The new Ridley Scott film based on named for the fashion empire Gucci, starring Lady Gaga and Adam Driver, gives just enough intrigue and drama to make me want to watch the movie again.
Scott has directed a plethora of well-known sci-fi and action movies, such as “Blade Runner” (1982) and “Alien” (1979), but “House of Gucci” is more like his movie “American Gangster” (2007), with the tones of drama and crime.
Through the first half of the film, I found myself shocked by Driver’s ability to play a happy man who is deeply in love, since I am used to seeing him play unhappy and “grumpy” men, such as Kylo Ren in the new Star Wars films and Charlie Barber in “Marriage Story” (2019).
In all honesty, this was the first Gaga film I have had the pleasure of watching, and I was not disappointed by her ability to portray every emotion so deeply. I found myself truly feeling immersed into her character’s world.
The music of this film was by Harry Gregson-Williams, who worked on movies like “Shrek” (2001) and “Mulan” (2020). The musical composition in this film, while not done poorly in any sense, did not jump out at me as being magical or necessarily immersive. Gregson-Williams did a decent enough job at blending the music into the movie in a way that felt natural, but it did not give me the intensity I was hoping for.
The screenplay for “House of Gucci” was co-written by Becky Johnston and Roberto Bentivegna, neither of which has previously written anything terribly noteworthy. In fact, Bentivegna’s expertise is in short films, which would explain the lacking build-up and flat ending of this film.
As someone who knows nothing about the Gucci family or any of their history, the start of the movie felt slow and confusing. I went into this film expecting the conception of the infamous luxury brand but was instead thrown into the middle of its history. In fact, the Gucci brand was not even mentioned until at least 30 minutes in.
The introduction came up lacking. As the two characters fall in love and progress in their relationship, the storytelling makes it seem as if the pair have only known each other for a few days when Mauricio Gucci, played by Driver, declares to his father that he wants to marry Patrizia Reggiana, played by Gaga, despite his father’s protesting. However, it was later apparent that quite a bit of time had actually passed.
Despite the lack of mention of the movie’s namesake brand, the start of the movie was beautifully romantic. Mauricio is introduced as an awkward and charming guy that has trouble taking social cues, while Patrizia is a vibrant Italian woman that works for her father’s trucking business. Who wouldn’t root for this pair?
After the wedding, the plot starts to pick up quickly, and Patrizia starts to weasel her way into the Gucci family business by way of her uncle-in-law Aldo, played by Al Pacino.
Despite the initial lack of build-up, the character development for Patrizia was well-written, and the character’s wardrobe even develops as she becomes more of the Gucci wife that she was. About halfway through the movie, you see her begin to decline into madness, which Gaga played beautifully.
Mauricio, however, did not have as smooth of a transition. Following some legal problems, he runs away and asks his wife and daughter to join him in the mountains. Immediately, his character becomes cold and hurtful towards Patrizia.
At first, the hostility felt unwarranted and gave me flashbacks to my own experience of being talked down to by a man. By the end of the movie, however, the aggression felt more natural, and Driver played the part extremely well.
Along with the beautiful character development in this movie, the wardrobe and acting were wonderfully done. Gaga’s wardrobe alone tells a strong story of how her character develops. Furthermore, Driver’s acting was extremely convincing and immersive, making me believe he really was an Italian fashion heir.
After a two-and-a-half-hour build-up to Mauricio Gucci’s demise, the end of the movie came up flat. Instead of giving us closure in the form of more storytelling, the film ended with some “where are they now?” tidbits about the real people upon which this film was based. While showing us more story would have made the already-long film an unbearable length, the ending could have been made more intriguing.
Overall, I enjoyed watching this film, and I might watch it again when it is released on streaming platforms. However, the build-up and conclusions of the movie fell flat, and were thankfully saved by the intense and beautiful acting in the film.
I recommend only going to see “House of Gucci” with a friend that will laugh along with you to some of the silly plot-jumps and awkward scenes, since this film is full of them.