Film Excess - Free Ukraine - Stop Putin - End the war NOW!!: House of Gucci (2021)

12/13/2021

House of Gucci (2021) - Gaga slays as Patrizia Reggiani

♥♥♥♥

+ Best Period Movie of the Year + Best True-Crime Movie of the Year

An expensively dressed cadre of top stars front this dark poster for Ridley Scott's House of Gucci

Patrizia is the opportunistic daughter of a truck company owner from Milan, who manages to hook the heir to the Gucci fashion empire. But her possessive, power-focused personality makes for a sour life for her unwitting law student beau.

House of Gucci is written by Becky Johnston (Under the Cherry Moon (1986)) and Roberto Bentivegna (El Otro Lado (2008, short)), based on the non-fiction book The House of Gucci: A Sensational of Murder, Madness, Glamour, and Greed (2001) by Sara Gay Forden, and directed by British master filmmaker Ridley Scott (The Duellists (1977)), whose 27th feature it is.

The colorful, tabloid media-qualified chain of events are served with a distanced, brisk touch and an ironic distance, an eye for the gauche and pompous in both the rough-diamond outsider, who turns out to be a scheming gold-digger, and the inflated egos at large in the Gucci family. This provides nice parts for Al Pacino (Two for the Money (2005)), a clownish Jared Leto (How to Make an American Quilt (1995)) as the family's black-sheep cousin, and Jeremy Irons (Eragon (2006)), who is especially good as the unlucky heir's (Adam Driver (The Man Who Killed Don Quixote (2018))) father. Salma Hayek (Grown Ups 2 (2013)) is fun in a small role as a psychic.

But the main act, of course, is Lady Gaga (A Star Is Born (2018)), who owns the film as Patrizia Reggiani. Patrizia has a temper, and she doesn't like to lose. A juicy role, where Gaga gets a chance to show her skills in plenty of outrageous, stylish, (including many bad taste extreme) outfits and wigs - as well as sunglasses and ski goggles, and hats! She is the main reason to watch House of Gucci, and she is on fire here as a ruthless and sometimes frightening woman.

The narrative moves without ever becoming very surprising, but it maintains an entertaining energy due to the performances and light grip on the material. There are no heroes in House of Gucci, which is peopled by deeply flawed, mostly self-serving characters, which makes it somehow very relatable I think. It is impressive work by the 82 year-old filmmaker.

The Martian (2015) - Scott and Damon triumph with hopeful sci-fi adventure

Prometheus (2012) or, Even Then, Space Eggs Were Bad News
2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]

2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]

2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess

Robin Hood (2010) - R. Scott's grand film of the English legend

2008 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]

2008 in films - according to Film Excess

Body of Lies (2008) - R. Scott's terror actioner is a fatiguing turkey

2007 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]

2007 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]

2007 in films - according to Film Excess

American Gangster (2007) - Great American - now black - gangster picture
A Good Year (2006) - Ridley Scott likes Provence

Matchstick Men (2003) - Great Cage job highlights entertaining Scott crime dramedy

Hannibal (2001) - Grisly highlights in low-yielding Scott sequel

2000 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess

Gladiator (2000) - Experience the grandeur of the Roman Empire in Scott's dramatic masterpiece

G.I. Jane (1997) or, The Amazing Seal Woman!

Top 10: The best big flop movies reviewed by Film Excess to date
Blade Runner (1982) director's cut - Visual extravaganza, great SF

Top 10: Best future-set movies
Alien (1979) or, Space Eggs Are Bad News

Watch a trailer for the film here

Cost: 75 mil. $

Box office: 93 mil. $ and counting

= Too early to say

[House of Gucci premiered 9 November (London) and runs 158 minutes. Several directors and stars had been attached to the project since 2006. Shooting took place from March - May 2021 in Italy, including in Rome. The film opened #3, behind fellow new release Encanto and holdover hit Ghostbusters: Afterlife, to a 22 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it has since spent another 2 weekends in the top 5 (#3-#4) so far, grossing 41 mil. $. It is set to release in 7 more markets in December, January and February, including Italy, Australia, South Korea and Japan. Reggiani and descendants of the Guccis, and designer/filmmaker Tom Ford, have all attacked the film in the press. Scott is set to return with Kitbag. Gaga does not have her next acting gig announced yet; Driver returns in 65 (2022). House of Gucci is fresh at 61 % with a 6.10/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of House of Gucci?

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Film Excess - Free Ukraine - Stop Putin - End the war NOW!!

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