Dejael Review of Lucy & Desi: Before the Laughter

Lucy & Desi: Before the Laughter (1991 TV Movie)

Classic TV Screen Biopic of popular Hollywood couple

[18 November 2004]

Nostalgic, entertaining, well-done effort about Lucy and Desi, is a fine piece of film-making. Colorful behind-the-scenes look at the real lives of the Hollywood couple, played very convincingly by the principals. However, Frances Fisher is the real star of this marvelous film, with her uncanny resemblance to the real Lucille Ball, and her excellent performance which makes you believe she IS Lucy. Her makeup and hairstyles are impeccably detailed and true to life. Lucille Ball would have been proud of this dramatization of her life, just as she was the real star in many of their films. However, the casting of Benard as Desi leaves something to be desired. There wasn't enough attention given to his makeup and hairstyles, and his performance is less than inspired, and downright lethargic and insipid in some scenes, and his accent is not authentically Cuban. What makes the movie work is the well-written script and marvelous acting by Fisher. The supporting cast are all just so much window dressing - and as others have also noted, the performers cast as Vivian Vance and William Frawley as Fred & Ethel Mertz are not that believable either. Brilliant casting of one lead, Fisher does not justify poor casting of other equally important roles. I for one would have loved to see Desi Arnaz Jr. portray his own father in this film, as he did so well in The MAMBO KINGS (1992). Now that would have made this picture a real piece of art! Even as it is, the film works well, was well-produced, and the color cinematography is first-rate. One outstanding scene is their comedy act in front of Desi's orchestra, with Lucy (like Judy Garland had also done) in clown makeup, another is a remarkable black & white re-creation of a scene from a TV episode of "I Love Lucy". My rating is 7 stars out of 10, mostly for Frances Fisher's excellent performance in the role of a lifetime as that bottle-redhead ball of energy from Jamestown, New York.