Lucy and Desi
Amazon Studios | Release Date (Streaming): March 4, 2022 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
73
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 27 Critic Reviews
Positive:
22
Mixed:
5
Negative:
0

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalleMar 1, 2022
The film documents how Lucy used her clout to get her husband cast as her co-star. It was a way for them to see each other. The rest is history, but a really interesting history. Read full review
90
CNNBrian LowryMar 4, 2022
Lucy and Desi puts a big heart around Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, not only as the beloved stars of "I Love Lucy" and one of Hollywood's great power couples, but as TV pioneers. Drawing upon personal recordings and home videos, director Amy Poehler has served up a warm valentine that leans into celebrating their lives and away from the tabloid fodder. Read full review
90
VarietyOwen GleibermanJan 31, 2022
A nimble and fascinating documentary. Read full review
88
RogerEbert.comNell MinowMar 4, 2022
This film is exceptionally skillful in matching the footage to the commentary in thoughtful, illuminating, and often touching pairings. Read full review
88
ABC NewsPeter TraversFeb 25, 2022
You’ve seen ‘Being the Ricardos,” but you’ll never understand the successful partnership and failed marriage of sitcom icons Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz until you see Amy Poehler’s emotional roadmap of a documentary. Between the laughs, you’ll blink back tears. Read full review
83
ConsequenceMary SirokyJan 28, 2022
Lucy and Desi feels like a critical watch for anyone working to carve out their own corner of the incredibly difficult entertainment industry, particularly young women. In Poehler’s hands, it’s a worthy testament to two pioneers whose stories began with a date and a dance. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesGary GoldsteinMar 3, 2022
[An] absorbing, entertaining and lovingly crafted documentary. Read full review
80
The New YorkerRichard BrodyMar 2, 2022
Its core of information is largely a footnote to Aaron Sorkin’s drama “Being the Ricardos,” but, with access to previously unreleased audio tapes recorded by Ball and Arnaz, Poehler vividly and poignantly evokes their offscreen personalities. Read full review
80
Film ThreatSabina Dana PlasseFeb 3, 2022
The overarching story is outstanding and heartbreaking. An incredible amount of material was uncovered and discovered to construct the film. Read full review
80
The Hollywood ReporterSheri LindenJan 28, 2022
Poehler’s telling is energized by a personal edge, searing and sympathetic, as it traces career struggles, creative breakthroughs and formative sorrows. Read full review
80
SlashfilmEthan AndertonJan 28, 2022
Amy Poehler relies heavily on this intimate collection of media, provided with the full support of both the Arnaz and Luckinbell families, and honestly, it's the most fascinating way to tell their story. It adds the kind of intimacy and personal touch that fans hope to see from a documentary like this. Read full review
80
TheWrapElizabeth WeitzmanJan 28, 2022
What makes "Lucy and Desi" so compelling is that we can feel, all the way through, that Poehler enjoys telling their story just as much as we enjoy watching it. Read full review
80
IGNSiddhant AdlakhaJan 26, 2022
It may not always succeed, but it arrives with an energy worthy of the TV comedy legends. Read full review
75
ColliderRoss BonaimeApr 12, 2022
Lucy and Desi isn’t breaking the mold in terms of biographical documentaries, but when put together in this package, the story of Ball and Arnaz has an impressive weight beyond just a collection of compelling anecdotes. Read full review
75
The Associated PressMark KennedyMar 2, 2022
Lucy and Desi traces the rise, union and collapse of this larger-than-life couple who made a fortune thanks to “I Love Lucy” and remade TV along the way. There’s a lot to chew on and the film lacks a certain sharpness, exploring one fascinating framing device after another only to eventually abandon each one. Read full review
75
The A.V. ClubNoel MurrayMar 2, 2022
Anyone looking for a clear, concise explanation of how these two unlikely impresarios dominated American pop culture in the mid-20th century will find it here, supported by copious archival material and heartfelt testimony from the couple’s family, friends, and fans. Read full review
75
IndieWireRobert DanielsJan 28, 2022
Smart and affecting ... It’s not flashy. It’s not often revelatory for any super fans, or even anyone who watched "Being the Ricardos" ... "Lucy and Desi," however, is still meaty as a standalone work, and an essential, authentic salute to these trailblazers. Read full review
75
The PlaylistJason BaileyJan 28, 2022
You get a sense of Poehler’s energy in the fast pace and comic timing of film, which moves at a good, precise clip. There’s a lot of material to cover here, some of it overly familiar, but Poehler does it with pizzaz. Read full review
70
Screen RantNadir SamaraMar 11, 2022
The filmmaking of Lucy and Desi will not blow anyone away, but the heart will take audiences on an emotional rollercoaster fans of the couple won't soon forget. Read full review
70
Screen DailyFionnuala HalliganJan 28, 2022
Lucy And Desi benefits greatly from a raft of archival footage ... Repeated montages and a schmaltzy score can lessen their effect, but Poehler has strong sense of the couple’s contribution to the entertainment industry, and nobody watching her documentary will emerge anything less than convinced of how outstanding that was. Read full review
63
Chicago TribuneNina MetzMar 3, 2022
The relationship at the film’s center remains a combustible mystery. Read full review
63
Boston GlobeMark FeeneyMar 2, 2022
Overall “Lucy and Desi” is very much a valentine. Read full review
60
The Observer (UK)Simran HansApr 5, 2022
Poehler, herself a gifted comedian, doesn’t include her own voice in the film, though we still get a sense of her feminist perspective. Read full review
58
The Film StageMichael FrankJan 28, 2022
Lucy and Desi won’t provide many surprises for those with a general understanding of Ball and Arnaz. It can look and sound like a paint-by-numbers documentary, with the trappings of any streamable film being churned out at major studios. Technically, it’s standard fare. Emotionally, it’s a beating heart—Poehler’s beating heart. Read full review
45
Paste MagazineKatarina DocalovichMar 7, 2022
Poehler’s film hits the same notes that we’ve heard before without presenting new information, exploring new territory or asking any new questions. Read full review
40
The New York TimesNatalia WinkelmanMar 3, 2022
Here is a documentary that invites us to delight in the unexpected pairing of a famed funny lady and a hunky musician — but without analysis or nuance. Better to flip on a few “I Love Lucy” reruns instead. Read full review
40
The GuardianCharles BramescoMar 2, 2022
For all the amazement at Ball’s tireless hustle and explosive originality, there’s a terminal lack of both in this monument to her memory. Read full review
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