House of Gucci
House not fully furnished...
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2022 Review Number 1:
House of Gucci: (Drama): 64 out of 100: Three Oscar winning actors in Pacino, Irons and Leto. Two Oscar nominated actors in Gaga and Driver. Three time Oscar nominated director in Ridley Scott. What could possibly go wrong? Take some overacting, mix it with a story that doesn't reach any great heights and top it off with some uninspired direction which is un-Scott like and you have a recipe for a standard biopic which should have been a masterful film instead of what has been served here. It could have been so much better.
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In the late 1970s, Patrizia Reggiani (Lady Gaga) meets Maurizio Gucci (Adam Driver)​ at a party. Maurizio has a large share in the Gucci fashion house with his father, Rodolfo (Jeremy Irons). Patrizia aggressively pursues Maurizio but his father is vehemently against their relationship claiming her to be a gold-digger. Rodolfo cuts off his son when he marries Patrizia. Eventually his uncle, Aldo (Al Pacino), pulls him back in so he can groom him to lead the family business when Rodolfo departs the scene instead of his 'idiot' son, Paolo (Jared Leto).
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Don't get me wrong, this is not a complete shambles of a movie which sounds like it in my introduction. There are some engaging moments but there are too many scenes that lack spark and tension. Like many biopics, this tries to cover too much and it just seems like a basic retelling of events. The main problem is the running time of nearly 160 minutes makes the film drag on and on. A sense of 'when will this end?' should not have happened with the calibre of this cast. Ridley Scott doesn't help with some dull and lifeless direction.
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Lady Gaga is the standout performer and proves that her Oscar nominated performance in 'A Star is Born' was no fluke. She exudes charisma and sex appeal. Adam Driver plays his role in a mainly understated manner. Al Pacino chews up the scenery to the point where he becomes a distraction...you're watching Al Pacino, not the character he is supposed to portray. Jared Leto, who is barely recognisable, simply overacts with his caricature of an Italian accent.
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The soundtrack is eclectic, ranging from classical pieces to songs like George Michael's 'Faith' and Eurythmics' "Here Comes the Rain Again', which weren't even released in the 1970s. (One of my pet hates of movies is when the time setting of the story predates the songs). The production design vividly captures the era while the costume design will attract fashionistas, especially those enamoured with the Gucci label.
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If 'House of Gucci' didn't have all these well-credentialed actors and an expert director then it would have been excused as a satisfactory biopic but I expected much more from it to the point where it would be challenging for all the key Oscar categories this year. Instead we are left with a film that promised so much but delivered so little.
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Starring Adam Driver, Lady Gaga, Jared Leto, Jeremy Irons, Salma Hayek and Al Pacino
(158 mins)
Parental advice: Sex scenes, violence
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGNnpVKxV6s (Movie trailer)
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(Reviewed on Tuesday 4th January, 2022)
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