House of Gucci is finally here.
It’s glitzy, glam, and all together boujee. Telling the true story of Patrizia Reggiani, the film explores the downfall of the Gucci family and the unbelievable tragedy behind it.
When a young woman meets her Prince Charming in the form of the Gucci family heir, Maurizio, a fairy-tale love ensues. Soon, however, the fantasy unravels, and Patricia becomes enthralled by the glamour and power of success. Pushing her husband back into the depths of the Gucci company, she will go full Lady Macbeth to get what she wants.
The whole film plays out as if Shakespeare was performed by Entertainment Tonight. Mostly thanks to the fact that the cast is wonderfully star-studded.
Photo credit: Universal Pictures
Lady Gaga once again attempts to reach for the Oscar as Patrizia. She’s a woman from some-what humble beginnings, thrust into a family contained within their own power and fame. If that sounds a little familiar, it might be down the other top contender for this year’s award season, Kristen Stewart as Diana Spencer.
While Gaga is great in this film, Stewart excels as Diana. Gaga doesn’t have the same emotional journey and it shows in the overall lacking performance. By no means is that her fault, though.
The big mistake of this film is that it doesn’t focus on a narrative, and that damages Gaga’s performance.
When the film focused on the politics of the Gucci family, it shined, but Patrizia’s story was lost amongst the Tom Ford cameos and business meetings.
Adam Driver was, as usual, astounding in his performance. He transforms in Maurizio Gucci. For an actor who is known for more commanding, ruggish roles, he convincingly plays the shy, nerd that falls for Gaga’s black widow.
Maurizio has a large amount of development throughout the runtime. Driver seamlessly adapts the character from a dorky do-gooder to a heartless businessman with hardly any effort. Gaga may have a struggle to compete with Kristen Stewart but Driver could see a very successful award season.
Al Pacino and Jered Leto play father and son, Aldo and Paolo Gucci.
Pacino is quintessentially himself, just with an Italian accent and a surprising amount of sympathy.
Leto is unrecognisable as Paolo. Paolo is a welcomed slice of comedy in a film that is otherwise un-camp. Leto plays the character with all the quirk and ridiculousness that you might expect based on the film’s trailers.
Pacino and Leto make an excellent pairing, the film could have focused on the duo and been just as interesting if not more so.
Photo credit: Universal Pictures
While the film is enjoyable and a stylish watch, it’s not without its faults. The marketing of the picture as a camp, Gaga-centric tale will do more harm than good. It doesn’t have the quirky charm required to push it into the threshold of a cult classic that will be watched over and over by fans.
It manages to be both too long and not long enough. It would have found more success as a streamed show. If anything, the script’s complicated retelling of events makes you wonder if the original idea was pitched as a Netflix series.
Overall, it’s a beautifully fashionable film. The cast is outstanding and manages to pull together what would otherwise be an underwhelming lifetime movie.
Like Spencer, it feels like a live-action vogue magazine. Gaga stands out but was snubbed by the film itself.
