Director Ridley Scott’s newest movie, House of Gucci, was a trip. From the plot to casting to the length of the movie. I could not figure out whether I liked it, or just liked Adam Driver and Lady Gaga together. 

     The plot and pacing were not the best and were highlighted by the long periods where we were entertained by Mauricio’s uncle and cousin. As the movie delved into Gucci’s financial and branding issues, we saw less of Patrizia and Maurizio together and more of their strained relationship and time apart. Their relationship wouldn’t even be considered a relationship. Maurizio wanted to be a lawyer, free from Gucci and its problems, and Patrizia was a material girl. Anyone could see that they weren’t meant for each other. Their time together was fast-paced, going immediately from steamy office sex to a wedding. At the wedding, we see Patrizia push Maurizio back into Gucci, once again showing her material girl wishes. 

     Once the child arrived, the relationship between the two seemed to get better, but then again quickly worse. The child only made a few appearances, and had little to no impact on the movie, except for accuracy to the story. Then, Patrizia uses her “mother’s love” as a way to gaslight the family lawyer and Maurizio. 

     The movie just kept going on, new characters and side plots kept popping up which were important to the story but seemed unnecessary and boring from a viewer’s perspective. After seeing the movie and its reviews, you wonder how much of the storyline was true, such as the sexism directed at Patrizia, or the portrayal of Paolo Gucci, Maurizio’s cousin. 

     Tom Ford himself said he had laughed out loud at the movie. Everyone can agree that visually, casting was perfect. A side-by-side comparison of the actors and their characters shows just that. But is casting perfect face matches enough? Should the casting directors have picked Italian natives with Italian accents? Or, as some say, should the movie have been in Italian, with Italian actors and directors? While the movie may have been better with an Italian cast, the movie was aimed at the American audience, and an American cast fit the type of movie the director, Ridley Scott was trying to make: a humorous, slightly camp, movie detailing the story of Maurizio’s murder and Gucci’s rise to fame. 

     Based off of 2021’s movies, House of Gucci is mid level. The cast was solid, with several big name celebrities, most notably Adam Driver, Lady Gaga, and Jared Leto. The acting and plot have been the center of attention, due to the camp style with questionable accents. House of Gucci’s plot and pacing were not always the best, some parts too quickly covered, and some too drawn out. The movie seemed too long, with viewers getting bored near the end. 

     When Maurizio got with his blonde friend, more than half way through, he seemed to have let his wealth get the best of him. He was buying expensive food, cars, and art. This may have been because of Patrizia’s influence, she had finally gotten to him, or simply because he was a Gucci. I was not expecting his sudden personality change, but I was expecting the blonde to become his “mistress.” The seemingly quick change of personality had been building for a while as we could see Maurizio brush off Patrizia more and more, and immerse himself in his work. I could not connect with any of the characters, and this made it hard to tell what they were going to do like when Maurizio started to buy expensive cars and art. The movie was not made for you to feel bad for the characters and their struggles but instead tell the story of the Guccis and their problems. You could not connect to the characters and watched as they made mistakes and dealt with them.

     Everything was all over the place, and the cuts of Paolo and his fashion dreams did not help. Patrizia and Maurizio girl-bossed and gaslighted Paolo, and yet still wanted him to like them, and help reinvent Gucci. All of the characters were unlikable, but maybe that was the point. Leaving the theater I felt many things: confusion, disbelief, sleepy, and fascinated. The movie may not have “wowed” me, but one thing is for sure: I love Adam Driver and Lady Gaga. RIP Maurizio and your dream of becoming a truck driving lawyer.