MPAA Rating: R/Genre: Biographical Crime Drama/Stars: Lady Gaga, Adam Driver, Al Pacino, Jeremy Irons, Jared Leto, Jack Huston, Salma Hayek, Camille Cottin, Reeve Carney, Alexia Murray, Vincent Riotta, Florence Andrews, Mia McGovern Zaini, Mehdi Nebbou, Miloud Mourad Benamara, Mădălina Diana Ghenea, Youssef Kerkour, Antonello Annunziata, Catherine Walker, Martino Palmisano, Gaetano Bruno/Runtime: 157 minutes
I think it is safe to start this review off by telling you some questionably wise advice that a more than questionably wise man once told me. That being that you can’t spell families without lies. While that man may or may not have been onto something (to say nothing of his sobriety being in question at the time), I think he forgot to take into account that you also can’t spell families without copious amounts of backstabbing, vengeance, one-upmanship, and scorn. Lots and lots of scorn. Now I know that this might not sound like your typical family dynamic (and no Black Friday shopping is not included), but for one family these would not only become ingredients in their relationships with each other. Rather, they would also become the catalysts for their business empire to eventually come crumbling down all around them. This, in case you hadn’t put two and five together, is the main crux to the slice of cinema I am reviewing for you today, 2021’s House of Gucci. Indeed this film, from iconic helmer Ridley Scott, is a look at how a woman’s ambition and zeal for a better life solely for herself would eventually cause no less a brand than the iconic Gucci empire to come crashing down and I know that this only has a 60-something percent on Rotten Tomatoes, but you know what? I genuinely do enjoy this movie dear reader. Yes it does have its fair share of flaws, but the work done both behind and (especially) in front of the camera does prove to be quite electrifying to say nothing of competent and highly well done. Suffice it to say then that it’s not the crème de la crème of the cinematic world, but trust me when I say that this slice of cinema is definitely a sleazy yet riveting and enjoyable cinematic fashion show all its own.
The plot is as follows: Taking us back in time to the long-ago year of 1978, House of Gucci gets underway by introducing us to our “heroine”, a Miss Patrizia Reggiani, as she goes about her day to day of working as her dad’s office manager at his small trucking company. Yet, despite her current post in the station of life, we see that Patrizia desires more. A common desire to be sure, but one that life is prepared to gift her in the most unusual manner possible. A manner that takes the shape and form of our heroine crossing paths with a mild-mannered, bespectacled, quiet, and slightly geeky (if we’re being honest) young man at a party who then proceeds to introduce himself as one Maurizio Gucci. As in a member of the family responsible for the Gucci fashion line. Sensing an opportunity to better her position in life, we soon witness as our “heroine” aggressively goes after this awkward young man claiming that it’s because she finds him attractive (riiiighhhtttt). At any rate, we soon see that this courtship (against the wishes of Maurizio’s well-meaning yet distant father Rodolfo) turns into a whirlwind marriage. One that sees Rodolfo retaliate against the pair by cutting Maurizio completely out of his will thus forcing him to get a job with his lovely bride’s father’s company. Yet even though Maurizio is satisfied with this change in life, we see that Patrizia has other plans to get her meal ticket ehhh husband back into the financial windfall that he, but more importantly she, deserves. To that end, we see that she discretely reaches out to Maurizio’s affable and seemingly decent Uncle Aldo to try and get in his good graces so he’ll help Maurizio reconcile with his father, but more importantly prove to be the thing to spur the highly reluctant Maurizio to try and ascend to the top of the family food chain however possible. A decision incidentally that will not only come to involve Aldo and Aldo’s kooky pariah of a son Paolo among others, but eventually lead to betrayal, backstabbing of the first degree, vengeance, and possibly even murder to come upon this iconic family and change all of their lives forever……
Now right off the bat, I will say that although the work done behind the camera here is really freaking good there is one minor little complaint that I have all the same. That being that with how much material this film tries to cover both in terms of events and the various facets of the characters, I do feel that this honestly would have worked out a lot better had it been made as a limited series on TV a’la the Gianni Versace season of American Crime Story on FX. Doing so would not only have ensured that the characters were allowed to be properly fleshed out, but it would have given the material a chance to escalate organically rather than rush from bullet point to bullet point like it feels like this film does at times especially during the third act. With that in mind though, I must admit that there is quite a fair bit in terms of behind the camera work to appreciate here. This starts with the fact that, in terms of musical accompaniment, this slice of cinema is helped out immensely in two distinct ways on that front. The first is through a riveting score from Harry Gregson-Williams that does a fantastic job at ensuring that the tension and suspense is maintained fairly consistently throughout this slice of cinema’s 157-minute, including credits, runtime. Along with that however, this film also finds itself immensely blessed by possessing a phenomenally brilliant soundtrack that not only was this reviewer may or may not dancing along to say nothing of brilliantly placing us feet first in the era this slice of cinema takes place in, but also has such iconic talents as Eurythmics, Blondie, and even a brilliantly fantastic utilization of the song Faith from George Michael to name but a few of the gems involved. We also see that, this slice of cinema also manages to incorporate into the mix a diabolically pointed script with a distinct brand of comedy that helps to consistently make this one truly riveting film from beginning to end. Along with that, it should be noted that the distinct blend of upper crust Italian exuberance plus the norm in the 80s for going over the top manages to not only operate as a brilliant expression of the script’s tone, but it also helps to ensure the creation of a close-knit world for the characters in this to bustle about in. Finally, I also think praise should be given here to Ridley Scott for his work at the helm here. Indeed I know that Scott has had his fair share of missteps in the past (that Christopher Columbus movie from 1992 is definitely a “bright and shiny” example of that particular category), but there is no denying that when he is either on-point or working with material that he is passionate about he is one of the land of movie magic’s more skilled helmers. Suffice it to say that is definitely the case here as Scott manages to bring a lively and deft directorial hand to these proceedings that in turn helps to liven up the proceedings in front of the camera as well.
