Gucchi, a Florence-based Italian luxury fashion brand, is known for its high-end product lines, including handbags, footwear, accessories, fragrances, home decoration, makeup, and ready-to-wear apparel. It was founded in 1921 by Guccio Gucci. His son Aldo Gucci made it an international brand. Following a crisis in business and family, a French conglomerate Pinault Printemps Redoute acquired it in 1999. Its present CEO is Marco Bizzarri. Gucci is now a subsidiary brand under Kering. But why are we discussing a luxury brand in a review of the movie House of Gucci?
This is because this sensational, international brand has an equally thrilling backstory that came into light with the launch of Sara Gay Forden’s book in 2001 titled ‘The House of Gucci: A Sensational Story of Murder, Madness, Glamour, and Greed. And in this article, we will review a movie based on this book, House of Gucci. This movie is an American biographical crime drama with American actors’ conversations in Italian. So let us begin!
About House Of Gucci
House of Gucci is an American biographical movie based on the lives of Patrizia Reggiani and Maurizio Gucci, whose love story turns out to be a tragedy for the Italian fashion brand Gucci. Ridley Scott-directed House of Gucci is based on Forden’s book The House of Gucci, which narrates thrilling insights from the Gucci dynasty and its heirs.
The Star Cast
The big star cast of House of Gucci is the Gucci Dynasty invaded by an office manager, Patrizia. Lady Gaga as Patrizia Reggiani romances Adam Driver (as Maurizio Gucci) on screen, who is the heir of Rodolfo Gucci’s (Jeremy Irons) 50% interest in the Gucci fashion house. Jared Leto plays Adam’s unintelligent uncle, Paolo Gucci, son of Aldo Gucci (Al Pacino). Aldo is Maurizio’s grandfather.
Jack Huston as Domenico De Sole, Salma Hayek as Giuseppina “Pina” Auriemma, Reeve Carney as Tom Ford and Camille Cottin as Paola Franchi are other important leads in the movie.
The Plot
The movie is based on the real incidents of the Gucci family in the late 1970s. Maurizio’s father Rodolfo introduces him to Patrizia Reggiani in a party. She charms him into love and marries him. Maurizio, despite his father’s warnings, chooses Patrizia over money and leaves the company. Years later, the pregnant Patrizia reaches Aldo for reconciliation. This reconciliation happens just before Rodolfo dies. But, Patrizia forges Rodolfo’s signature to make Maurizio the owner of 50% stakes in Gucci.
And, from here begins the story of Patrizia’s selfish games to control the most influential company in the fashion world. She manipulates Maurizio to rise in society. Her intelligent plottings disintegrate the Gucci family. Police arrested Aldo for tax evasion. Lying about Paolo’s non-authority over Gucci’s trademark, she ruins his fashion designing career. Later, Maurizio himself gets troubled by police for forging Rodolfo’s signature and flees to Switzerland. He indulges in an extramarital affair with his old friend Paola Franchi.
Maurizio comes back but his repeated efforts to revive Gucci’s old charisma, fail. Eventually, in 1995, Investcorp leaders acquire Gucci and replace Maurizio with Ford and De Sole. However, Maurizio seeks divorce from Patrizia who refuses. Furious with Maurizio’s decision, Patrizia kills him in the broad daylight with the help of two hitmen and her psychic guide, Pina. They all are sentenced to long prison terms on murder charges.
As of the present, Investcorp has full authority over Gucci and is successfully running it with no Gucci family members left in the company.
House Of Gucci: Review
“Gucci, it was a name so sweet, seductive, synonymous with words style, power, but that name was a curse too.” This quote explains the amount of responsibility movie makers had, to bring the true story behind this luxurious brand. The two-and-a-half-long movie presented a snake and ladder game between a few men and a highly ambitious social climber, Patrizia. It was everything about family lineage, fashion, relationships, and betrayals. Despite the promising visuals in the trailer, the film went a bit off in its overall presentation.
And thus its review praises its actors, dialogue writers, and the music directors, but criticizes its cinematic standards and the Italian accents that its American actors delivered on-screen. Jared and Lady Gaga got an appreciation for their performance. Francesca De Martini, an Italian actress, and dialect coach commented on Gaga’s accent sound more Russian than Italian.
The soundtrack contains some popular and recognizable songs with no song from Oscar-winning Lady Gaga and The Mars singer Jared Leto. Yet they aptly support the whole mood of the film.
According to our review, House of Gucci is a movie worth watching once especially for the fashion lovers and the fans of Lady Gaga.
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