'House of Gucci' doesn't make the most out of its stylish accessories
(CNN)"House of Gucci" takes a seemingly can't-miss combination of talent and material and produces what feels like the knockoff version of a really grand drama. Lady Gaga and Adam Driver bring buzz to director Ridley Scott's dive into the dysfunctional family behind the fashion empire, but in a movie that doesn't rise to the level of delicious trash, winding up largely defined by its stylish accessories.
Based on a book and covering nearly two decades from the late '70s into the mid-'90s, the film hinges on the relationship between Gaga's Patrizia and Driver's Maurizio Gucci. The heir was at first disowned by his father (Jeremy Irons) for marrying a lower-class girl, before being wooed back into the fold by his colorful uncle Aldo (Al Pacino), who sees Maurizio as having more potential to lead the family business than his foppish son, Paolo (Jared Leto, under the most unflattering makeup since Tom Cruise suited up for "Tropic Thunder").
The story begins briskly enough, as Patrizia clearly sets her sights on Maurizio, making his father's suspicions that she's "after your money, like they all are" appear not all that far-fetched.
Once together, he's happy as an outcast but she yearns for more, pressuring him to get back into the family's good graces and eventually to push for greater control at the expense of his relatives, despite frequent reminders that her claim to the "Gucci" name comes by marriage, not blood.
"It's time to take out the trash," Patrizia says, in one of those lines seemingly written for use in the coming attractions.
It's a very age-old story, but one that takes unexpected turns as the money rolls in, and the authorities take notice of the family's finances.
Still, other than Leto's over-the-top, scenery-chewing performance "House of Gucci" really doesn't go the extra mile to stress the absurdity of it all, which makes the whole exercise at times feel more like a slightly bloated, inordinately star-studded Lifetime movie than either of the two obvious alternatives -- namely, a Coen brothers-esque farce, or a truly gripping tale of lust and greed.
Instead, this old "House" can be enjoyed for the toothiness of its performances (although the accents, Driver's foremost, take a little getting used to) and the soapy situations without feeling like the attraction this mix of marquee names in front of and behind the camera was intended to yield.
After her breakout work in "A Star is Born," Gaga demonstrates she's not just a one-trick pony, capturing Patrizia's avarice and allure, which causes her father's male employees to simultaneously applaud and issue catcalls when she saunters into his business. As for Driver, his unusual year has included the bizarre musical "Annette" and period drama "The Last Duel" (also with Scott directing), reflecting just how in-demand the actor is without fully bolstering the case as to why.
Certainly, the detailed touches that went into the movie's look and sound prove impeccable, from the disco music in the early going (you might walk out humming Donna Summer tunes) to the flashy fashions and runway shows.
Go in with the right attitude, in other words, and "House of Gucci" can still be a good deal of fun. It's just that despite all its extravagant furnishings, it's built on a shaky foundation.
"House of Gucci" premieres Wednesday, Nov. 24 in US theaters. It's rated R.
“古驰之家”并未充分利用其时尚配饰
(美国有线电视新闻网)“古驰之家”似乎是一个不容错过的人才和材料的结合，产生了一种感觉就像是一部真正宏大戏剧的山寨版。 Lady Gaga 和亚当·德赖弗 (Adam Driver) 为导演雷德利·斯科特 (Ridley Scott) 深入了解时尚帝国背后功能失调的家庭带来了轰动，但在这部电影中，这部电影并没有达到美味垃圾的程度，在很大程度上取决于其时尚配饰。
这部电影基于一本书，涵盖了从 70 年代末到 90 年代中期的近二十年，影片围绕 Gaga 的 Patrizia 和 Driver 的 Maurizio Gucci 之间的关系展开。这位继承人起初因为嫁给了一个下层阶级的女孩而被他的父亲（杰瑞米·艾恩斯饰）否认，然后被他色彩缤纷的叔叔奥尔多（阿尔·帕西诺饰）拉回了圈子，他认为毛里齐奥更有潜力领导家族企业比他那浮夸的儿子保罗（杰瑞德莱托，化着自汤姆克鲁斯适合“热带惊雷”以来最不讨人喜欢的妆容）。
故事开始得非常快，因为帕特里齐亚显然将目光投向了毛里齐奥，这让他父亲怀疑她“像他们一样追求你的钱”似乎并不那么牵强。
在一起后，他像一个被抛弃的人一样快乐，但她渴望更多，迫使他重新获得家庭的青睐，并最终以牺牲他的亲属为代价推动更大的控制权，尽管经常提醒她声称拥有“Gucci”的名字来自婚姻，而不是血缘。
“是时候倒垃圾了，”帕特里齐亚说，其中的一句似乎是为了在即将到来的景点中使用而写的。
这是一个非常古老的故事，但随着资金的涌入，它发生了意想不到的变化，当局开始关注家庭的财务状况。
尽管如此，除了莱托过分的、咀嚼风景的表演“古驰之家”之外，真的没有加倍强调这一切的荒谬，这让整个练习有时感觉更像是有点臃肿，与两个明显的替代方案中的任何一个相比，星光熠熠的终生电影——即科恩兄弟式的闹剧，或一个真正扣人心弦的情欲和贪婪的故事。
相反，这个古老的“房子”可以享受它的表演（虽然口音，司机最重要的，需要一点时间来适应）和肥皂的情况，而不是感觉像前面和后面的字幕混合的吸引力相机打算屈服。
在“明星诞生”中的突破性作品之后，Gaga 展示了她不仅仅是一匹会耍花招的小马，捕捉到了 Patrizia 的贪婪和诱惑，这导致她父亲的男性员工在她闲逛进入他的事业时同时鼓掌并发出嘘声。至于司机，他不寻常的一年包括奇异的音乐剧“安妮特”和时代剧“最后的决斗”（也是斯科特导演），反映了演员的需求量，但没有完全支持原因。
当然，电影的外观和声音的细节处理证明是无可挑剔的，从早期的迪斯科音乐（你可能会哼着 Donna Summer 的曲子走出去）到华丽的时装和时装秀。
换句话说，以正确的态度进入，“古驰之家”仍然可以带来很多乐趣。只是尽管它的家具很奢华，但它建立在摇摇欲坠的基础上。
“古驰之家”于 11 月 24 日星期三在美国影院首映。评级为R。
