Ridley Scott delivers a lukewarm project based on a bombastic tale of murder, madness, glamour and greed.
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Based on the 2001 book by Sara Gay Forden titled House of Gucci: A Sensational Story of Murder, Madness, Glamour, and Greed, House of Gucci sees Patrizia Regianni (Lady Gaga) and Maurizio Gucci’s (Adam Driver) blossoming romance as it turns into a battle for dominance over the luxury fashion house.
Ridley Scott's 27th directorial feature follows the downfall of the Gucci family dynasty through lush cinematography of Italian streets and the Alps, and the killer chemistry between Adam Driver and Lady Gaga.
Unsurprisingly, the film’s strongest suit is the sheer strength of the ensemble cast. Expectations that come with big-name actors like Al Pacino, Jared Leto, and Jeremy Irons would be over the roof, and fortunately, their impeccable performances are worth the film's 158-minute run. The star of the film however is undoubtedly Gaga. Her impressive portrayal of Regianni’s buding confidence, only to have it crushed by Maurizio’s cold shoulder is worth the buzz.
But of course - when the crux of the matter surrounds fortune, stocks, and shares, the plot is bound to get convoluted. Quite a bit of our expectations stemmed from the scandalous nature of Regianni’s resentment turning into murder. Unfortunately, the film's climax was condensed into a 5-minute shoot-and-run. Carried by the hitmen we hardly saw throughout the film, not much justice was done to the film’s vision of upholding the sensational state of affairs that surrounded Maurizio’s death.
There has been criticism surrounding Lady Gaga’s Italian accent too, with critics referring to it as “ridiculous Italian inflections” and “sounding more Russian.” Sociolinguistics aside, the contempt and scorn exuded by Gaga’s portrayal of Patrizia Reggiani deserve praise on its own. We have high hopes of Gaga snatching her second Oscar at the Academy soon!
House of Gucci is far from a perfect film. Outside of the brilliant cinematography and emotive performances of the cast, the film suffers from pacing issues which makes it difficult for audiences to digest. The movie shows a vast picture of living precariously through the eyes of the ubiquitous fashion house but leaves plenty of room for refinement.
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