Lucy and Desi

Lucy and Desi
Lucy and Desi
	Amazon Prime release poster
Directed by	Amy Poehler;
Written by	Mark Monroe
Produced by	Amy Poehler; Jeanne Elfant Festa; Nigel Sinclair; Mark Monroe; Michael Rosenberg; Justin Wilkes;
Starring	Lucille Ball; Desi Arnaz;
Cinematography	Ernesto Lomeli; Axel Baumann;
Edited by	Robert A. Martinez;
Music by	David Schwartz;
Production; companies	Amazon Studios; Imagine Documentaries; White Horse Pictures; Paper Kite Productions; Diamond Docs;
Distributed by	Amazon Prime Video;
Release dates	January 22, 2022 (Sundance); March 4, 2022;
Running time	103 minutes
Country	United States;
Language	English

Lucy and Desi is a 2022 American documentary film directed by Amy Poehler in her documentary directorial debut.^[1] The film explores the unlikely partnership and enduring legacy of one of the most prolific power couples in entertainment history, Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz.

The film had its worldwide release on March 4, 2022 through Amazon Prime Video. It received positive reviews and was nominated for six Emmy Awards including the Emmy Award for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special, winning two.^[2]

Synopsis

Lucy and Desi is an insightful and intimate peek behind the curtain of the relationship between two remarkable trailblazers – featuring interviews with Lucie Arnaz Luckinbill, Norman Lear, Desi Arnaz Jr, Carol Burnett and Bette Midler.

Production

The film is directed by Emmy Award winning actress, comedian and director Amy Poehler in her documentary directorial debut, and written by Mark Monroe. Poehler and the creative team were able to utilize never-before-heard audio interviews with Ball and Arnaz after producer Jeanne Elfant Festa discovered a box of audiotapes while exploring archival materials with Lucy and Desi's daughter, Lucie Arnaz Luckinbill.^[3] Furthermore, the production team had full access to the Ball/Arnaz estate overseen by Arnaz Luckinbill.^[4]

Release

Lucy and Desi debuted at the Sundance Film Festival on January 22, 2022.^[1] The film was released worldwide on Amazon Prime Video on March 4, 2022.

Reception

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes surveyed 97 critics and assessed 91 as positive and 6 as negative for a 94% rating. The critics consensus reads "Equal parts entertaining and informative, Lucy and Desi takes a palpably affectionate look at the lives and legacies of its groundbreaking subjects." Among the reviews, Metacritic determined an average rating of 7.3/10.

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Category	Nominee(s)	Result	Ref.
2022	Hollywood Critics Association TV Awards	Best Streaming Documentary Television Movie	Lucy and Desi	Won	^[5]
	Primetime Emmy Awards	Outstanding Music Composition For A Documentary Series Or Special (Original Dramatic Score)	David Schwartz	Won	^[2]^[6]
		Outstanding Writing for a Nonficton Program	Mark Monroe	Won
		Outstanding Directing for a Documentary/Nonfiction Program	Amy Poehler	Nominated
		Outstanding Picture Editing for a Nonfiction or Reality Program (Single or Multi-Camera)	Robert A. Martinez, Dan Reed and Inaya Graciana Yusuf	Nominated
		Outstanding Sound Editing for a Nonfiction or Reality Program (Single or Multi-Camera)	Anthony Vanchure, Daniel Pagan, Mike James Gallagher, Jason Tregoe Newman, Bryant J. Fuhrmann	Nominated
		Outstanding Documentary/Nonfiction Program	Michael Rosenberg, Justin Wilkes, Jeanne Elfant Festa, Nigel Sinclair, Amy Poehler, and Mark Monroe, produced by	Nominated
	Critics' Choice Documentary Awards	Best First Documentary Feature	Amy Poehler	Nominated
		Best Biographical Documentary	Amazon Studios	Nominated
		Best Score	David Schwartz	Nominated
	Peabody Awards	Documentary	Amazon Studios, Imagine Documentaries, White Horse Pictures in association with Paper Kite Productions and Diamond Docs (Prime Video)	Nominated	^[7]
2023	Producers Guild of America Awards	Outstanding Producer of Non-Fiction Television	Amazon	Nominated	^[8]
	Writers Guild of America Awards	Documentary Script – Other than Current Events	Mark Monroe (Prime Video)	Nominated	^[6]

References

^ ^a ^b Verhoeven, Beatrice (2022-01-22). "Sundance: Amy Poehler on What She Learned About Lucille Ball Directing Doc 'Lucy and Desi'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2022-11-11.
^ ^a ^b "Lucy And Desi". Television Academy. Retrieved 2022-11-11.
^ Carey, Matthew (2022-08-06). "'Lucy And Desi' Team On Finding Hidden Gems To Tell Love Story Of Lucille Ball And Desi Arnaz: "We Struck Gold" – Contenders TV: The Nominees". Deadline. Retrieved 2022-11-11.
^ Dry, Jude (2022-03-05). "How Amy Poehler Brought the Love to Documentary 'Lucy and Desi'". IndieWire. Retrieved 2022-11-11.
^ "2022 HCA TV Awards Winners – Hollywood Critics Association". Retrieved 2022-11-11.
^ ^a ^b "Consider Amazon". www.consideramazon.com. Retrieved 2023-04-04.
^ "Lucy and Desi". The Peabody Awards. Retrieved 2023-04-25.
^ "Nominations in Motion Picture and Television Program categories announced". Producers Guild. 2023-01-12. Retrieved 2023-02-28.

External links

Lucy and Desi at IMDb

[:0-1] Verhoeven, Beatrice (2022-01-22). "Sundance: Amy Poehler on What She Learned About Lucille Ball Directing Doc 'Lucy and Desi'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2022-11-11.

[:1-2] "Lucy And Desi". Television Academy. Retrieved 2022-11-11.

[3] Carey, Matthew (2022-08-06). "'Lucy And Desi' Team On Finding Hidden Gems To Tell Love Story Of Lucille Ball And Desi Arnaz: "We Struck Gold" – Contenders TV: The Nominees". Deadline. Retrieved 2022-11-11.

[4] Dry, Jude (2022-03-05). "How Amy Poehler Brought the Love to Documentary 'Lucy and Desi'". IndieWire. Retrieved 2022-11-11.

[5] "2022 HCA TV Awards Winners – Hollywood Critics Association". Retrieved 2022-11-11.

[:2-6] "Consider Amazon". www.consideramazon.com. Retrieved 2023-04-04.

[7] "Lucy and Desi". The Peabody Awards. Retrieved 2023-04-25.

[8] "Nominations in Motion Picture and Television Program categories announced". Producers Guild. 2023-01-12. Retrieved 2023-02-28.

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