Amy Poehler’s Lucy and Desi is Emotionally Charged Loving Tribute

The last time they spoke was on November 30th…their wedding anniversary.  Desi Arnaz would leave this realm on December 2nd and five days later Lucille Ball was given a Kennedy Center Honor.  During that ceremony, these were the final words in a statement previously given by Desi, “P.S. I Love Lucy was never just the title.”

When Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz met in the RKO Pictures commissary, they were completely unaware how that chance meeting would change the face of pop culture, but consistently challenge the status quo in entertainment both in front of and behind the camera.

For her documentary debut, SNL alum and director Amy Poehler respectfully recalls the lives of these two iconic trailblazers as driven individuals and a loving couple until the end. Lucy and Desi not only chronicles the pair’s personal and professional lives, it breaks down concepts like the rehearsed choreography of comedy, their innovations in studio production, the sisterhood of comedy, and much more. It’s a thoughtful telling made for those who loved their artistry.

If you thought you knew all there was to know about this dynamic duo, rest assured…you don’t.  Arnaz was not some down and out musician that married a movie star.  His father and Grandfather were the founders of Bacardi rum and he was known to be a very shrewd businessman.

Did you ever notice there was NEVER major any attention given to the fact this was an interracial couple on American television during a time where it wasn’t accepted by the masses?  Not one time watching this sitcom did race ever enter my mind.  I was simply watching a sitcom and a loving relationship between two human beings.  I also discovered and chuckled at how Arnaz would ultimataleey purchase RKO Pictures, a studio that once fired him. What a dream move that must’ve been!!! DesiLu Productions waas responsible for hundreds of iconic television like Star Trek, Mission Impossible, The Untouchables and more.

Through their own words recalling their life separate and apart, as well as recollections from friends and their children Lucie Arnaz and Desi Arnaz, Jr., we also learn that Latinos were barely seen as sophisticated on screen during that time with the exception of stars like Carmen Miranda and César Romero.

You will laugh, cry, be thrilled and reminded we’ve lived during a moment in history to witness the best of the best allowing us the gifted talents of Carol Burnett, Bette Midler and so many more including director Amy Poehler.  What a legacy they’ve left for millions of generations in the future. Yes, we ALL definitely can say not only did we love Lucy, but Desi was our boo too.