House of Gucci – Ridley Scott Succeeds Once Again (Early Review)

Ridley Scott is widely considered one of the greats of his generation, as his best work helped push genre filmmaking, and cinema in general forward. That being said, after winning big at the Oscars for his acclaimed historical epic Gladiator, his career trajectory has gone somewhat downhill. While he’s had the odd hit, his body of work for the past 20 years has been filled with disappointments. However,  it seems Scott has found his creative stride again, as he is having quite the year. He surprised audiences with his poignant and grueling medieval drama The Last Duel. Fortunately, he does it once again with House of Gucci, a star-studded and deliciously over-the-top deep dive into the Gucci family and the corrupt world of luxury fashion.

House of Gucci stars Lady Gaga as Patrizia Reggiani, a working class woman who falls in love with Mauricio Gucci (Driver), a lawyer in training and the reluctant heir to one of the world’s largest fashion empires. When Patrizia marries into the Gucci family, her love quickly turns into greed, as she pits members of the family against each other to gain control. However, as she pushes Mauricio into a role he never wanted, he too falls prey to greed and the two find themselves at odds.

House of Gucci is the kind of film that knows exactly what it is and runs with it. It’s camp of the highest degree, intended to be a biting commentary on the absurdly corrupt world of luxury fashion. Utilizing a monochromatic color palette and intricate costume design, Scott directs the film in such a way to where it feels like it leaped off the pages of a tabloid magazine. It’s pulpy and melodramatic in all the best ways, with a hint of self-awareness. While the script doesn’t break any new ground and is conventionally structured, the witty and endlessly quotable dialogue makes up for it, allowing for some juicy conversational scenes between actors.

The ultimate strength of House of Gucci lies within its performances. Gaga delivers an extremely committed performance as Reggiani, crafting a character that is completely unethical, but is very fascinating to watch. While her over-the-top Italian accent can be distracting at times, it’s the heart and depth she inserts into her performance that makes it a standout. Meanwhile, the film’s supporting cast ham it up, each delivering delightfully eccentric performances that add to the film’s campy tone. Jeremy Irons and Al Pacino are perfectly cast as the family’s two patriarchs, Rodolfo Gucci and Aldo Gucci, with completely opposing views regarding the future of the company. Leto, as Paolo Gucci, leans into the absurdity of the story being told, adding much needed humor to the film. While Driver is normally a brilliant actor, he is by far the weakest link. Though every other actor dials it up to ten, Driver’s performance is considerably more low energy and creates tonal inconsistencies that are difficult to look past.

In the end, despite its tonal inconsistencies, House of Gucci delivers a fun and energetic look at one of the most unbelievable crime stories in the past 50 years as Scott delivers another gem and his second of the year in this reviewer’s eyes.

still courtesy of MGM

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Tristan French