This biopic of Lucille Ball covers 35 years of the comedienne’s life, from her time as a free-spirited teenager through to the last Lucy and Desi Comedy Hour in 1960. In the interim, Lucy tries acting classes and modelling, becomes a Goldwyn Girl, appears in a string of movies and falls in love with Desi Arnaz. Yet like its title character, this biopic doesn’t really hit its stride until her TV career starts.

When she’s in front of a television camera, audience or mirror, Rachel York is a riot. When she’s not performing Lucy’s comedy shtick however, York is hamstrung by an underdone script that deals with the rest of the story in a mostly perfunctory manner.  Early financial hardship; death of close friend Carole Lombard; Communist witch-hunts are all events endured without any dramatic effect, apart from causing an oft–remarked but little elaborated sense of doom.

The same applies to Lucy’s troubled relationship with Desi Arnaz. Though her husband’s infidelity, alcoholism and gambling are often on display, there is no attempt to explain why Lucy puts up with it. Of greater interest are the innovations Desi came up with while producing I Love Lucy.  The five minutes dedicated to this side of Desi’s personality are particularly instructive.

An end credit stating that the two remained friends for the rest of the lives is not only misleading, but also contradicts all that went beforehand.