Film of the week
charts a “crowd-pleasing course” through the Milanese party scene of the 1970s to a highprofile, end-of-century trial, meanwhile telling the tale of a tabloid-friendly scandal involving lust, fashion, murder… and a clairvoyant, as Mark Kermode puts it in
The Observer. Ridley’s Scott’s latest film is an adaptation by screenwriters Becky Johnston and Roberto Bentivegna from the book by Sara Gay Forden. At its heart is the “doomed romance” between Patrizia and Maurizio Gucci, scions of the fashion house who became embroiled in internal intrigues.
As portrayed in the film, Maurizio Gucci (Adam Driver), an awkward law student, is seduced in a nightclub by Patrizia (Lady Gaga), thereby estranging him from his father Rodolfo (Jeremy Irons). Rodolfo’s brother, and co-owner of Gucci, Aldo (Al Pacino), takes the couple under his wing, making Maurizio the heir of his half of the company. Despite this, tensions between the two begin to emerge – Patrizia manipulates Aldo’s son Paolo (Jared Leto) into betraying his father, only for Maurizio and Patrizia to then turn on him. With Paolo out of the way, the couple look to be in control, but legal problems and marital tensions cause them to turn on each other.
Performances from some in the supporting cast, especially Leto’s overwrought Paolo, are
House of Gucci
“It’s far from Scott’s best, but it’s no Christmas turkey either and well worth the price of a cinema ticket”
a little uneven, and the decision to have the cast speak in Italian accents is questionable. But a strong central performance by Lady Gaga ensures that the film retains its momentum. Her character is portrayed as amoral and ruthless, and increasingly impulsive as she become ever more dependent on a psychic (Salma Hayek); she is also portrayed as being smarter than her husband or her in-laws and the victim of circumstances.
A strength of the film is the way in which the cinematography, set design and costumes invoke the world that its characters inhabit, from Art Deco New York showrooms and classical Italian villas to snowy Swiss chalets. Even the truck company run by Patrizia’s father has its own windswept charm. And although the film is mostly a bit of fun, you can learn some worthwhile business lessons along the way – about the importance of reading the small print before you go into business, and how illiquidity can force you to surrender assets for a fraction of their true value.
Not all reviewers were impressed: Kevin Maher in The Times thought it “atrocious” and “howlingly inept”, with the “gasp-inducing” Italian accents (“Eeees ah time to ah take out ah dee trash, ah!”) making it more like a cross between Dallas and an advertisement for Dolmio pasta sauce. True, it’s far from Scott’s best, but it’s no Christmas turkey either and well worth the price of a cinema ticket.
Reviewed by Matthew Partridge