It’s painful for me to write this review, I swear. Ever since the trailer was released, I have been anxiously awaiting Ridley Scott’s “House of Gucci,” a film that retells the story of how Patrizia Reggiani hired a hitman to murder her husband, the famous owner of Gucci, Maurizio Gucci.
Let me explain a little of the backstory, just so we can all get on the same page. According to biographical research, Reggiani came from very humble beginnings. Her life began to shift only when her mother married a wealthy businessman named Ferdinando Reggiani. She was going about her life in Italy when she coincidently met Maurizio Gucci at a party and they quickly fell in love. The pair got married two years later, despite the disapproval of Maurizio’s father, who was worried that Reggiani was only marrying for power, status and the Gucci name. Fast-forward 23 years, Maurizio is shot by a man who was hired by Reggiani.
Aside from the amazing story, I was excited for “House of Gucci” because of the amazing cast. Patrizia Reggiani is played by Lady Gaga, while Adam Driver takes the role of Maurizio Gucci. Other notable actors include Al Pacino, Jared Leto and Salma Hayek. It’s safe to say I had very high hopes.
I arrived at the movie theater the day after Thanksgiving buzzing. My whole family was so excited to see the film, but unfortunately we left feeling disappointed and frustrated. My biggest issue is how absurdly long the movie is. At 2 hours and 38 minutes, it felt like the storyline was dragging without any real action taking place. Even though we saw their marriage crumbling, I expected more pizazz and shock. Instead, it was a slow watching of a marriage breaking under the pressure of fame and fortune. On top of this, I found Jared Leto’s acting to be a bit unrealistic. In fact, his daughter, Patrizia Gucci, described Leto’s depiction of her father as, “Horrible, horrible. I still feel offended.”
While I was let down overall, I did enjoy certain aspects of the film. Of course, I found Lady Gaga to be absolutely brilliant. Her acting is impeccable and I am never disappointed by any of her characters. I also really enjoyed the incorporation of both Tom Ford (Reeve Carney) and Domenico De Sole (Jack Huston). De Sole was hired by Rodolfo Gucci in 1984 to become the CEO of Gucci America, and is said to have been the mastermind behind Tom Ford’s runway success during the early years. Lastly, if there’s one thing that the Gucci film did right, it’s the trailer. I have never anticipated a film as much as this one, and I still believe the scene where Reggiani does the sign of the cross and says “Father, son and House of Gucci” is iconic.
I hope your experience with “House of Gucci” is not as underwhelming as mine was, but I guess we all saw what happens when you tie the knot only to inherit millions.
Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars
I was disappointed too. I expected the movie to be a little more exciting.