The extravagant rise and fall of the ‘House of Gucci’
Ridley Scott’s “House of Gucci” is an extravagant new movie following Patrizia Reggiani, an ambitious Italian beauty who climbs her way up to the top — only to fall so far to the bottom.
Patrizia, playing by the vivacious, award-winning Lady Gaga, sinks her claws into the shy, awkward Maurizio Gucci, played by the phenomenal Adam Driver, and pushes him to reconcile with his family and build the Gucci fashion house into the new age.
Things are great at first for the loving couple. Patrizia and Maurizio are an unstoppable force who shake up the company, especially the father-son duo of Aldo Gucci (Al Pacino) and Paolo Gucci (Jared Leto). The couple, cunning and manipulative, turn father and son against each other so they can take over Gucci.
With the extravagance, wealth and power, the two eventually resent each other. Maurizio leaves Patrizia for another woman, but Patrizia doesn’t take the news well. She still loves him but is enraged he is leaving her in the dust despite all she has done for him and Gucci. With the help of her psychic friend Pina (Salma Hayek), Patrizia takes matters into her own hands, which proves fatal for Maurizio.
The story alone is intriguing, but the star-studded cast and director brought the story to life one more time in a truly fascinating way. Patrizia’s over-the-top character suited Lady Gaga, who proves once again she can act.
Although Lady Gaga and Adam Driver were the main leads, Jared Leto stole the show as the idiotic Paolo Gucci. Barely recognizable under the fat suit and makeup, Leto grabbed everyone’s attention when he was on the screen.
“House of Gucci” is a campish perspective on the members and the tribulations of the Gucci family, embellished with popular music hits and bright-colored fashion of the ‘80s. The film has a gritty glamour to it, which I think best represents Patrizia Reggiani at heart, a nobody trying to climb her way up to the top to be somebody.
The film is over 2 1/2 hours long, but it’s well-paced, and it didn’t seem that long when watching. There were a few moments in the film’s third act where it jumped a little too far, with only a little subtext to how certain scenes and moments would play out, but overall the story went smoothly.
“House of Gucci” is an enthralling tale of love, jealousy, fashion and murder that plays on the big screen. The film does an excellent job of showcasing the flamboyant lifestyle of a member of an internationally renowned fashion house family. It’s hard to look away from the screen. “House of Gucci” is showing at a movie theater near you.
