Ridley Scott’s second film of 2021 was released last week, starring Jeremy Irons, Adam Driver, Lady Gaga, Jared Leto, and Al Pacino (from left to right). PHOTO CREDIT: imbd.com
It’s that time of year, the season of giving, when shopping malls are busiest, lines are longest and window shopping is on full display. Rather than being lured into a Black Friday sale at Target or Banana Republic, I bought a ticket to see Ridley Scott’s newest film, “House of Gucci.”
Man, whoever was in charge of music, I’m in love with you—that person has some amazing taste in music. This film’s soundtrack included songs from a wide range of genres like classical and disco, to even Andy Williams’ “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year.” Hearing Blondie singing “Heart of Glass” in the trailer is what first lured me in. But, when Lady Gaga, Adam Driver, Jared Leto and Al Pacino appeared, I felt like a window shopper who couldn’t resist the urge to go on a shopping spree. If I haven’t already convinced you to go to fandango.com, then the name “Gucci” hopefully will––the luxury fashion house that has become iconic since its beginnings in Florence, Italy.
Usually, I associate going to a movie theater with the smell of buttered popcorn, the slurp of an ICEE and the minty aftertaste of Junior Mints. Viewers at this screening were hit by overwhelming perfume from “House of Gucci”—its own unique touch. Besides the opening scene, which features a warm and glamorous looking Milan from 1978, the film was plastered with a cool bluish hue. Along with this color filter, the image is further tainted by the smoke haze that fills each room of Gucci property. As a viewer, you’re able to use these visual elements to cue you in on the legal turmoil and family drama each Gucci member suffocates in.
This $75 million dollar, 2 hour 37-minute film, was released in the U.S. on Nov. 24, 100 years after the $18.2 billion dollar Gucci company was founded by Guccio Gucci in Italy, where the drama is set. Scott’s film, based on Sara Gay Forden’s book of the same name, starts in the 1980s, when Patrizia Reggiani (Lady Gaga) meets Maurizio Gucci (Driver) and they quickly fall in love. Aldo Gucci (Pacino) hosts his 70th birthday party, where every member of the family is seen together. As the film progresses, family ties begin to go in different directions. Paolo Gucci (Leto) has his own fashion visions, and Maurizio takes on 50 percent ownership of the company which makes Patrizia more power hungry. By the time we reach the movie credits, we’ve made it to the mid-1990s, where Gaga plots the murder of her ex-husband and faces the consequences thereafter.
While I didn’t buy a physical item of clothing or utilize Black Friday deals, “House of Gucci” had left me craving turtlenecks, Maurizio’s stylish glasses and putting songs like “I Feel Love” by Donna Summer, “A Fifth of Beethoven” by Walter Murphy and “Heart of Glass” on repeat.
It’s safe to say, Ridley Scott’s film has my heart. Rating: 9.5/10 (the only reason I took off ½ a point is the music was too low in the theater and I thought it was gonna be more of a presence like the trailer).