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Fortune and family can be a deadly combination. Some wealthy families somehow manage to navigate the politics of running a family business, while others crumble under the pressure. Director Ridley Scott’s House of Gucci takes a look at a legendary fashion family that was brought down by their arrogance and greed.
House of Gucci takes on family and fashion with Lady Gaga’s Patrizia Reggiani. When she first met Maurizio Gucci (Adam Driver) at a party, she was working for her dad’s trucking business, and he was a law student who had little interest in his family’s business. But once she was married into the family, Patrizia got caught up in the drama and the money and the power. She mended relationships between her husband and his family, and she encouraged him to return to Gucci. But her ambitions created cracks in the foundation of the family and its business.
The relationship between this unlikely pair definitely makes for plenty of drama. She’s an outspoken girl from a humble background, while he’s a reluctant member of fashion royalty. Driver’s young Maurizio is lovably awkward—modest and down-to-earth, completely lacking in the swagger you’d expect from an air to a legendary fashion house. He’s tired of his family’s extravagance and attitudes of superiority. But Lady Gaga’s Patrizia is pure ambition. She’s the kind of girl who always gets what she wants. She quickly gets caught up in the family’s legacy of fashion and grandeur and power—and after they’re married, her introduction to the family makes her see what their lives could be like.
What follows, then, is a whole lot of scheming and intrigue. This story of familial greed, betrayal, and backstabbing is nothing new, but at least it’s entertaining. To a soundtrack of upbeat ‘80s hits, Patrizia advises Maurizio on his business decisions while working behind the scenes to make sure that all of the pieces end up exactly where she wants them—only to have the whole plan backfire on her.
Of course, Ridley Scott isn’t known for directing short, snappy movies—and at more than two and a half hours long, this one is significantly longer than it needs to be. The pacing eventually drags as Lady Gaga gets yet another trendy new hairstyle to signify the passing of nearly two decades. And with so much time on its hands, it tends to pad the story with a little too much melodrama.
House of Gucci feels like a dishy tabloid exposé, complete with some wild personalities and a whole lot of backstabbing and lies. It’s long and a little bit campy, but the music and fashion and over-the-top family drama makes it an intriguing film nonetheless.
House of Gucci opens in theaters on November 24, 2021
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