HOUSE OF GUCCI REVIEW

 *MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*

Despite being in his early eighties, there’s no sign of slowing down Ridley Scott who, in the last year, has directed two films. The first, The Last Duel, was released last month, is a Medieval drama starring Jodie Comer, Matt Damon, Adam Driver and Ben Affleck. Despite being praised by critics for its serious story and strong performances, it was a disappointment at the box office. Scott’s latest film is House of Gucci, which also stars Driver alongside an impressive cast that includes Lady Gaga, Jared Leto, Jeremy Irons, Salma Hayek and Al Pacino. However, since its release, House of Gucci has divided viewers, including critics who were left disappointed by what Scott had created. 

House of Gucci follows the ambitious Patrizia (Lady Gaga) as she romances Maurizio Gucci (Adam Driver) and marries her way into the dynastic Italian luxury label. The family business holds little allure for bookish Maurizio, and the real power is held by his father Rodolfo (Jeremy Irons) and his uncle Aldo (Al Pacino). If an outsider like Patrizia wants to be a true force at Gucci, she'll have to pit the rest of the family against each other. Eventually, even Patrizia and Maurizio find themselves at odds, and her rage at him soon turns murderous.

House of Gucci is based on Sara Gay Forden’s book, The House of Gucci: A Sensational Story of Murder, Madness, Glamour, and Greed, which was published in 2001. It’s easy to see why Scott wanted to adapt Forden’s book into a film as it explores the family behind one of the biggest fashion brands in the world and documents, not only the planned murder of Maurizio by Patrizia, but also the feuding between the family. Although Scott’s film isn’t as “sensational” as the book it’s inspired by, House of Gucci is still filled with interesting characters who are all fascinating to watch. Because most of the film takes place between the late 1970s and 1990s, there will be those, like me, who are unfamiliar with the true story of how, shortly after their divorce, Patrizia planned to have Maurizio killed. The film explores the highs and lows of Patrizia and Maurizio’s relationship, with the former acting as a Lady Macbeth type figure as she convinces her husband to take over the fashion brand from his family. However, Maurizio isn’t interested in fashion and is studying to be a lawyer when the couple first meet. Those who know the story will probably already have their own opinion of Patrizia and, like Maurizio’s father, Rodolfo, think that she’s nothing more than a gold digger who only married Maurizio for his wealth. However, what House of Gucci does well is show another side to Patrizia and that’s a woman who truly loved Maurizio.

House of Gucci sees its talented cast delivering their most memorable performances. In only her second major film role (the first being A Star Is Born), Lady Gaga continues to impress with her acting skills and delivers the strongest performance. Many have criticised her attempt at an Italian accent and said that she sounds more Russian, however, others have compared her voice to that of the real Patrizia and the two sound similar. While Gaga’s performance in A Star In Born was better, as it was an original character she was portraying, her portrayal of Patrizia is the most impressive aspect of House of Gucci. Patrizia is rarely anything less than a fascinating character. Gaga shares chemistry with Driver who, as Maurizio, continues to establish himself as one of the most versatile actors. Despite his appearance as the villainous Kylo Ren in the Star Wars sequel trilogy, Driver has managed to deliver impressive dramatic performances, receiving two Oscar nominations for Spike Lee’s BlacKkKlansman and Noah Baumbach’s Marriage Story. House of Gucci is also his third film this year after appearing as the creepy Jacques Le Gris in Scott’s The Last Duel and as stand up comedian in Leos Carax’s bizarre yet entertaining musical, Annette. Although Driver’s performance as Maurizio isn’t as memorable as the other two, he still portrays him as a charming and likeable individual who finds himself in the middle of a family drama caused by his wife. Solid supporting roles are provided by Hayek as Patrizia’s psychic friend, Giuseppina Auriemma, and Pacino as Maurizio’s uncle Aldo. Unfortunately, although Leto is unrecognisable as Paolo underneath layers of impressive prosthetics and make-up, his performance is too over the top for him to be taken seriously. I can imagine that Paolo was meant to be a tragic figure who has own unique fashion ideas, he comes across as a caricature. 

The end of the year sees the release of films that could potentially be nominated at the Academy Awards. Although it hasn’t had the best critical reception, I think that House of Gucci could receive a few nominations, including Lady Gaga’s performance, the make-up and hairstyling and costume design by Janty Yates. Because Gucci is one of the world’s biggest fashion brands, Yates had to create a lot of outfits that could look like they were designed by them and she has succeeded. While the film itself will divide viewers, there’s no denying that the many costumes and outfits, especially those worn by Gaga as Patrizia, are stylish. In terms of receiving a Best Picture nomination, I think that, because of the disappointing response from critics, House of Gucci’s chances are less likely. However, Bohemian Rhapsody divided critics and was still successful at the 91st Academy Awards, being nominated for Best Picture and winning Best Actor for Rami Malek’s uncanny portrayal as pop icon Freddie Mercury. House of Gucci has most of the ingredients for a typical Oscar nominated film, including an original and compelling story and strong performances by its talented cast, however, it is difficult to say whether it will actually be nominated next year.

It’s easy to see why House of Gucci has become one of this year’s most talked about films as it features memorable performances by its cast and tells the unbelievable true story about the family behind one of the world’s biggest fashion brands.

7/10