Synopsis: “When Patrizia Reggiani, an outsider from humble beginnings, marries into the Gucci family, her unbridled ambition begins to unravel their legacy and triggers a reckless spiral of betrayal, decadence, revenge, and ultimately…murder.”
There’s nothing quite like falling in love. There’s nothing like the feeling of being in what seems to be a movie montage with unlimited potential for romance. Then there’s falling in love with money. If you were to marry into an empire would it change you? Most likely the answer is yes. But what would it turn you into a killer? For Patrizia Reggiani, the answer was a deadly yes.
Welcome to House of Gucci, the new film from director Ridley Scott. This designer story is brought to you by the true life events leading up to the murder of Maurizio Gucci, heir to the fashion house of Gucci in 1995. The “based on true events” tale is rooted in the romance between Maurizio and his new bride Patrizia and the power struggles that ultimately lead to a crime of passion.
In short, House of Gucci is truly a romance at its core. Lady Gaga and Adam Driver lead the house as Patrizia Reggiani and Maurizio Gucci, falling head over heels for one another after meeting at party. Now of course the question becomes, is this real love or orchestrated love on Patrizia’s part once she hears his last name? It’s up to the viewer. What happens next is the beginning of power struggles, as Patrizia claws her way from her middle class ranking to becoming the trouble maker at the Gucci business after her and Maurizio marry. This trouble includes colluding with the other Gucci family members, including Aldo Gucci, played by Al Pacino and Paolo Gucci, played by Jared Leto. Through the course of love and loss, there are backstabbings and passion driven double crosses that ultimately lead to murder.
When I walked into this movie I was dreading the 2 hour and 37 minute run time. Usually this means monologues that span multiple yawns, scenes that drag and usually my knees aching through act two. But this didn’t feel like an almost 3 hour film. No, this movie went by quickly with my eyes glued to the screen. Ridley Scott created something that had my interests peeked at every turn.
House of Gucci had more laughs than I was expecting. Adam Driver was cunning and suave through every frame. Lady Gaga gave the perfect portrayal of a woman with a game plan who would do anything to see it happen, and I mean anything. The writing was well done, feeling more realistic and relaxed than the trailer led me to believe. All in all this film wasn’t what I expected what so ever.
I walked out of House of Gucci very shocked. It was good. Well done, well written, acted and executed. Ridley Scott has a way about his films that make them feel so real. No matter the setting, he always seems to add that little pinch of everyday man antics. Now of course the run time is long and I don’t think many people will enjoy the almost 3 hour fate but honestly the time goes by quick if you really sink your teeth into it.
The con of House of Gucci is simply Jared Leto. His character was like some bad stereotypical Italian animatronic at Chuck E. Cheese. People were laughing aloud at him and not with him through the entire movie. His make up was incredible but the way he portrayed Paolo was almost so comedic it made me cringe. Every scene he was in turned into a comedy, even when Al Pacino was giving a solid performance. Jared was the weakest part of this film, hands down. Some of the music choices as well could be noted as being pretty odd and a little too long.
At the end of the day I learned something about the Gucci house. I was taken by this story of love and legacy. Could it have been an HBO mini series? Yes. Should Jared Leto have been fired almost instantly? Of course. But in the end I felt like I was left with a smile, this film wasn’t what I thought and for that, Ridley Scott, we thank you.
Final Thoughts?
House of Gucci is a history lesson patty in a love story bun. All the fixings make it even more delicious with every bite, the cinematography, the acting, the dialogue. It’s not for everyone though. Not at all. A lot of people walked out of the theatre bored and for that I understand. You might be better off renting this movie or even watching it on demand. But if you walk into this film expecting not much I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised to find yourself immersed in something with top notch designer quality.
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Writer. Geek. Final Girl.
