319. House Of Gucci; movie review

 

HOUSE OF GUCCI

Cert 15

158 mins

BBFC advice: Contains strong language, sex

Lady Gaga for an Oscar?

Who would have thought the princess of pop would be such an accomplished actress?

But here she is, following up her impressive debut in A Star Is Born, with a stellar show in Ridley Scott's sumptuous House Of Gucci.

Gaga is utterly compelling as Patrizia, the party girl who sets her sights on Maurizio Gucci (Adam Driver) and his family's enormous wealth.

To the anger of his father (Jeremy Irons) who sees her for the money-grabber she is, Maurizio insists on marrying her and immediately her ambitions are thrust to the fore.

These become heightened when they are invited to New York, home of the Gucci fashion empire, run by his uncle Aldo (Al Pacino).

The latter sees the glamorous couple as his potential successors because his son Paolo (Jared Leto) is a talentless waster.

However, Patrizia has aspirations which are even grander than his.

Betrayal is the name of the game in the House of Gucci. It doesn't matter how thick the blood may be, it doesn't guarantee trust.

Some of the duplicity or even treachery are more outrageous than daggers to hearts.

Meanwhile, its characters have wonderful individual allure. 

You have to love Patrizia for her brass neck, Maurizio for his quiet control, Aldo for his ruthlessness, Paolo for his passion and Maurizio's dad for his intransigence.

The acting is of the highest quality, luring the audience to be fully engaged with the story's constant shifts.

On the downside, the history isn't entirely accurate but necessarily shorthanded to fit in the film's duration.

Then there are the Italian accents. Are they really necessary? Anyway, the problem is that the cast, especially Leto, seemed to find difficulty in maintaining consistency.

Nevertheless, the intrigue was not spoilt and House of Gucci is a properly entertaining movie. Academy awards could follow.

Reason watch: Intrigue and great performances

Reasons to avoid: The Italian accents grate after a while

Laughs: None

Jumps: None

Vomit: None

Nudity: None

Overall rating: 9.5/10

Did you know? Gucci was founded in Italy in 1921 and Guccio Gucci was the main man behind the company. He established it in Florence when he was 40 years old. The famous double G logo stands for Guccio Gucci.

The final word. Ridley Scott: "The bottom line is that it feels like a 15th Century story told in the 21st Century. It's not far off that Medici, or the Borgias digression – you can't call it progression, it was digression – had difficulty leading from one tragedy to another." Total Film

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