Directed by Ridley Scott (The Martian; Black Hawk Down; Gladiator; Thelma & Louise; Blade Runner; The Last Duel; American Gangster; Alien) and starring Lady Gaga (A Star Is Born; Sin City: A Dame to Kill For; American Horror Story (TV Series)), Adam Driver (BlacKkKlansman; Marriage Story; Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens; The Last Duel; Inside Llewyn Davis; J. Edgar; Lincoln), Al Pacino (The Irishman; Scent of a Woman; Dog Day Afternoon; The Godfather; Serpico; Once Upon a Time... In Hollywood; Ocean's Thirteen; Insomnia; Any Given Sunday; Donnie Brasco; Carlito^s Way), Jeremy Irons (Reversal of Fortune; The French Lieutenant's Woman; Brideshead Revisited; Red Sparrow; Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice; Night Train to Lisbon; The Borgias (TV Series)) and Jared Leto (Dallas Buyers Club; suicide Squad; Blade Runner 2049; Panic Room; American Psycho; How to Make an American Quilt)
Drama; 157 mins; 12+
Set in the family empire behind the iconic Italian fashion brand. As an outsider - not unlike a "commoner" marrying into the royal family in Britain - Patrizia Reggiani (Lady Gaga) marries into the Gucci family, young student lawyer Maurizio Gucci (Adam Driver); however, her arrival does not go down well, particularly when she has ambitions of her own and she steps on the toes of many members of the family, one by one. Maurizio's father, Rodolfo Gucci (Jeremy Irons) - who does not speak with Maurizio or Patrizia after they get engaged and does not attend their wedding - is elderly and a widower and does not seem to be involved any longer with the family business. This is left to Aldo Gucci (Al Pacino) who seems to be primarily based in New York.
Patrizia's arrival into the family sets off a series of events and triggers emotions that include betrayal, decadence and revenge, eventually leading to murder. Along the way, we are introduced to other members of the immediate family, including Paolo Gucci (Jared Leto) who is Aldo's son and Maurizio's cousin, and and some in the inner circle but yet not blood members of the family.
Maurizio initially works for Patrizia's father who operates a small fleet of trucks, before Patrizia persuades him to heal the rift with his father and join the family business. A struggle for power ensues, with double-dealing and deceit to the fore as different members of the family try to buy out others, sometimes directly and sometimes indirectly, as well as not being afraid to "shop" other family members to the authorities, which could well end up with imprisonment... Nothing is off the table. By close to the end, its seems that every (wo)man is for himself/herself with the middle aged men each reaching out to, or by, their uncles as the relationships with their own fathers are fractured, almost beyond repair.
But this is not a story about the Gucci empire and how it evolved; it is more a story told from Patrizia's perspective, a love story on one hand and a story about family dynamics on the other. Lady Gaga plays this role admirably - following on from her stellar performance in the 2018 film A Star is Born. But the actors playing the Gucci family ensemble taken together is outstanding, from Jeremy Irons as the aging father whose influence is waning, to Al Pacino as the uncle in New York who on the surface is the "cuddly uncle" but behind the scenes cuts corners and Jared Leto as the "idiot" cousin who has no idea about his incompetence, to Adam Driver as Maurizio whose character is the most to develop and evolve from his time as a shy student to his time as arguably the kingpin in the organisation.
This film could have been filmed as a courtroom drama with flashbacks; thankfully it was not; instead, it allowed character development and brought the audience on a journey along which they got to understand the various personalities that made up the House of Gucci, at least at that moment in time.
The pulsating soundtrack, spanning a variety of genres from opera to rock, follows the emotions of the film as they ebb and flow. And the Italian scenery and the costumes both add immeasurably to the production. Surprisingly, Lady Gaga does not get the opportunity to show off her dinging talent; however, the audience sees her as an immensely gifted actor.
Currently screening at Ciné Utopia and Cinextdoor in Luxembourg.
