Review: ‘House of Gucci’ a Turbulent Affair that Fails to Live Up to Expectations

Acclaimed director Ridley Scott brings audiences a campy retelling of the events that lead up to the assassination of Maurizio Gucci, grandson of fashion designer Guccio Gucci. Despite featuring a cast that includes five Oscar winners/nominees, “House of Gucci” fails to be seen as a film that could garner any of its cast another prestigious accolade. The film is nearly three hours of questionable accents and over-the-top performances from a more than capable group of actors. 

“House of Gucci” follows Patrizia Reggiani (Lady Gaga), a woman from unassuming beginnings whose ambitious desires lead her to be caught up in a web of betrayal, luxury, and crime after marrying Maurizio Gucci (Adam Driver). 

An All-Star Cast

Oscar winner Lady Gaga leads a star-studded cast that includes Adam Driver, Jared Leto and Al Pacino. Gaga’s performance as Reggiani doesn’t solidify the actress as a strong contender for ‘Best Actress;’ however, she does a strong job attempting to re-create Patrizia’s accent. However, much like her co-star Jared Leto, Gaga’s performance can’t help but feel almost laughable at times. Leto stars as Paolo Gucci, the son of Al Pacino’s character Aldo Gucci. His performance feels almost childlike in some scenes, and his portrayal makes it hard to take Paolo seriously.

Al Pacino and Jeremy Irons give average performances—there’s nothing to them at all. The standout (if there had to be one) would probably be Driver’s performance as Maurizio Gucci. The “Marriage Story” actor gives a solid performance throughout and is one of the few characters who doesn’t make audiences grimace in nearly every scene. 

The weary 158-minute run-time allows Scott to tell the whole story; but if anything, the hefty runtime isn’t needed, as are a number of unnecessary scenes and long sequences. The film marks Scott’s second time in the director’s chair in 2021, previously directing the medieval drama “The Last Duel,” which also happened to star Adam Driver. One of many things that makes “House of Gucci” such an incoherent film is the numerous unspecified time jumps throughout; the pacing leads viewers to think they’re watching a part of the film that takes place at a certain time, but it turns out it’s actually years in the future. 

Pop Songs and Fashion, but Pacing’s a Problem

For some reason, the movie uses various up-beat pop songs that have no place in the film whatsoever, and only serve as nothing but a distraction to the viewers. The film’s pacing is another one on its list of issues; the film is agonisingly slow until the final scenes where Scott decides to hastily skip over everything that came after (including the trial and fallout from Maurizio’s death), informing audiences via a few title cards at the bottom of the screen. Costume Designer Janty Yates provides “House of Gucci” with chic costumes which make the film somewhat less of an eyesore. 

“House of Gucci” fails to live up to expectations, instead being a film that drags itself to the finish line. Scott’s attempt to create an interesting biopic about a tragic event ends up being messy; it’s full of ridiculous performances and confusing time jumps. 2021 doesn’t seem to be the year for the admired director as his previous film “The Last Duel” grossed only $29 million worldwide on a $100 million budget. “House of Gucci” is turbulent affair whose only redeemable quality is possibly Adam Driver’s above average performance. 

“House of Gucci” is currently only available to view in theaters.