House Of Gucci

This review may contain spoilers!

 

House Of Gucci is a biopic depicting the relationship between Patrizia Reggiani and Maurizio Gucci, the devastating effect wealth and ambition had upon them, and the subsequent assassination of Maurizio. The film is extremely interesting when it focuses upon the politics being played out within the family, seeing how particular members schemed and undercut one another to advance their wealth and power within the Gucci brand. Observing Gucci as a company beset by the hubris of the same family that owned makes for some extremely satisfying viewing, and nothing is more impressive than the initial power play for control from Patrizia and Maurizio over Aldo and Paolo. The soundtrack for the film grounds us in a blend of classic elegant pop music and famous classical hits to mark the luxury the feature was capturing.

 

Lady Gaga, who played Patrizia Reggiani, is wonderful as the central protagonist and plays to the growing greed within her role well; I found Gaga's steady approach to unhealthy ambition to be a really interesting and well-executed one. Adam Driver, who played Maurizio Gucci, is this calm figure who portrays a great character arc from love to greed; Driver portraying his role falling out of love with Gaga's Patrizia is something he does remarkably well. Jeremy Irons, who played Rudolfo Gucci, is a measured man with a vice-like sense of control over his on-screen family; seeing Irons so vehemently reject Gaga's Patrizia makes him quite an interesting and venomous character. Jared Leto, who played Paolo Gucci, has found one of his best roles in years within this film; Leto is a real scene stealer with wild and bumbling figure. Jack Huston, who played Domenico De Sole, is a quietly intimidating figure who is dominates scenes the minute he lets himself be known; Huston knows how to tip the scales of power in a scene very subtly which I appreciated.

 

However, the best performance came from Al Pacino, who played Aldo Gucci. There is a reason this man is an acting legend and all of it is on display throughout this feature. What I loved most about Pacino in House Of Gucci was just how easily he connected with the rest of the cast, he focussed on depicting this really genuine character relationships that enhanced the scenes he was in. He presented Aldo as a man of good humour, who revelled in the grand lifestyle the Gucci family possessed without flaunting it excessively. In spite of this, Pacino also acts with a heavy amount of intellect and we see Aldo as quite a cunning figure who has safeguarded the family business for years with skill. Watching Pacino present Aldo as a man who quietly crumples after being betrayed by the protagonists is an incredible show of subtle performance that rounds out his character's arc nicely.

This is a film that treads over a type of biopic storytelling that has really been done to death in recent years, and this isn't even the first time by Ridley Scott. In House Of Gucci we see a very charming love story develop between Patrizia and Maurizio in the first act, its got chemistry and the conflict from Rudolfo fuels it well. However, the minute the film tilts into being about excessive wealth corrupting our protagonists for the entire second act and most of the third, things grow very tired very fast. Patrizia turning into this figure who grows fixated on immersing herself in the Gucci business and retaining her sudden wealth is a storyline that is neither very new nor interestingly told here. Seeing Patrizia go through a plot of corruption then immediately seeing Maurizio go through the same thing separately to her is lazy storytelling and drags out an already poorly paced plot. The worst aspect of this is that Patrizia's screen time is severely diminished around this point because the film doesn't really have anything for her to do, despite her being the central protagonist of the feature. The film is very slow burn, lingering in the lives of the Guccis without ever really justifying why we need to see the same dynamic for so long. By the end of the film, moments like the assassination are anti-climatic because it has little impact and the relationship between Patrizia and Pina has been so poorly cultivated. The cinematography boasts some nice shots in places but ultimately is populated with an excess of wides that push a very colourless palette for the feature. The editing moves at a sluggish pace and there needed to be more variety to the visual style of this film to pair with the subject matter.

Salma Hayek, who played Pina Auriemma, is quite a nonsensical figure that the film almost treats as comedy relief; Hayek's character is very poorly inserted and she never seems confident in portraying relationships with other figures in the film. Youssef Kerkour, who played Namir Kirdar, is a figure that feels like he should be an imposing face of business but he has little presence onscreen; Kerkour is too soft and quiet in the presence of skilled performers such as Driver or Pacino. Reeve Carney, who played Tom Ford, is a hilarious ill-fitting casting for the legendary designer; Carney barely manages to let himself be known in scenes let alone embody any of Ford's characteristics.

Probably the worst Ridley Scott film I've seen in nearly a decade. I would give House Of Gucci a 5.5/10.