Lucy (2003)

MOW about the life of Lucille Ball, focusing on the loving yet tumultuous relationship with Desi Arnaz.

Director:

Glenn Jordan

Writers:

Katie Ford, T.S. Cook

Stars:

Rachel York, Danny Pino, Ann Dowd

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Rachel York	...	Lucille Ball
Danny Pino	...	Desi Arnaz
Ann Dowd	...	Dede
LaChanze	...	Harriett
Madeline Zima	...	Teen Lucy
Rebecca Hobbs	...	Vivian Vance
Merv Smith	...	Grandpa Fred
Russell Newman	...	Bill Frawley
Zoe Carides	...	Lolita De Acha
Chris Brougham	...	Adult Freddy
Ray Woolf	...	Ed Sedgwick
Peter Mochrie	...	Don Sharpe
Andrew Robertt	...	Bob Carroll Jr. (as Andrew Mitchell)
Lauchlin MacDonald	...	Jess Oppenheimer (as Lachlan Macdonald)
Theresa Healey	...	Madelyn Pugh

Storyline

After her parents are financially ruined in a lawsuit over a shooting accident, Lucille 'Lucy' Ball pursues her dream of fame as actress. She succeeds in comical parts, often the girl who gets the cake in her face. Then she meets and soon marries the love of her life, Desiderio 'Desi' . Ricky, Latin band leader and aristocratic son of an exiled Cuban mayor. Desi proves a business genius, who gets a revolutionary method adopted to gain production control of the sitcom "I Love Lucy", a format devised for him and Lucy to star in. Despite offspring, their family life soon gets into stormy waters, mainly due to his infidelity, gambling and temper.

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Plot Keywords:

love | infidelity | gambling | jealousy | face slap | 

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Taglines:

When the comedy stopped...real life began.

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Genres:

Biography | Comedy | Drama

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Details

Official Sites:

CBS Primetime Movies

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 May 2003 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Auckland, New Zealand

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS), Film Factory Lucy Productions Ltd., Holiday Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

128 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

During the "Pioneer Women" Episode recreation, Lucy and Ethel are in the living room discussing the amount of yeast Lucy added to the bread. In the actual "Pioneer Women" episode, Lucy and Ethel were in the kitchen when this scene occurred.

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Quotes

[on Desi's infidelity]
Lucy: That's your excuse? Because your daddy did it long ago on some Spic island?

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Connections

References Make Room for Daddy (1953)

User Reviews

Rachel York was fantastic in "Lucy"

I thought Rachel York was fantastic as "Lucy." I have seen her in "Kiss Me, Kate" and "Victor/Victoria," as well, and in each of these performances she has developed very different, and very real, characterizations. She is a chameleon who can play (and sing) anything!

I am very surprised at how many negative reviews appear here regarding Rachel's performance in "Lucy." Even some bonafide TV and entertainment critics seem to have missed the point of her portrayal. So many people have focused on the fact that Rachel doesn't really look like Lucy. My response to that is, "So what?" I wasn't looking for a superficial impersonation of Lucy. I wanted to know more about the real woman behind the clown. And Rachel certainly gave us that, in great depth. I also didn't want to see someone simply "doing" classic Lucy routines. Therefore I was very pleased with the decision by the producers and director to have Rachel portray Lucy in rehearsal for the most memorable of these skits - Vitameatavegamin and The Candy Factory. (It seems that some of the reviewers didn't realize that these two scenes were meant to be rehearsal sequences and not the actual skits). This approach, I thought, gave an innovative twist to sketches that so many of us know by heart. I also thought Rachel was terrifically fresh and funny in these scenes. And she absolutely nailed the routines that were recreated - the Professor and the Grape Stomping, in particular. There was one moment in the Grape scene where the corner of Rachel's mouth had the exact little upturn that I remember Lucy having. I couldn't believe she was able to capture that - and so naturally.

I wonder if many of the folks who criticized the performance were expecting to see the Lucille Ball of "I Love Lucy" throughout the entire movie. After all, those of us who came to know her only through TV would not have any idea what Lucy was really like in her early movie years. I think Rachel showed a natural progression in the character that was brilliant. She planted all the right seeds for us to see the clown just waiting to emerge, given the right set of circumstances. Lucy didn't fit the mold of the old studio system. In her frustrated attempts to become the stereotypical movie star of that era, she kept repressing what would prove to be her ultimate gifts.

I believe that Rachel deftly captured the comedy, drama, wit, sadness, anger, passion, love, ambition, loyalty, sexiness, self absorption, childishness, and stoicism all rolled into one complex American icon. And she did it with an authenticity and freshness that was totally endearing. "Lucy" was a star turn for Rachel York. I hope it brings a flood of great roles her way in the future. I also hope it brings her an Emmy.