‘House of Gucci’ Stitches Together Couture & Crime
The Ridley Scott-directed crime thriller revolves around the family drama leading up to the 1995 murder of Maurizio Gucci on the steps of his office in Milan. Learn more below.
Patrizia Reggiano, played by Lady Gaga, spots Maurizio (Adam Driver) at a party and is instantly entranced when she discovers his last name is “Gucci.” They fall in love, but his father thinks she’s a money-hungry nobody and forbids his son from marrying her. Nevertheless, Maurizio goes forward with the nuptials, and the newlyweds are cut off from the family fortunes. Maurizio, having never been interested in the business, is fine; Patrizia, however, starts to scheme. They eventually get welcomed back into the family fold, but that’s not enough for Patrizia. Soon, she’s sharing her thoughts, widening her control and wanting even more.
Based on a book by Sara Gay Forden, “House of Gucci” covers the dissolution of the Gucci dynasty over the course of three decades with what Variety dubbed “a lethal game of musical chairs… But the more it implodes, the more you can’t look away.”
“I left my screening elated and wanted to rewatch it immediately. Several times. Long live cinema.” Vox
The star-studded cast is filled with outlandish, entertaining characters. “Scott creates an extremely stylish world of runways, ostentatious estates and stunning costumes for his various characters,” wrote USA Today. “And his actors are a colorful bunch in a bring-your-own-accent situation. At one point, [Jeremy] Irons looks like he’s been slathered in horror movie makeup, [Al] Pacino balances playful and raging sides as the personable Aldo, and an unrecognizable Jared Leto – who’s there somewhere underneath a ton of prosthetics – is a blast to watch as Aldo’s mercurial son Paolo.”
However, it’s Lady Gaga that receives the loudest praise for her leading role. Rolling Stone wrote: “If the film is remembered for anything, it's for being Exhibit A as what a great actor [Lady Gaga] is. Forget Gucci. Long live the house that Gaga built.” The singer/songwriter/actress is receiving early Oscar “Best Actress” buzz. Plus she’s already the recipient of a Golden Globe nomination, winner of the Palm Springs International Film Festival's Icon Award and was named the Best Actress of 2021 by the New York Film Critics Circle.
“House of Gucci” is playing in theaters now and will be available for licensing from Swank soon.