(2nd December 2021)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As Lady Gaga\u2019s voice purrs over palatial abodes and Eurythmics\u2019 Sweet Dreams belts out to dramatic images of shouting and spoon-tapping, House of Gucci<\/em>\u2019s trailers suggest melodrama that is largely absent in the film\u2019s wider narrative. Scott begins with Patrizia\u2019s courtship as she pursues the bookish Gucci through a night club and library, coyly drawing a heart on his motorbike visor before he drives away. Despite protests about his bride-to-be from unimpressed father Rodolfo (a morose Jeremy Irons), Maurizio separates himself from his family and his inheritance and marries the woman of his dreams. Holy wedding chords are heard during the couple\u2019s first impromptu moments of intimacy, while the actual lavish nuptial takes place to the tune of the sounds of anarchic rock; subversive music already forebodes the relationship\u2019s ill-fated destiny.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n Scott\u2019s second feature of 2021 (and one which has languished in development hell since Scott acquired the rights over 15 years ago) takes its time to reach Maurizio\u2019s assassination, instead focusing on the in-fighting between family members as Patrizia pulls relatives apart and fosters her husband\u2019s ambition a la Lady Macbeth. It\u2019s here that some cracks start showing when we\u2019re introduced to Maurizio\u2019s uncle Aldo (Al Pacino), who Patrizia coerces to bring her husband back into the folds of the family. As with The Last Duel<\/em>, few of the \u2018accents\u2019 provide a great amount of convincing realism, apart from Lady Gaga\u2019s. This doesn\u2019t detract from the narrative, but often provides moments of unintentional comedy and frustration with House of Gucci<\/em>\u2019s weaker performances. Pacino arrives as if from another film, with his boisterous, thinly veiled Italian exclamations more reminiscent of the \u2018hoo-ahs\u2019 and \u2018whattya gots\u2019 of his all-American characters from Scent of a Women<\/em>and Heat<\/em>. When he embraces hapless son Paolo after learning he has sold all his Gucci shares, their embrace feels like a melodramatic recreation of Michael and Fredo Corleone\u2019s confrontation in Godfather Part II<\/em>. The film certainly isn\u2019t coy about its influences from Coppola\u2019s films with its grand tale of family struggles, especially in a scene-stealing moment near the end of the film where Patrizia, after hearing the news of her husband\u2019s death, coldly closes the door in the face of Maurizio\u2019s lover Paola (Camille Cottin). <\/p>\n\n\n\n It is Leto, however, who wins the grand prize for overacting. Whether he\u2019s getting knocked to the floor, pissing defiantly on a Gucci scarf or fighting in a fencing suit, Leto does everything within his power to make the viewer aware of his presence. With dramatic inflections so high they would surpass the likes of Super Mario, Leto\u2019s performance is entirely at odds with those around him, and even Pacino\u2019s boisterous hyperbole pales in comparison. If he were to suddenly jump into the air and the audience happened to hear the sound of a pinging coin, it wouldn\u2019t be a big surprise. Much has already been made of Leto\u2019s prosthetics work, which, while fulfilling the job of making the actor virtually unrecognisable, isn\u2019t a reason to garner praise and admiration. Charlise Theron received a well-deserved Best Actress win for her performance in Patty Jenkins\u2019 2003 film Monster<\/em>, and was similarly obscured behind the power of make-up. But Theron won on the merit of her performance rather than appearance alone. Hopefully Leto\u2019s eccentric theatrics aren\u2019t mistaken for acting talent at any upcoming award ceremonies.When we reach Maurizio\u2019s murder, the moment is suitably underplayed as he cycles nonchalantly to his office, with no dramatic music to accompany his demise when he is shot by the assassin three times. In his interpretation of the figure, Driver noted during an interview with Cinema Blend how it is \u2018only when he\u2019s beyond the business is he really the most relaxed, is he really the most himself\u2019. No great exclamations are uttered by Driver as he falls to the ground, with his expressive, speechless face, as in the rest of the film, telling the audience all they need to know.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" (2nd December 2021) As Lady Gaga\u2019s voice purrs over palatial abodes and Eurythmics\u2019 Sweet Dreams belts out to dramatic images of shouting and spoon-tapping, House of Gucci\u2019s trailers suggest melodrama that is largely absent in the film\u2019s wider narrative. Scott begins with Patrizia\u2019s courtship as she pursues the bookish Gucci through a night club and library, … <\/p>\n