Movie Review: House of Gucci

 

Michael's Movie Grade: B

A fun and wild true-life tale.

Despite the tragedy and violence behind the true-life story on which this is based, this movie is a lot of fun. Director Ridley Scott and screen writers Becky Johnston and Roberto Bentivegna obviously have very little (if any) respect for the people whose story this movie is telling. While this can be a fault it also allows them to go as over the top and satirical as they want, and this brings about the best parts of the film. This movie's satirical bite and over the top sensibilities often make this movie laugh out loud funny and if the characters occasionally turn into caricatures, they are still very funny caricatures. The character of Paolo Gucci is especially over the top and steals every scene he is in. Jared Leto is obviously having a great time playing this character and it really shows making us end up having a great time watching him. He is not the only one in the cast that shines though. With this and A Star is Born, Lady Gaga has proven herself to be quite a good actress and this film truly lets her shine. She may play a horrible person, but she plays this character in a way that we cannot look away from her. She simply commands our attention. Though by now Al Pacino and Jeremy Irons hardly have to prove themselves, the turn in performances worthy of their well earn reputations. What also makes this film work is that it doesn't hide the more soap opera like or campy parts of the story but instead fully embraces them which leads to what amounts to tons of fun, while still working as an intelligent parable about how power and money can fully corrupt.  

Unfortunately, this movie is much longer than it needs to be, and it can definitely drag at times. The transitions between farce and drama often don't work very well, as they often feel too abrupt and distracting.    

While this film is not for everyone, those who enjoy this type of over-the-top storytelling will have a lot of fun.