House of Gucci
★ ★★
"Mama mia, that's a spicy meatball!" This over-the-top phrase said in a thick Italian accent was made famous by an Alka-Seltzer commercial, and although it's not featured in House of Gucci, it might as well have been. The acting, and not by all the performers, is insane. Ridley Scott is an acclaimed director and I don't know if he consciously decided to let Lady Gaga and Jared Leto have free range on how they interpreted their characters, but their performances are unhinged. I liked Lady Gaga a lot in A Star is Born, but you can see how much she was trying to get an Oscar with this performance. Jared Leto is just on a whole other plain. It's a sight to behold. Thankfully Adam Driver, as usual, anchors down a very entertaining story. I was enthralled by this peak behind the curtain of this famous fashion family. I'm not super familiar with the Gucci story at all and I wouldn't be surprised if this movie took some liberties with the story. But I was onboard with the setting, vistas, costumes and pace of the movie. It's fun to see how everything unfolds, although it's far from perfect. And when Al Pacino is one of the more grounded actors in the story, you know that says a lot about the ridiculousness that is shown by others. But somehow it is a fun mess to behold.
