In the upcoming documentary Lucy and Desi, the lives of late entertainers Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball are put center stage to reveal how the power couple fell in love and were able to reach the American Dream in Hollywood.
“Lucy and Desi are two outsiders who changed an entire industry,” director and actress Amy Poehler told Entertainment Weekly. “Their story represents the success that hard work and big swings can bring. But icons are people, and hopefully, this film reminds us of that.”
Lucy and Desi premiered last month at the Sundance Film Festival to critical acclaim. In the first official trailer for the film, which was released on Valentine’s Day (February 14), Poehler gives us a glimpse of how a Cuban immigrant and talented musician came to the United States and met a budding actress trying to make it in the film industry.
Through home movies in Lucy and Desi’s own words, which are captured on cassette tapes, audiences are taken back in time to an era where it was unthinkable that a mixed-race couple would become the stars of the most popular TV sitcoms during the 1950s.
Like Being the Ricardos, filmmaker Aaron Sorkin’s feature film on Arnaz and Ball, which stars Javier Bardem and Nicole Kidman, Poehler’s documentary also covers the controversy that arises when Ball was accused of being a member of the Communist Party.
Just recently, both Bardem and Kidman landed Oscar nominations for their roles in Sorkin’s film. Commenting on the idea that a Latino should have played Arnaz in the film instead of a Spanish actor, Bardem used the phrase “Spanish minority” to justify why he believes portraying Arnaz was a good decision.
Lucy and Desi debuts on Amazon Prime on March 4.