When Patrizia Reggiani, an outsider from humble beginnings, marries into the Gucci family, her unbridled ambition begins to unravel the family legacy and triggers a reckless spiral of betrayal, decadence, revenge -- and ultimately murder.
Director: Ridley Scott
Cast: Lady Gaga, Adam Driver, Jared Leto, Jeremy Irons, Salma Hayek, Al Pacino, Reeve Carney, Jack Huston
Release Date:
Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Rated R for language, some sexual content, and brief nudity and violence.
Runtime: 2h 37m
Review:
Ridley Scott's House of Gucci is a massive Shakespearian soap opera that indulges in its opulent excesses to a fault. Scott's directs his film with a steady hand, delivering a glossy vision of the 80's that uses every cliched song imaginable. The shots are meticulously constructed which allow you to appreciate the incredibly lavish fashion and art direction on display. There isn't the usual grittiness typically associated with Scott, here he's clearly going for a very specific look and feel that's reflective of the fashionista royalty on display which fits perfectly for the film. It should come as no surprise to anyone that Lady Gaga fits perfectly as real life femme fatale Patrizia Reggiani. Gaga is clearly committed to the role as she channels Lady MacBeth in 80's couture. It’s a showy role for her, more so than her turn in A Star is Born, and she does well delivering a steely, ferocious turn that works as the anchor of the entire film. Adam Driver delivers one of his better performances by playing against type and not relying on his masculinity like he usually does.
Driver is surprisingly believable as Maurizio Gucci who starts out being overly naïve before he becomes more savvy to his wife's machinations in the family business. Jared Leto's much talked about transformation is cartoonish but in the film it works since the film is populated with performers going big with their characters. Al Pacino and Jeremy Irons are prime examples of this with each delivering some fun but hammy turns as the Gucci partners. Jack Huston, Reeve Carney and Salma Hayek round out the cast with more measured turns which flesh out the world. If this all sounds like a lot, well it is and narratively speaking its overstuffed with Scott cramming 30 years of story into a two and half hour film. The performances and production make it easy to overlook the fact that there isn't much palpable tension or drama even with all the betrayals and backstabbing going on.
B
