House of Gucci (2021) Review

So with Oscar season coming around the films that are expected to compete for the major awards are set to be released and House of Gucci has come out and I have watched it, so here is my review for it. The premise of the film sees the rise of an ambitious woman as she infiltrates The Gucci family and organisation. 

Main Character

Lady Gaga has been gaining rave reviews for her performance as Madame Gucci and she is really good here. She plays this aggressive person really well and you see just how manipulative she can become in order to get what she wants. She does have a presence on the screen and there is no denying that your eyes are drawn to her during the film. I am not sure this is the groundbreaking performance that I was expecting but there is no denying that she does a really good job and considering she was just a singer a few years ago it is very impressive. 

Supporting Characters

In terms of acting the star for me was Adam Driver playing her husband. This guy has so much range as an actor that he can go from the bad guy in a Star Wars film to a kind of calm and measured powerful man in this film. Their dynamic is really good and I think both of them do a really great job of building the dynamic in the film. Jared Leto looks almost unrecognisable in the film but has some pretty good lines. He sometimes comes across as a caricature but he manages to balance it just well enough to be a fun part of the film. Al Pacino and Jeremy Irons play senior members of the Gucci family and they are obviously very good, Pacino in particular has a strong presence in the film and is an intriguing aspect of the overall story.  Salma Hayek has a smaller role in the film and she also does a decent job though it is a slightly weird role that comes out of nowhere. 

Story 

The story is really interesting in seeing the rise of the Gucci brand and all of the moving parts that take place in a massive company like this. All the actors play their role well and the family dynamic with real trust issues taking place between the characters. But this isn't the story I was really expecting, it feels like a long build up to the really interesting stuff which we never get to see. It focuses on so many broad subjects that it seems to struggle to focus on the more engaging parts of the plot. 

Script

The script is good, there is drama, intrigue and bits of humour there. It never becomes confusing when it really could of with all the business jargon But I felt like it never hit the top in terms of the dialogue, its good but its not great and for a film that I expected huge things from that is a let down. 

Style 

The film looks fantastic, it feels really glamorise just like the lifestyle that these people and organisation had in real life. The choice of song and music really added to the feel of the film, and changed the dynamic compared to the scenery of the film. But the film is way too long, the runtime really holds the film back and I thought it could have done with a shorter runtime that really focused on the more interesting parts of the story. 

Overall   

Overall, House of Gucci is a good film. It falls short from being a film of the year contender but if you are interested in this story of the rise of a fashion empire then go and watch it. 

Rating - 7/10