‘Lucy and Desi’ Review: Amy Poehler’s Documentary Captures the Complex Love Story of Being Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz

variety.com:

Owen Gleiberman Chief Film CriticIt’s always a kick to encounter a documentary about a subject after you’ve seen the deluxe scripted and acted Hollywood version. “Lucy and Desi,” Amy Poehler’s film about Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz — their love, their showbiz partnership, their revolutionary influence on the creative landscape of television, their meshing and clashing spirits — is a nimble and fascinating documentary.

But I suspect I’ll be far from alone in experiencing it through the lens of Aaron Sorkin’s “Being the Ricardos,” especially given the awards heat that was shined on that film this week. “Lucy and Desi” gives you the real story, so it’s only natural that you want to compare notes.What did “Being the Ricardos” get right and wrong?

Given that Sorkin’s film compresses three major story arcs — the public accusation that Lucy was a Communist; the attempt to turn her pregnancy into the plotline of “I Love Lucy’s” second season; and Lucy’s mounting anger and stress over tabloid reports that Desi was fooling around on her — into a single week of 1951, you could say that the film was never pretending to be all that accurate.

Yet there’s still a desire to judge its essential authenticity. Here’s the verdict, at least as rendered by “Lucy and Desi.” Sorkin trumped up a number of things — most dramatically, the battle between Lucy and Desi and the CBS network brass over whether her pregnancy could be included in the show.