Of course, the other big component that helps this slice of cinema immensely is the fact that the group of performers in front of the camera, by and large, really do give fantastic performances in this. This starts with Lady Gaga in the lead role of Patrizia and she is absolutely electrifying here which, given the ocean of Oscar-winning talent surrounding her in this film, says quite a lot. Indeed, in this role Gaga manages to showcase a terrific range as the character of Patrizia may at first seem like a decent yet reserved in some ways young woman who genuinely loves Maurizio. Yet as the film goes on little by little we realize that we were only seeing the disguise that this character wants the world to see her as instead of the real her. As a result, when we start to see the real her come out to say nothing of both the proverbial fangs and claws plus venomous perhaps even homicidal rage, we aren’t all that surprised since the hints were already there from frame one, but boy are we concerned for anyone who dares to get in her way. Suffice it to say that yes there are moments where this slice of cinema does have trouble at times figuring out what to do with her character, there is no denying that Gaga manages to make the most of every minute of screentime she is given to say nothing of consistently making delightfully astonishing creative choices that make this a genuine powerhouse performance in every sense of the word. Doing a great job opposite Gaga though is a potent performance from Adam Driver who, as Maurizio, does a great job at playing this guy who starts out as decent, innocent, and not really desiring to have any part in the “family business”, but by the end has transformed into a sly and astute individual who is not afraid to stand up for himself with anyone. Yes Gaga’s turn in this might often divert your attention, but there is no denying that Driver makes for a fantastic screen partner for her especially when their relationship starts to crumble. As for the rest of the Gucci clan, I will say that Jeremy Irons does do a great job at playing an older Douglas Fairbanks ehhh Rodolfo Gucci even though he only has maybe 25 minutes of screentime in this maximum. As for Uncle Aldo and his kooky (to put it mildly) son Paulo, we see that Al Pacino and Jared Leto definitely do make for a distinct dynamic duo in this as yes, they provide the film with comedy, but their characters also do go through the wringer a fair bit in this so that you do care about what happens to them by the end of this. Out of the two though, I think the one that is the more offbeat yet oddly worthier of our pity is the entirely unrecognizable Jared Leto in the role of the goofy and slightly off-putting yet well-meaning son who wants nothing more than to earn daddy dearest Aldo’s love and respect. Indeed Leto may seem over-the-top in this, but honestly I think that’s exactly what he was aiming for plus he does prove to be consistently entertaining in this so there is that. As for Pacino in this, honestly he does a really good job (big surprise there, but then again it IS Al Pacino) in this as the elder statesman who wants the business to stay exactly the same even whilst remaining fairly oblivious to the world changing around him. That and the film does give him a few moments to go over-the-top in that way that Pacino fans love to see him do. Suffice it to say that when you also factor in fairly good efforts from such performers as Salma Hayek (even if I’m not sure her character needed to be in this as much as she was), Jack Huston, Camille Cottin, and Reeve Carney to name but a few there is no denying that the work done in front of the camera is honestly top-tier in every sense of the word.
All in all is House of Gucci a top-of-the-line slice of cinema? Honestly no, not really. At the same time though, is it one that should be relegated to the clearance rack at your local Best Buy or Walmart? Honestly, I wouldn’t say that either. If anything, I would say that this is one film that comes close to being great, but ultimately has to settle for merely “really freaking good”. As for this reviewer though, I must confess dear reader that I really do dig the heck out of this film despite, as previously stated, thinking it would have worked out a lot better as a limited series on TV. Indeed the work done behind the camera is fairly well done (including some truly kinetic work from Scott at the helm) and the work being done in front of the camera (especially by Lady Gaga in the lead role) by this slice of cinema’s truly stacked in terms of talent cast of players is nothing short of consistently enjoyable even IF what is happening to the majority of their respective characters truly is anything but. Thus if you want a movie that are close to perfect from start to finish….then please look elsewhere. In fact, might I recommend either Alien or Blade Runner? I think you might find those more appealing to your particular cinematic tastes. If however, you would like to see a wonderfully sleazy movie about how blind love and one woman’s ambition managed to bring down a fashion empire in the late 70s and 80s that also comes equipped with Jared Leto rocking a bald cap then this is definitely the film for you. Indeed it might not be perfect, but House of Gucci is definitely one slice of cinema that, flaws and all, proves to be consistently engaging from beginning to end. Just make sure your significant other doesn’t take any notes while watching it. Trust me: you might thank me later. On a scale of 1-5 I give House of Gucci “2021” a solid 3.5 out of 5.
