House of Gucci

There was a good story and film somewhere inside this bloated mess, but it was not what we got. Its historical inaccuracy can be overlooked since it was a movie. However, it was grossly inconsistent in terms of character developments - or lack thereof - and overall tone of the film.

Ridley Scott’s directing remained assured, but he seemed to have lost control with the purpose of the film. Did he want this to be a campy thriller or a serious dramatic biography? Who/what was the focus of the film? Lady Gaga’s Patrizia Reggiani, Adam Driver’s Maurizio Gucci or the House of Gucci itself? This film was utterly confused.

You know you are in trouble if mid-way, I begin to think a Ryan Murphy limited series might have served the story better.

The odd song choices and needle drops also added to the layer of confusion. The songs were either of the wrong period and most times did not suit the tone of the scene, or they were such clichéd choices that it brought you out of the moment.

And to make things worse, we had to content with over 2.5 hours of ridiculous, all-over-the-place, wildly inconsistent accents from all the main actors. Lady Gaga sounded more Euro-Russian with the occasional accent sneaking in; Driver was more consistent with a somewhat Italian accent; Al Pacino and Jeremy Irons were not even trying, with the latter sounding positively British most times; and Jared Leto was just a joke.

Sadly, the acting was also about the same. It was practically like watching different movies. Driver was the only one who seemed to think he was in a serious Oscar-contending drama. Lady Gaga was all gloriously camp and vacant eyes. She had a few good scenes, but only seemed to embodied her character superficially. That could be the fault of Scott and the writers, but was she really Oscar worthy? Pacino and Irons, like their accents, were just phoning it in. Someone really needs to rein Leto in and set him some boundaries.

With ten Best Picture nominees this year, “House of Gucci” might just sneak in, and Lady Gaga might also get a Best Actress nomination. But in my opinion, both do not deserve it.