Movie Review: House of Gucci (2021)

Quality is remembered long after price is forgotten.

-Aldo Gucci-

There are not major spoilers in this review!!!

The Breakdown of the Gucci Family and the Movie

The father of the Gucci empire was Guccio Gucci. He lived from 1881 to 1953 in Florence, Italy. With his marriage to Aida Calvelli, Guccio had five sons and one daughter. His sons who became major players in the Gucci family business as covered in the movie were Aldo (born 1905) who ran the shops from 1953 to 1986. Aldo is played by Al Pacino. He is the father of Paolo (born 1931). Paolo is played by Jeremy Leto. Rodolfo was the second biological child of Guccio (born 1912) who was a film actor. Rodolfo is played by Jeremy Irons. He is the father of Maurizio (born 1948) who married Patrizia Reggiani. Maurizio and Patrizia are played by Adam Driver and Lady Gaga. Not all the sons of Guccio are included in the film. There are 11 living Gucci members as of today. House of Gucci was directed by Ridley Scott. The screenplay was written by Becky Johnston and Roberto Bentivegna. The is rated R and is 2 hours and 37 minutes long. In addition to the above cast, Giuseppina Auriemma is played by Salma Hayek, Domenico De Sole is played by Jack Huston (yes, related to John Huston), Tom Ford is played by Reeve Carney (yes, related to Art Carney), Paola Franchi is played by Camille Cottin, Fernando Reggiani is played by Vincent Riotta, Silvana Reggiani is played by Alexia Muray, and Alessandra Gucci is played by Mia McGovern Zaini.

There Should be Enough Room for Everyone

House of Gucci is what it means to be a dysfunctional family, just on a much bigger scale because you are known to the world, and for this reason nothing is hidden for too long. On the surface, it’s all glitz and glamour but when you open the curtain wider to see what is hidden, there’s no going back. This is what occurred after Maurizio Gucci married Patrizia Reggiani and took her newly married name very seriously. Maurizio should’ve stuck to his original plan and became a successful lawyer. He would have kept his distance from his family’s craziness. Except he didn’t and re-acquaints himself by visiting his uncle Aldo in New York City. This begins a new chapter in his life as a married man living the American Dream by working for his family’s business. During this time every Gucci male in the family is jockeying for power and trying to outdo each other. Meanwhile, Patrizia has her own ambitions as does Domenico and both find themselves in uncomfortable situations. This movie ends with all Gucci members having to live with their actions whether it be lies with backstabbing or ignorance with idiocy. There might be more to this story, but for the fact it’s pretty clear cut and in your face, all I had to do is sit back and watch the destruction unfold.

Watch the Trailer

Overall View of House of Gucci

I was psyched when I heard House of Gucci being made because when I read the book, I was hooked. It’s the perfect story to engage the reader, complete with family greed, power, deceit, and backstabbing. The Gucci family members are not happy with this adaptation from the book written by Sara Gay Forden. Whether you are for the movie (the creators’ visions) or for the Gucci family (their legacy), this movie was ultimately made to make a profit. The movie has grossed 95.6 million dollars, but it needed 75 million to be produced. House of Gucci failed in opening weekend on its profitability, but by another standard, it was phenomenal as a period piece of great entertainment. As I’ve watched many family-crime driven movies before, this one definitely didn’t feel like it was over two hours long. Whether you thought Jared Leto was over the top, the music was great as was the interactions between Maurizio (Adam Driver) and Patrizia (Lady Gaga). I’m not sure who was the greatest villain in the family because they all were pretty rotten at their worst moments. The Gucci empire continues with or without the family as does this movie.

I give House of Gucci FOUR FINGERS and ONE THUMB at 97%