House of Gucci Review – Amazing Cast, Disappointing Plot

“House of Gucci has it all. It’s just a bit of a shame that it isn’t all blended as well as it could have been..”

Drama. Sex. Scandal. Family. Betrayal. House of Gucci has it all. It’s just a bit of a shame that it isn’t all blended as well as it could have been.

This film, directed by Ridley Scott, takes you into the real life relationship of Patrizia Reggiani and Maurizio Gucci, played by A Star is Born‘s Lady Gaga and Marriage Story‘s Adam Driver, respectively. We follow from the first time they meet, through to their marriage, and all the way into Maurizio’s murder.

First things first, Gaga plays the main role extremely well. Ironically, she shows how gaga this woman truly was. Oscar buzz was thrown around from the first trailer for this film, but her fun portrayal sets it in stone that she shouldn’t be snubbed. Patrizia is shown to be a very charming and fun-loving woman, but also scheming and intelligent in how to get what she wants. Oscar nominee Driver…gets better as the film goes on. To begin with, his performance feels rather wooden, but as the character gets more to do throughout his arc, his portrayal becomes more interesting. Not Oscar worthy this time around perhaps, but better than what can be anticipated from the first 45 minutes or so.

It’s fair to say that Morbius‘ Jared Leto has had a bit of hate for his performance as Paolo Gucci, but we wouldn’t say that it’s deserved. we’d call him a good corner of melodramatics that fits this dramatic setting that Ridley Scott has built up. If we are to trod on this eccentric performance, is there a reason we’re not tarring Jonah Hill’s performance in Wolf of Wall Street with the same brush? To us, he’s a welcome bit of comic relief that edges into quite a dark and frankly boring story.

Then there’s Al Pacino in the shoes of Aldo Gucci. Al Pacino is Al Pacino. He churns out a great performance in the film, but sadly it feels like nowadays he’s being thrown into the same type of roles; the elder who is there to try and guide the next wave of the empire or group. He’s great, but it feels like a performance they could have saved money on with a lesser name. This bring us to Jeremy Irons as Rodolfo Gucci. In short, Irons doesn’t get the screen time he deserves. An actor like this, much like Pacino, needs something meatier. Maybe if he had more screen time, he’d have perfected his accent a bit more for the role.

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Then we get the plot. The long, drawn out, ultimately yawn-worthy plot. This is not a terrible film. On paper, it could have been handled so well. Unfortunately, there is just something direct Ridley Scott isn’t landing well with this. Some story beats just seem to go on forever. The political and business-centric scenes sometimes have you ready to say “wake me up when this bit’s over”. Even watching Patrizia’s scheming unfold. It’s fun to watch. But once you’ve seen her scheming for the millionth time, it feels repetitive.

One perfect example of how the plot could have been spiced a bit better is the foreshadowing of Maurizio’s murder. The opening scene shows someone stopping him in his tracks, at the setting of his murder, before cutting to black and taking us back in time. When we catch up to this scene near the end of the runtime, it literally just takes us to the same someone calling him, and as he turns he is shot. It would have been good for some creative freedom to show someone just stopping Maurizio to hand him a card he’d dropped, or a flyer for something. Just something to blind you from moments later when he turns back and he’s gunned down and give you a bit of a surprise, even though you know its coming.

When it comes to Ridley’s directing and the screenplay from Becky Johnston and Roberto Bentivegna, something you can’t fault them for is the building up of the Gucci family. For story purposes, each fills their role well. Maurizio the shy member who doesn’t wish for fame and fortune originally. Paolo the dreamer who just isn’t going to be destined for greatness. Aldo the man who helped make the family name what it is. Each Gucci has their own edge to play with in the plot.

There is then the set pieces, use of music and costume – arguably the best elements of the film. Everything is so stylised. As it should be for a film with this story and character list.

The main issue for the story is the pacing and overall storytelling. Biopics are supposed to be slices of real life, so we can understand that there will be boring moments. But, for the sake of a film plot, be more creative in certain spots! Look at what Martin Scorsese did with Wolf of Wall Street. Yes, Jordon Belfort is a much bigger character than what we get in House of Gucci, but the direction and tone could have been led down a path that left it just feeling murky and stretched. Instead it’s vibrant, intriguing and every five minutes something fresh is happening.

The film almost acts s a psychological profile of how one person can move the pieces of an empire so slightly, and yet create this tidal wave of manipulation and family drama. Patrizia is an unexpecting antagonist, which is what makes her scheming all the more enjoyable to watch.

The bottom line, some characters shine instantly whilst others need time to grow, whilst others just stay on the one level from start to finish. Not an Oscar contender as an overall film, but it’s fair to say Gaga deserves at least a nomination. We also can’t talk ill of the world building which transports us back to the 70s, 80s and 90s in a really electrifying way. However, there are parts that could have been less boring, and though Scott has viewed this as through and through classic drama, there were missed opportunities for artistic licence to allow bigger shocks and twists for story’s sake.

From us, this film gets a 5.8/10.

House of Gucci is in cinemas now.