House of Gucci, a movie named after the 2000’s book it was based on, is directed by Ridley Scott and retells the story of the Gucci economic affairs and family feuds. 

Aside from focusing on Maurizio Gucci’s relationship with his wife, the film shows how Rodolfo and Aldo Gucci managed the company and their ideologies and how Patrizia managed to influence it. The topic of the movie is rather tragic but it’s filmed in a way that makes it seem glamorized. 

Lady Gaga played the role of Patrizia Reggiani, Maurizio Gucci’s ex-wife. Reggiani is a very complex woman; she was a businesswoman, a wife and a criminal. Gaga put a lot of effort into playing her and she should be applauded for her work. However, she does over act in some of her scenes. 

There were scenes in which Reggiani’s emotions seemed forced or over the top. The scene in which Maurizio lets Reggiani know that she will be going back to Florence, Reggiani is hurt and cries out of anger and sadness, but Gaga’s tears seem so forced that the emotion from the scene pretty much disappears. 

Gaga nailed Reggiani’s accent, which is quite distinctive. Although she did not personally meet with Reggiani, she studied her life for six months.

Thanks to costume designer Janty Yates, make-up artist Sarah Tanno and Gaga’s acting skills, Reggiani’s character comes to life almost perfectly.

Adam Driver plays Maurizio Gucci, son of Rodolfo Gucci. Driver has an extensive acting history, which gives the viewer rather high expectations. However, those expectations are not fully met. When the character is actually introduced, Maurizio has a rather strong accent, yet less than two scenes later it’s gone. Driver also butchers the pronunciation of words like “Maurizo” and “grazie.” 

Maurizio’s character seems more like a name dropper than actual substance. For example, the scene in which he has a meeting with Anna Wintour has no relevance, as well as when he meets Tom Ford, even though Maurizio had passed by the time Ford was rising to fame. 

Alongside the two protagonists, Rodolfo and Aldo Gucci are played by two iconic actors, Jeremy Irons and Al Pacino. Both actors have the most polished acting in all of the movie. Their characters’ emotions and their effortless accents make them believable and enjoyable. 

Even though both characters have flaws which would make them as people rather disliked, due to their acting, both Gucci brothers were the true highlight of the movie. 

On the other hand, Jared Leto plays Paolo Gucci, the disliked son of Aldo Gucci. Leto over exaggerates and over articulates all of Paolo’s scenes. The movie is not a parody nor a comedy, and Paolo comes across as a forced comic relief that isn’t even funny. Not to mention the rather insulting accent, that seems more like a cheap Mario accent. Even Paolo’s actual daughter was offended by the portrayal of her father. 

The film was highly anticipated, especially by Lady Gaga’s large fanbase, and while it is entertaining, it does lack many points, it nails the wardrobe and overall styling. But things like Rodolfo’s house being a modern house even though the film took place in 1985, the soundtrack that had lyrics explaining everything in the movie, and the irrelevant Italian words thrown around while also being mispronounced, made the movie less enjoyable.