House of Gucci certainly has all the necessary ingredients for a tasty recipe. What we ultimately get here is a dish that’s satisfying but not quite mouth watering. The best thing this film has to offer is its cast and their performances. Al Pacino, Lady Gaga, and Adam Driver all give great performances and prove to be really good fits for their roles. The costume design and direction is also very well done and adds a lot to the films quality. With a slightly more exciting script and a more toned down Jared Leto, this could have been a 9 or a 10.
Lady Gaga is the cast member everyone is most invested in, and rest assured, she does not disappoint. Her performance is very intense and emotionally raw. She handles the almost explosive nature of her role very well and gives a performance that I’m sure everyone will be satisfied with. Her chemistry with her onscreen husband, Adam Driver, comes across as very genuine too. Driver, as always, also gives a top notch performance. His portrayal of a Gucci family member is interesting due to how his character progresses.
Al Pacino gives a fantastic performance as Driver’s uncle who has a powerful position in the company. Pacino conveys so much and I couldn’t have been more engaged with him. He portrays a wide range of things including power, ego, heartbreak, and anger; and he does it all so well! I would even go as far as to say he should be under consideration for a Best Supporting Actor nomination.
I’m afraid not every cast member is able to deliver though. Jared Leto’s performance is far too silly to take him seriously as a character. He both looks and acts like a clown, and in a serious film full of serious characters, it comes off as awkward and out of place. Leto’s character almost seems like a parody. Every time he was onscreen I just wished that that screen time was devoted to someone else, which is obviously no good.
The only other thing that holds this back is the script not being quite as exciting as it should be. House of Gucci does do a good job with showing us the relationships of the members of the Gucci family though. With a little more spice sprinkled into it, this script would be an A!
What I can confidently say deserves an A rating in House of Gucci is the costume design and hair/makeup. Gaga’s designer clothing is stunning and fits her body well. I particularly loved the furs she sports in the snow. Adam Driver’s look is very well put together too. The hair and the glasses and the Gucci suits; it’s very fitting and he pulls it off nicely.
Another key detail that pairs nicely with the fashion is the soundtrack. The soundtrack attached to this is fitting, catchy, and helps drive home the sense of elegance and power that House of Gucci is centered around. Now of course if you are at all familiar with this story or if you’ve seen the ads, then you’re aware how this ends. The way this act is shown at the end isn’t as impactful as the scene that comes after it where GaGa delivers a memorable final frame line. This final scene works because it is all about ego, much like most of this film is.
All things considered, House of Gucci is a film I do recommend seeing but do be aware that it’s not a homerun. There are some flaws here but the performances alone demand to be seen.
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