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While Ridley Scott has worked in pretty much every genre under the sun, his 2021 film House of Gucci saw him returning to a world with which he’s rarely associated: the 20th century crime epic. Because Scott’s filmic interests tend to revolve around world-building and characters that are just short of mythic (if often also quite eccentric), it’s rare to see him working in this space — although films like American Gangster show he can do it very well. But House of Gucci, with its over-the-top ‘70s and ‘80s costuming and production design, rags-to-riches true crime narrative, and incredible soundtrack, sees Scott applying his mythic gaze to a handful of schemers, designers, and heirs to a fashion empire. Like Martin Scorsese’s 1995 classic Casino, it shows viewers the blueprint to a world, and then documents how its most explosive elements destroy it from the inside out.
Scott began developing House of Gucci in 2006, a decade or so after the spiral of criminal behavior and assassinations that tore the titular fashion house apart. But due to the depth of scandal in the true story, the real Gucci family fought it; according to The Cut, they were convinced that its portrayal would be offensive. Those initial film plans stagnated and Scott moved on to other projects, eventually exploring similar material with his John Paul Getty III kidnapping film, All the Money in the World. By the time he got around to actually making House of Gucci, Scott had earned the trust of the family and was able to make an authorized story about the house’s demise, with full access to their collection. But luckily for viewers, even though the film had received the family's blessing, no punches needed to be pulled.
Lady Gaga Makes 'House of Gucci'
House of Gucci is a ride to the highest levels of luxury with sin at every side, and it’s all told through the eyes of the woman behind its fall: Patrizia Reggiano (Lady Gagain one of her best roles). For Gaga, who had by this point most prominently acted in Bradley Cooper’s 2018 remake of A Star Is Born, this role hewed more closely to her stage persona: dynamic, glamorous, and fiercely melodramatic. If House of Gucci has elements of Casino, Gaga functions like that film's Sharon Stone character, a woman from unsavory beginnings who seduces and marries a prominent figure in the industry — Maurizio Gucci (Adam Driver), the quiet, reserved heir to the Gucci fashion house. Maurizio studies law and is willing to reject the world he grew up in for love, after his dying father Rodolfo (Jeremy Irons) suspects Patrizia to be a gold digger.
The vast array of plot details in House of Gucci could be overwhelming if not for the movie’s strong decision (courtesy of screenwriters Becky Johnson and Roberto Bentivegna) to center Patrizia’s perspective. Beginning the movie working at a trucking company, Patrizia’s rise is portrayed alternately as guileless and calculating, with Gaga presenting the character as both desperate for the creature comforts she’s been denied and also truly in love. Rodolfo’s rejection of her leads to Maurizio's removal from his father's will, which then leads Patrizia to push for reconciliation before his death — and forge his signature afterward. Ridley Scott’s direction excels at illuminating both the circumstances in which the characters find themselves and the moral quagmires that ultimately lead to the movie’s bloody conclusion, especially after Italian police take note of the forgery.
Ridley Scott Turned Gucci's Family History Into a Mob Movie
From there, House of Gucci’s characters forge alliances and engage in betrayals, cutting across century-old family bonds as the pursuit of material wealth takes precedent. Gucci family members like Aldo (Al Pacino, whose greatest movies include many crime classics) and Paolo (a surprisingly good Jared Leto sporting a fat suit and Mario-level Italian accent) get mixed up in the marital game between Maurizio and Patrizia, too. Despite its ultra-specific milieu, the movie deals with a classic 20th century story: the death of the old guard and along with it, the connections that allowed things like great fashion houses to flourish. The movie’s interest in fashion is mostly a MacGuffin for the larger themes, but it’s great to see Patrizia champion her own ideas, fighting the family over the brand’s dilution and even hiring a psychic (Salma Hayek) to get her way as Maurizio slowly runs the company into the ground.
While House of Gucci was critically dinged for certain issues, particularly its tonal whiplash and nearly three-hour runtime, it’s a movie that matches its lurid, true-crime sensationalism with a stately mood. It navigates a complex saga with humor, great music (complete with great ‘80s needle drops ofBlondie and Pet Shop Boys), and— sometimes a rarity for Ridley Scott — a real sense of engagement with every detail of the story. The performances might lean into the broad and cartoony, but the characters themselves have nuances and difficulties that keeps this epic at a human scale. Even before Patrizia inevitably begins her plot to have Maurizio assassinated (maybe the most famous part of this leg of the Gucci saga), the movie’s web of affairs, stunted man children, and deceit makes it wildly compelling.
