Parents' Guide to Being the Ricardos

Sorkin tries to bring viewers into the behind-the-scenes world of I Love Lucy, but overall this drama comes off as an expensive but flat look at an iconic power couple. Ball and Arnaz are up against a wall of controversy in Being the Ricardos thanks to Hollywood gossip linking Ball to communism and Arnaz to infidelity. And Sorkin is clearly interested in dissecting the politics and personal drama that went on behind the scenes of one of America's most popular shows. But it's lacking.

At worst, Being the Ricardos feels like Sorkin putting his Sorkin-isms into overdrive, including moments with the kind of circular, wordy dialogue that only serves Sorkin's sense of his own intelligence. And the way the characters are used feels a bit like what you see in Wes Anderson productions: They're like dolls for Sorkin to position and make talk, not true explorations of the people they're based on. Yes, as a whole, the cast does an impressive job, with Kidman and Bardem nailing Ball and Arnaz's voices and mannerisms (which helps to sell the illusion more than their looks actually do). But even with good actors giving their all, the film never rises above the Sorkin tropes, which makes it feel more tired than it should.