House of Gucci (2021)

With this sort of sweeping Italian family drama taking place over a number of years, and with criminal behavior rife throughout, comparisons with The Godfather are somewhat unavoidable. And when you add Al Pacino to proceedings, you know those comparisons will be instantaneous. Which is a shame, because to compare those two is utterly pointless; House Of Gucci is a lot more humorous than any of the Godfather films, and thankfully that’s deliberate as oppose to being just laughably bad. Having said that, Jared Leto’s performance as Paolo Gucci is ludicrous, but again I believe it’s deliberately so, and not Oscar baiting as some critics have claimed. Telling the story of Patrizia Reggiani’s marriage into the Gucci family, (wedding Maurizio Gucci early in the film) Scott’s focus seems to be mainly on Lady Gaga’s Patrizia in the first two thirds or so, before shifting gear to make Maurizio the center of the film in the final third. The performances are terrific, and none more so than Lady Gaga as Patrizio, firmly cementing her place in the filmic world as a fine acting talent. Gaga was Oscar worthy in A Star Is Born (2018) and should be in contention come award season again next year. Her and Adam Driver (as Maurizio) are the heartbeat of the film, and their relationship is firmly the crux of House Of Gucci. Although no masterpiece, Scott’s film races along at a pace, and is a more consistent effort than The Last Duel, and a more lighthearted affair, as you’d probably imagine. It’s not a sweeping crime epic in the sense of The Godfather or Goodfellas, but there’s enough in it to justify the biographical transfer to the big screen of the Gucci story. Good but not great, solid if not spectacular, and anchored by some excellent performances, most notably Lady Gaga. 6.9/10