House of Gucci
House of Gucci (2021)
Gucci, Versace… it’s easy for me to get them confused. And after the superb mini series starring Darren Criss as the ill fated Italian designer Gianni Versace I assumed surely no one else could befall the same fate. Oh.
Here we have Ridley Scott (legend director of Gladiator, Thelma & Louise and Alien) amassing an unlikely troupe of performers to relay the scandal that rocked the fashion industry in 1995. In a nutshell; scorned wife Patrizia hires a hitman to off her estranged husband Maurizio. You couldn’t write it. Oh.
Lady Gaga is Patrizia Reggiani, the sexy and ambitious daughter of a truck “empire” who falls in love with the heir to a fashion house. Gaga starts off as Barbara Windsor in Carry on Camping and evolves into 1980s Bette Midler. And it’s all I could hope for. I say this with complete appreciation. She’s Bette in Big Business. Everything is big. And that’s no bad thing. If everyone was giving Frances McDormand in Nomadland the world would be a very dull place.
Adam Driver as Maurizio Gucci simply has a face for close ups. From his charming coat-hanger smile to the subtle confusion of Patrizia wanting to date him. He is captivating. Also, as a side note, I really should start dressing smarter and crossing my legs.
Al Pacino is the warmest you’ve ever experienced him and he is enchanting. I had no idea this intimidating behemoth could be so affectionate. I want him to welcome me into his home by clasping my face with both hands and calling me his beautiful niece.
And then we have Jared Leto. As the derided joke of the family, Paulo Gucci, Leto imagines him forlorn yet determined. Like Pepé Le Pew and Monica Gellar in a fat suit.
As storytelling goes it is somewhat of a contradiction. On occasion the pace feels slow and yet timelines are often rushed. On the one hand we received a thorough exploration of Maurizio and Patrizia’s courtship and yet the breakdown of their marriage came from nowhere. I do wonder what film this would have been in someone else’s hands; how unapologetically ostentatious would it have been under Ryan Murphy’s mischievous watch? How cool would it look through Scorsese’s en vogue lens?
A film that dawdles at times but engaging throughout. The fashion (obviously), the wigs (of course) and the cracking 80’s soundtrack keep you amused. This preposterous true story is thoroughly bonkers, inspiring and an absolute hoot.
7 Espresso Thumbs Up 👍🏻
