‘Being the Ricardos’ Released in January 2022? Javier Bardem Steals the Show

The Lucille Ball biopic “Being the Ricardos” test screened last night in the west coast. The film, which was written and directed by Aaron Sorkin, follows Lucy (Nicole Kidman) and Desi (Javier Bardem) as they “face a crisis that could end their careers and another that could end their marriage”.

Bardem is supposedly the standout in ‘Ricardos.’ I spoke to two people and they both said the audience absolutely ate up his performance. This is another glossy film from Sorkin, a very slick affair that is meant to be seen by as wide an audience as possible. The person I spoke to compared it to the straightforward style of “Bombshell,” adding multiple acting and tech noms are in store for it (in terms of Oscar).

Those who attended the screening last night were told not to post any thoughts on social media about the film until January 2022, which tells me this might come out next year just at the deadline for Oscar eligibility.

Here’s a third reaction I received:

“Audiences should generally be receptive to “Being the Ricardos”, but more importantly, Hollywood gets to watch their favorite genre again, themselves. “Being the Ricardos” was satisfying entertaining and well palatable overall, but the film is not without its qualms. A cocktail mix of Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip and David O. Russell’s “Joy” meets the behind-the-scenes of I Love Lucy. It's all set in mostly a single set detailing the story of Lucille Ball being the first woman to run a major television studio, Desilu Productions. In signature Aaron Sorkin fashion, expect an array of snappy and clever dialogue. The best moments take us inside the writers’ room, but the romantic elements of the movie felt the most rushed and less researched. Big emotional swings may not land in ways Sorkin likely anticipated when penning it on the page, such as monologues about sordid affairs between the couple that bait on Oscar chewery. Both actors may very well land acting nominations come next year. Kidman is reliably good, channels Ball better the deeper we go, yet surprisingly Javier Bardem stole the picture.  In terms of the rest of the cast, no one else really stood out to their degree.”