“In the Name of the Father, Son, and House of Gucci” — “House of Gucci” Review

What first attracted me to this movie were the advertisements. With use of vintage classics like “Heart of Glass” and “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This),” quick shots of iconic moments, and revealing just enough to get you hooked, the teaser trailers were dynamite. Upon watching the movie, some of my original thoughts remained and some did not.

First off, the most memorable performance to me was Jared Leto as Paolo Gucci. Now, I don’t mean memorable as exclusively good. I also don’t mean it to be exclusively bad, either. The character of Paolo Gucci adds a nice comedic factor to this drama-filled movie. Some of Paolo’s mannerisms, like saying “Boof!” or dancing off-beat, turned out to be the majority of this one-dimensional character’s personality. Most of the time when he tries to be funny, the audience laughs hesitantly. The general consensus with Leto’s depiction felt like: “Are we supposed to laugh right now?”

Another artistic choice I noticed was the choice of songs. At an earlier point in the film, a french cover of “I’m a Believer” started to play. A little later on, “Faith” by George Michael played as background music for Patrizia and Maurizio wedding ceremony. Thankfully, some more tone-fitting music played further into the film, like “Heart of Glass” by Blondie.

Adam Driver plays Maurizio Gucci, a humbled and dorky turned cold-hearted, back-stabbing entrepreneur. The coldness you can see in Driver’s eyes from the halfway point on in the film is painfully clear-cut. His aggression towards Patrizia is hard to watch but not a surprising consequence. The dimply, bashful smirk that occupied his face in the beginning was long gone by the end. Maurizio’s gradual descent into greed is executed so well by Driver.

Lady Gaga’s portrayal of Patrizia Gucci has also garnered a lot of polarizing attention. One of the main objections I have seen is the lack of ‘authentic Italian’ in her accent. But, when seeing side-by-side comparisons with the real-life Patrizia, Gaga’s version is almost like a replica. She wasn’t meant to play a generic Italian woman. She was meant to play Patrizia Gucci, a multi-faceted, emotionally-driven, business-savvy woman, trying to make her own name in the Gucci franchise. 

After seeing her encapsulating portrayal, it’s clear that it wasn’t ‘Lady Gaga playing Patrizia Gucci.’ It felt more like Patrizia Gucci reimagined.

Overall, the movie had its highs and lows. The line of morality and greed was blurred many times, but was very much on par with the actual historical events that took place in the Gucci franchise. I guess one of the messages that stands out from the film would be: be careful what you wish for.