By Jack McLaughlin
“House of Gucci” is the real life story of Maurizio Gucci and Patrizia Reggiani, and shows how their relationship evolved along with the Gucci company, which they were both heavily involved in at the time of their marriage.
The movie is heavily inspired by the book of the same name. The remaining members of the Gucci family who are still alive have spoken on the adaptation of the events portrayed in it and have made it clear they do not approve of how it was handled.
Patrizia Gucci, daughter of Paolo Gucci, outright said on behalf of the family, the film was a
disappointment.
While I can understand it being difficult for them to see their personal lives portrayed like this for a profit, the movie turned out to be a riveting watch.
It didn’t surprise me that I loved it as much as I did. With a story as fascinating as this combined with the supreme ensemble of actors, it resulted in a film that succeeds much more than it falters.
Adam Driver and Lady Gaga are a dynamic duo that I never anticipated to have such great chemistry together. Watching their relationship grow and fall apart throughout it felt so real because of how strong their performances are.
Gaga has such a demanding presence on screen and watching her character marry into the prestigious Gucci family and eventually take control of the business was a fascinating growth to watch play out on-screen.
Driver starts out as a timid and caring person who isn’t interested in running the family business. But the events force him into the position of running it and the viewer gets to watch how he changes as a person as it progresses.
Both characters see dramatic changes to themselves during the movie. The further involved they both are in the business, the worse they become.
Their performances spark such intrigue at this point in the character’s lives that I believe they should be considered for Oscar nominations this year.
A surprising performance that was a delight to see on-screen was Jared Leto’s portrayal of Paolo Gucci. Not only were his scenes a much-needed bit of levity in this drama-heavy film, but he had such an eccentric performance where, if not for Driver or Gaga, he would’ve stolen the show.
With a story following a brand as fashionable as Gucci, exciting costumes are an expectation that is met in spades.
By the end I kept thinking about how much I wanted an outfit like the ones in the movie. But the painful price of Gucci clothes prevents those dreams from coming true.
The directing for the most part is terrific, and just further cements Ridley Scott as a filmmaker who can tackle a large variety of genres exceptionally well. The lengthy runtime is hardly felt as the pacing is so tight every scene moves the story forward in important ways.
The only gripe I have with the filmmaking is how the ending was handled. It was nearly two and a half hours of buildup for the climax only for it to be a brief scene that barely lasts a few minutes and then it quickly wraps itself up.
This was a choice I am still not on board with, because it felt like all the momentum that had been built up to this point was sucked out in the last five minutes and the viewer is not left with a lot after that.
While I can understand why they may have wanted to avoid focusing on this aspect, it felt as if they were running out of time and had to rush to the ending.
Despite that aspect leaving me a bit unsatisfied, it didn’t ruin the rest of the film for me which is fortunate because there is still so much to like about it.
True stories with this much drama are something I love to watch, and in the midst of a year where I haven’t really caught movies like that, “House of Gucci” perfectly filled that void for me.
Rating: B+ – Like the brand it’s based on, “House of Gucci” is elegant, and worth the price.
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