advertiser, despite a very non-cohesive atmosphere. I guess I shouldn’t have looked behind the curtain.