Being the Ricardos | 2021 | R | – 5.2.6

Why is “Being the Ricardos” rated R? The MPAA rating has been assigned for “language.” The Kids-In-Mind.com evaluation includes a sex scene between a husband and his wife, a sex scene between a man and woman before they were married, discussions of pregnancy and how to address the subject on a 1950’s TV show, implications of infidelity, many arguments, talk about government investigations of people thought to have ties to the Communist Party, and 13 F-words and other strong language. Read our parents’ guide below for details on sexual content, violence & strong language.

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Set in the 1950s, Lucille Ball (Nicole Kidman) and Desi Arnaz (Javier Bardem) navigate the popularity of their TV show, their marriage and accusations of being communists. Also with Jake Lacy, J.K. Simmons, Nina Arianda, Alia Shawkat, Tony Hale, Robert Pine, Clark Gregg, Linda Lavin, Ronny Cox, Nelson Franklin and John Rubinstein. Directed by Aaron Sorkin. [Running Time: 2:05]

Being the Ricardos SEX/NUDITY 5

 – A husband and his wife argue, they undress and kiss passionately; the woman straddles the man on a sofa and we see her wearing a bra and a skirt that reveal her cleavage, bare abdomen and legs (they are interrupted by a report about the woman). A man and woman kiss in bed and he thrusts on top of her; she tells the man that she will call her fiancé to break up with him and she makes the call while the man seems surprised (the man is shirtless and we see his bare chest and abdomen and the woman is wearing a bra that reveals cleavage, bare abdomen and back).
► A husband and his wife kiss in several scenes. A woman flirts with a man and he moves past her. A husband kisses his wife on the cheek. A newspaper photo shows a married man and a woman kissing.
► People dance in a nightclub. A wife finds lipstick on her husband’s handkerchief and confronts him about it; he tries to make excuses. A husband and his wife argue repeatedly about the wife suspecting that the husband is cheating on her; the husband denies the accusations.
► A woman (she’s the star of a TV show) reveals that she is pregnant; broadcast codes did not allow any mention of pregnancy in the 1950s and one person says, “Motherhood is salacious.” A woman tells a man, “I need you to help me save my marriage.”
► A woman wears a bra and petti-pants with stockings. Women on a movie set are shown wearing skimpy outfits that reveal cleavage, legs, bare abdomens and backs in a few scenes. A woman wears a low-cut dress that reveals cleavage. A woman wears an off-the-shoulder top that reveals cleavage and bare shoulders.

Being the Ricardos VIOLENCE/GORE 2

 – A husband and his wife argue and we hear slapping; we are told that their relationship is volatile. A man tells another man, “If you patronize me again, I will put my hand down your throat and pull out your lungs.” A husband yells at his wife angrily during an argument.
► A comment is made about someone being beaten up by her pimp (a character on a movie set); we see the actress wearing makeup that looks like bruises on her face. Actors practice elbowing each other on a TV set and they fall off a chair (there are no injuries).
► A man says that he left Cuba when the Bolsheviks burned his house down. A woman asks a man how scary it was when the soldiers came for his family and he says, “They killed all the animals.” A woman says that she was kicked out of New York. A woman complains about being considered not smart enough to participate in democracy. A woman reveals that she is pregnant and people in a meeting are alarmed about the possibility of her pregnancy becoming obvious on a TV show; 1950s codes would not allow them to mention the pregnancy and one person says, “Motherhood is salacious.” A woman argues with another woman about her character’s role and she says, “I’m not pretty enough.” A man says, “You can’t have a pregnant woman on TV.” Two men argue. We hear that a woman testified in a closed session of Congress about her involvement with the Communist Party and that she was completely absolved. A man and a woman argue about insults they hurled at each other and he says that she called his mother a weasel. A woman asks if she can hit a man in the face until he is bleeding. A man tells a woman, “We are dropping your contract” and she becomes upset; he tells her she should do radio work. A man talks about fighting in WWII. A couple of remarks are made about a woman working in a writers’ room on a TV show. A man says, “Something dies inside a man the first time a girl calls him old.” A woman talks about just wanting to have a home. We read that Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz divorced in 1960 after the last show was broadcast.
► A woman stomps grapes in a large barrel of grapes and she loses an earring in the slop; she falls into the wet mess searching for the earring.

Being the Ricardos LANGUAGE 6

 – About 13 F-words, 2 sexual references, 6 scatological terms, 9 mild obscenities, name-calling (Cuban dimwit, idiot, crazy, young chick, simpleton, madness, old man, rat, unappealing, witch, slow-witted, hack, honey, loony diet, imbecile, gallows humor, amigo, gutsy, stupid, dumb-dumb), exclamations (stop, nonsense), 5 religious profanities (GD), 7 religious exclamations (e.g. Jesus Christ, Jesus, for the love of God). | profanity glossary |

Being the Ricardos SUBSTANCE USE

 – A woman says that when she drinks she takes off her clothes, a man and a woman drink champagne, a man and woman go to a bar in the morning and the man drinks a glass of whiskey, several people refer to a man’s drinking as if it is a problem, and a man is asked if he is drunk. People smoke in a writers’ room in several scenes, the Philip Morris Tobacco Company is the sponsor of a TV show, a woman smokes on a rooftop, a woman smokes cigarettes in several scenes, a man smokes and drinks in an office, and people drink and smoke in a club.

Being the Ricardos DISCUSSION TOPICS

 – TV hits, Walter Winchell, Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, suspicion, trust, Communism, divorce, infidelity, gas lighting, masculinity, gender roles, Cuba vs. America, the House Un-American Activities Committee, jealousy, male egos, 2 career families, The American Way.

Being the Ricardos MESSAGE

 – The relationship between Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball was tumultuous, but together they created one of the most popular TV shows of all time.