Story meanders, but Lady Gaga is sensational
“House of Gucci” features a stellar cast playing colorful characters in a family business roiled by stubbornness, greed, and a romance that goes sour. The film is based on the book “The House of Gucci: A Sensational Story of Murder, Madness, Glamour and Greed.” Loosely portraying actual events with considerable dramatic license, it offers a fascinating look at the behind-the-scenes intrigue of the Gucci family and its fashion empire.<br /><br />As the film opens, the Gucci brand, once synonymous with luxury and wealth, is on a downslide thanks to savvy competition and expert knockoffs. The two patriarchs of the family are old and out of touch with a changing world. Rodolfo Gucci (Jeremy Irons) clings to the brand’s former glory while his brother, Aldo (Al Pacino), wants to expand the business into shopping malls. They also must settle on who will lead the enterprise when they no longer can. It can’t be Paolo (Jared Leto), Aldo’s incompetent son, and Rodolfo’s son, Maurizio (Adam Driver), is a studious introvert with little interest in the family business.<br /><br />When shy, cultured Maurizio meets bubbly, working class Patrizia Regiani (Lady Gaga), he becomes infatuated and wants to marry her. Rodolfo, however, regards her as a gold digger unfit to wed his son. But Maurizio marries Patrizia and is promptly disowned. He gets a job with Patrizia’s father’s trucking company and is content with the simple life.<br /><br />When Uncle Aldo invites the newlyweds to his 70th birthday party, Patrizia is exposed to a world of privilege she covets. She persuades Maurizio to re-enter his family’s business and becomes a formidable behind-the-scenes force. She understands that knockoffs are bad for business, while the Guccis have their head in the clouds, convinced that their name alone is sufficient to insure profits.<br /><br />Intrigues abound as betrayals at various levels drive the drama, with Patrizia taking on a Lady Macbeth role as she attaches herself to a family that will always regard her as an outsider.<br /><br />The stand-out performance in “House of Gucci” is that of Lady Gaga. This is a well thought out, emotional portrayal that outshines those of her more experienced co-stars. When we first meet Patrizia, she is a young, flirtatious woman who falls in love with Maurizio and is aggressive in pursuing him, only to learn afterwards of his pedigree. She later pushes the complacent Maurizio into taking an active role in steering the business. As the film progresses, she becomes like a pitbull as she goads her husband into destructive competition with the rest of his family and he makes a decision that drives her over the edge. Gaga totally inhabits the character of Patrizia. When she’s on screen, she’s electric.<br /><br />Driver is laid back, soft spoken, and deliberate in his speech and actions. He conveys Maurizio’s transformation from awkwardness to elegance with his classic attire and aloof manner, and seems to analyze every word. Driver’s performance is so skillfully calibrated that we can see the shift in his feelings toward Patrizia long before she does. He recoils from her while being too well-mannered to say so.<br /><br />The most unusual performance is from Jared Leto, unrecognizable as Paolo, in a balding wig and tons of facial prosthetics. It’s curious that director Ridley Scott chose Leto for the role instead of an older character actor; the casting seems a stunt. Leto plays Paolo as a buffoon, overly exaggerating his cluelessness, painting him as simpleminded rather than merely unsuitable to run a company. Though he elicits a few laughs in an otherwise melodramatic film and his make-up is extraordinary, Leto’s performance is ludicrous.<br /><br />Al Pacino, deeply tanned, adds stature to the role of Adolfo. His accent comes and goes, but he easily conveys authority as a Gucci, even as the fortunes of his company are in peril. And, yes, there is the requisite scene in which Pacino blows up and has a shouting fit. His Adolfo contains elements of Michael Corleone in that both characters are family heads, powerful, and highly respected.<br /><br />After meandering for over an hour, the film shifts into high gear when Patrizia takes center stage as a Machiavellian manipulator and plotter. A more streamlined movie would have increased suspense tremendously while keeping Patrizia the focus.<br /><br />Bonus materials on the R-rated Blu-ray release from Universal include the following<br />“The Rise of the House of Gucci: Making Of” featurette (10:14)<br />“The Lady of the House” featurette (5:35))<br />“Styling House of Gucci” featurette (5:26)<br />Digital code on a paper insert<br /><br />“House of Gucci” takes the viewer into the rarefied world of wealth and privilege as it examines the effect of an ambitious outsider on traditions as she maneuvers for a place in that world. Though too long, the film holds the viewer with its A-list cast and, especially, an excellent performance by Lady Gaga.
The movie title "House of Gucci - Blu-ray + DVD + Digital," available on Movies & TV, has received an average rating of 4.4 from 1464 reviewers. 
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 {"Genre": "Drama, Suspense, Arthouse", "Format": "Digital_copy, NTSC", "Contributor": "Adam Driver, Jack Huston, Al Pacino, Becky Johnston, Jeremy Irons, Salma Hayek, Giannina Scott, Jared Leto, Ridley Scott, Mark Huffam, Roberto Bentivegna, Kevin J. Walsh, Lady GagaAdam Driver, Jack Huston, Al Pacino, Becky Johnston, Jeremy Irons, Salma Hayek, Giannina Scott, Jared Leto, Ridley Scott, Mark Huffam, Roberto Bentivegna, Kevin J. Walsh, Lady Gaga  See more", "Initial release date": "2022-02-22", "Language": "English", "MPAA rating": "R (Restricted)", "Product Dimensions": "5.39 x 6.77 x 0.67 inches; 3.53 Ounces", "Director": "Ridley Scott", "Media Format": "Digital_copy, NTSC", "Run time": "2 hours and 38 minutes", "Release date": "February 22, 2022", "Actors": "Lady Gaga, Adam Driver, Jared Leto, Jeremy Irons, Jack Huston", "Producers": "Ridley Scott, Giannina Scott, Kevin J. Walsh, Mark Huffam", "Studio": "Universal Pictures Home Entertainment", "Writers": "Becky Johnston, Roberto Bentivegna", "Country of Origin": "USA", "Number of discs": "2"}

Here is a brief synopsis of the title : House of Gucci is inspired by the shocking true story of the family behind the Italian fashion empire. When Patrizia Reggiani (Lady Gaga), an outsider from humble beginnings, marries into the Gucci family, her unbridled ambition begins to unravel the family legacy and triggers a reckless spiral of betrayal, decadence, revenge, and ultimately…murder..