‘House of Gucci’ is a good story with slow delivery – Florida Flambeau
Ridley Scott’s anticipated “House of Gucci” released on Nov. 24, bringing Lady Gaga back to the screen in a shining leading role. Adapted from Sara Gay Forden’s novel “The House of Gucci: A Sensational Story of Murder, Madness, Glamour and Greed,” the plot follows the real-life events surrounding the famed Gucci family. Since its release, the film has received mixed reviews from critics and fans alike. As screenwriter Roberto Bentivegna remarked in Vulture, the Italian epic does appear to be “a sequined ‘Godfather,’” but far less intense in tone.
While the film premiered around one of the most family-oriented holidays, the movie itself follows the traitorous downfall of the family behind one of fashion’s most renowned brands. At the center of the chaos is the passionate and tumultuous love story that ensues when Patrizia Reggiani meets Maurizio Gucci. Reggiani’s motives are questioned by Gucci’s father who heavily disapproves of Gucci’s wishes to marry a commoner and potential gold-digger. This drives Gucci to cut ties and give up his wealth to be with the woman he loves which pushes his father’s suspicions out of mind.
They live a humble life until Gucci’s uncle reaches out and urges Reggiani to convince her husband to move back near the family and join the family business. Once she is successful, Reggiani manages to tear down the Gucci family’s foundation brick by brick with the reluctant compliance of her husband.
With a run-time of over two and a half hours, the most noticeable barrier to the movie’s greatness is the pacing, or rather, the lack thereof. The story of the Gucci family’s struggle under Reggiani’s manipulation and ploys is entertaining in itself, but there were not enough key points of action to keep audience members engaged for the course of the film. This may have been intentional with the style of the movie, as it was written to slowly build up to one crucial act. While the buildup was present, it was missing an essential degree of intensity or excitement.
Were it not for an incredible cast, the weaknesses of the movie might have resulted in many more negative reviews. Gaga has been receiving glowing praise for her performance in the film as Reggiani almost as much as she did for her last leading role in “A Star is Born.” Adam Driver co-stars next to the pop-star as her husband and gateway into the family name. Al Pacino, Jared Leto and Jeremy Irons also star in the movie as the Gucci family members. Additionally, Salma Hayek and Reeve Carney appear as supporting roles in the film.
Although the cast is packed with well-known faces in the industry, the actual Gucci family members were not fans of the casting. The real Reggiani especially had a problem with Pacino portraying her grandfather, Aldo Gucci, whom she describes as a very handsome, tall man with blue eyes. When shown pictures of the actors on set, she claimed Pacino did not resemble her relation at all since he looked to be “fat, short, with sideburns,” in an interview with The Guardian. She also expressed extreme offense at Leto’s bald head as her brother-in-law, Paulo Gucci.
While few elements of the Guccis’ story were deliberately changed, there were a handful of details that were simply dramatized for the sake of the story. In an interview with Time Magazine, Bentivegna said he wished to add a touch of the “tabloid sensationalism” that surrounded the family at the time of the story’s events. Bentivegna was successful in creating a dramatic story with plenty of glamorous shots, but the film also felt a bit too dragged out.