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Lucy

  • TV Movie
  • 2003
  • Not Rated
  • 2h 8m
IMDb RATING
6.5/10
996
YOUR RATING
Rachel York and Danny Pino in Lucy (2003)
BiographyComedyDrama

The life of Lucille Ball, focusing on her loving yet tumultuous relationship with Desi Arnaz.The life of Lucille Ball, focusing on her loving yet tumultuous relationship with Desi Arnaz.The life of Lucille Ball, focusing on her loving yet tumultuous relationship with Desi Arnaz.

  • Director
    • Glenn Jordan
  • Writers
    • Katie Ford
    • T.S. Cook
  • Stars
    • Rachel York
    • Danny Pino
    • Ann Dowd
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.5/10
    996
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Glenn Jordan
    • Writers
      • Katie Ford
      • T.S. Cook
    • Stars
      • Rachel York
      • Danny Pino
      • Ann Dowd
    • 22User reviews
    • 6Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Photos2

    View Poster
    View Poster

    Top Cast36

    Edit
    Rachel York
    Rachel York
    • Lucille Ball
    Danny Pino
    Danny Pino
    • Desi Arnaz
    Ann Dowd
    Ann Dowd
    • Dede
    LaChanze
    LaChanze
    • Harriett
    Madeline Zima
    Madeline Zima
    • Teen Lucy
    Rebecca Hobbs
    • Vivian Vance
    Merv Smith
    Merv Smith
    • Grandpa Fred
    Russell Newman
    Russell Newman
    • Bill Frawley
    Zoe Carides
    Zoe Carides
    • Lolita De Acha
    Christopher Brougham
    • Adult Freddy
    • (as Chris Brougham)
    Ray Woolf
    Ray Woolf
    • Ed Sedgwick
    Peter Mochrie
    Peter Mochrie
    • Don Sharpe
    Andrew Robertt
    Andrew Robertt
    • Bob Carroll Jr.
    • (as Andrew Mitchell)
    Lauchlin MacDonald
    Lauchlin MacDonald
    • Jess Oppenheimer
    • (as Lachlan Macdonald)
    Theresa Healey
    • Madelyn Pugh
    Mark Clare
    • Red Skelton
    Vanessa Gray
    Vanessa Gray
    • Carole Lombard
    Ian Mune
    Ian Mune
    • Buster Keaton
    • Director
      • Glenn Jordan
    • Writers
      • Katie Ford
      • T.S. Cook
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews22

    6.5996
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    Featured reviews

    JimTom-2

    Moving

    I have no idea how historically accurate the story is. But to my own surprise, I found myself crying through most of this movie. Gradually--very gradually--the (I must say amazing) actress Rachel York uncannily takes on the appearance and personae of the Lucille Ball we all knew from the wildly popular sitcom people my age grew up with many years ago. Though we read stories of the tensions between Ball and her husband/TV co-star, Desi Arnez, none of it seemed very real. This drama drives it home. It is a true tragi-comedy. Neither of these two enormously talented personalities come across as villains.It is, in the end, simply a tragic clash of cultures.

    All performers in this production are top notch.
    6macarl

    A fairly good treatment

    I saw "Lucy" last night and found it to be a pretty good general overview of the star's rise. It seemed to dwell a bit too much on her relationship with Desi(which never really changed) instead of the other things going on in her life as she became more and more famous.

    The acting was very good. I remember Rachel York from Les Mis back in 1991. She has a great deal of talent. Danny Pino, I don't remember seeing in anything before.

    All in all - worth seeing.
    froufrou

    That grape-stomping scene still rules!

    This is clearly a made-for-television movie. The plot line follows the rhythm that allows for commercial advertising breaks. Nonetheless, the form suits the content: how the real-life coupling of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz led to the birth of a new comedic genre - the sitcom.

    Ball's goofy and good-natured ability to recount funny stories foreshadowed the eventual development of her unique physical humour. Rachel York uses her considerable talents effectively in her inspired performance as this very contemporary clown. Did Lucille Ball really receive coaching from Buster Keaton and Red Skelton or is this merely a fictional embellishment, creating a bridge between her mostly unknown film roles and her emergence as a television star?

    "Lucy" wisely does not recreate many scenes from the original "I Love Lucy" shows, with the stunning exception of the grape-stomping scene. Though the intervening years have provided TV and movie audiences with new comedians, the verve and the brilliance of Lucille Ball, as played in that particular scene, is well worth revisiting.
    earlytalkie

    Entertaining

    I've read a lot of negative reviews of this film and I can only say that yes, there are some errors in the chronology and anachronisms regarding the cars used. If you can get beyond all that, the film will entertain you. The acting and the portrayals are quite good of Lucy and Desi, and acceptable for Viv and Bill Frawley. There are some not-bad impersonations of some legends like Eddie Cantor and young Bette Davis. A standout is the young woman portraying Carole Lombard, and the 20s period stuff looks good. I wish they would have gone more into Desi's background as his early life was filled with at least as much drama as Lucy's. The woman who plays DeDe Ball really looks exactly like the real thing. The re-creations of Lucy's best routines are pretty good. It must be hard to near-impossible to try an imitate a comic genius credibly, but Rachel York does a very good job. I've read nearly everything ever written about Lucy and Desi, and while this film is not perfect, it is generally pretty accurate.
    Two1980

    Didn't work for me

    This film failed before we evan saw who directed it. Even the casting chosen for this movie didn't do well. It's a shame that this movie is nothing more then Lucy's marriage problems with just a touch of her show. If you want to see the true Lucy go to A&E and see it there. You will get a better idea of this great lady.

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    Related interests

    Ben Kingsley, Rohini Hattangadi, and Geraldine James in Gandhi (1982)
    Biography
    Will Ferrell in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)
    Comedy
    Naomie Harris, Mahershala Ali, Janelle Monáe, André Holland, Herman Caheej McGloun, Edson Jean, Alex R. Hibbert, and Tanisha Cidel in Moonlight (2016)
    Drama

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Goofs
      The final episode of "The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour", in which Lucy meets Ernie Kovacs, marked the final go-around for the Ricardos and the Mertzes. By this point, these shows were not filmed before live audiences. The crew had abandoned live audiences long before the final installment.
    • Quotes

      Desi Arnaz: I work hard, I play hard, I drink hard, and I love hard.

    • Connections
      References Steamboat Bill, Jr. (1928)

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • May 4, 2003 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official site
      • CBS Primetime Movies
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Люси
    • Filming locations
      • Henderson Valley Studios, Hickory Avenue, Henderson, Auckland, New Zealand
    • Production companies
      • CBS
      • Film Factory Lucy Productions Ltd.
      • Holiday Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 2h 8m(128 min)
    • Color
      • Black and White
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Stereo
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.33 : 1

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