In “House of Gucci”, wealth is corruption
In Gucci House, opulence is not always attractive. But Ridley Scott’s new film takes its time before plunging into the insidious and golden universe of the Italian luxury label. The film, which traces the eventful marriage of fashion heir Maurizio Gucci (played by Adam Driver) to ambitious Patrizia Reggiani (Lady Gaga), instead opens with the couple’s sweet romance. He’s a law student who doesn’t want anything to do with his family fortune; she is charmed by her shyness, but also intrigued by her name. Finally, he takes her to meet his father, Rodolfo (Jeremy Irons).
Viewers might expect the scene to offer a tantalizing glimpse into the lucrative life of the Gucci co-owner. But even though Rodolfo’s apartment is awe-inspiring, with high-end artwork adorning the walls, Scott films it like a grave, a cavernous refuge for a man who barely remembers how to profit from his success. Rodolfo immediately fires Patrizia as a gold digger, a downgraded social climber who cannot distinguish a Picasso from a Klimt. He might be right to be suspicious, but he also clearly finds little joy in the empire he defends against her.
Gucci House, which hits theaters tomorrow, is a fable about the rise and fall of Patrizia from the 1970s to the 1990s, as she marries Maurizio, stays by his side when he takes control of the business, and ultimately plots his murder after their acrimonious divorce. It’s also a story about the corrupting nature of power. Though the film sometimes leans into the lavishness of its subjects – tycoons who have made their millions selling the notion of extravagance – Scott is always ready to remind audiences: This fabulous way of life demands a terrible price.
Scott has been making films at a breakneck pace for over 40 years. Many of his later efforts focus on the dark side of money: think of the cruel tycoon of All the money in the world, or the inhuman businessmen leading the chaos of his last Extraterrestrial movie theater. Gucci is its second release in 2021, after the excellent The last duel, another story about how those who have influence wield it to achieve their own selfishness ends. The last duel unfolded as a nifty storytelling trick, telling violent tales of medieval fighters, then peeling back their heroic appearances to reveal their flaws. Narratively, Gucci House is much more sloppy. The film mixes the biographies of several major personalities and tries to pull together enough romance, betrayal, and corporate machinations to fill a TV miniseries into one 157-minute film. Yet despite the over-the-top performances and plot twists he juggles, Scott gets his ultimate message home: Wealth is tempting but toxic.
Gucci House isn’t as dark as I say it is, in part because its performance is so strong that the film should probably only be screened in stadiums. Lady Gaga plays Patrizia as a wide-eyed sweetheart who transforms into someone who looks like a Countess from Transylvania, affecting an accent that seems absurd until you hear the the real voice of Patrizia. Irons barely changes his English accent to play the wan and arrogant Rodolfo, while Al Pacino (like his brother Aldo) transforms the president of the company into a charming Italian mascot, albeit a gnome. Driver plays Maurizio as a finance-conscious encryptor amidst a cartoon cast. He’s a particularly toned down figure compared to Aldo’s son Paolo (Jared Leto), a bald, buffooning designer who is ridiculed by Elder Guccis and speaks in an exaggerated cry. No performance in Gucci House is subtle, but Leto acts like he’s just stepped off the top of a pizza box. He’s so determined to be weird that his previous work as Joker feels almost naturalistic.
The film moves slowly at first, but once each character has been introduced and the many storylines start to turn, a fun chaos sets in. The different Guccis stab each other in the back and try to outsmart each other. They wade through corporate debates, slanderous financial activities, and the occasional extravagant expense. But much of the philosophical push and pull Gucci House is about the kind of future the brand should pursue, either by staying in the polite hands of older family statesmen or by trying to compete on a global scale. Snobs like Rodolfo understand that their success is rooted in perceived class, while forward-thinking figures that men like Maurizio understand that branding alone might not sustain them forever.
The question is interesting, but Scott frames the story so the viewer knows that tragedy is found at the end of every great argument. He shoots the whole movie with the same dark blue palette he gave The last duel and All the money in the world, casting an ominous shadow over the lifestyles of the rich and famous. And while Gaga’s performance is certainly larger than life, it portrays Patrizia’s downfall as a tragedy – the fate of a woman who was drawn to a life of unimaginably richness and quickly corrupted by it. Gucci House is Ridley Scott’s angry version of a fairy tale, in which fame goes hand in hand with betrayal.