House of Gucci

Are you supposed to laugh during a true-crime film about the Gucci family losing their fashion empire?

Ridley Scott’s A-List star-studded House of Gucci plays like a collection of characters and stories instead of one single, consistent silhouette. His cast isn’t afraid to lean into the madness of the Gucci family and play it up as pure campy.

Lady Gaga literally becomes Patrizia Reggiani who falls in love with Adam Driver’s hard-to-tell-if-he-wants-to-be-there Maurizio Gucci. At first, Patrizia is rejected by Maurizio’s father, she finds allyship in his Uncle Aldo. The last character of the fashion family is Aldo’s son, Paolo, who is an incompetent wannabe fashion designer. The pieces are set as Patrizia gets to work on becoming a part of the family and taking the Gucci name for herself.

The film spans three decades starting off with the happy couple and tight-knit family and ending with a broken family and murder. Audiences watch as Patrizia talks her husband out of his dreams and manipulates the rest of the Guccis out of power. The film sounds great on paper but sadly its actors can’t decide what type of movie they are making. While Adam Driver plays his role subtly he is surrounded by Leto and Gaga who seem to think they are in a different movie. The tone of the script moves through drama and comedy that earn laughs. Once audience members embrace the duality of the film it starts the work. Towards the end of the film, its ambition begins to die off and the third act feels dragged out.

The fashion aspect is never explored as much as it should be. One of the most interesting parts of the story is when a young Tom Ford is introduced and revitalizes the Gucci brand. It is hard to watch a fashion family barely mention or show interest in their own specialization. It is more focused on who the Guccis are as people, but the film makes them come off as caricatures instead of someone you could feel empathy for. There is no understanding of the moves behind any of the characters and the decisions they make other than they just want power.

Overall if you go into this not expecting an accurate history lesson on the brand and murder, and instead come for these over-the-top performances you should be fine.