House of Gucci movie review: Rich people, am I right?

How can one best describe House of Gucci to someone who knows nothing about it? Money. Greed. Camp. Drama. Tragedy. Betrayal. Sprinkled with glamour. ALL the glamour!

House of Gucci is all of these things and in the best way. And did we mention drama? Everything about the movie is extravagant, from the costume designs to the running time. But I believe critics these days are running short on patience, because, as long as the movie may be, there’s never a dull moment. It’s easy to get lost in the scenes and follow along. If you know this going in, you’ll have a better time.

This isn’t to say the movie is perfect. House of Gucci has its flaws, but it never tries to be something it’s not and audiences appreciate that. The Ridley Scott film knows exactly what it is and what it’s doing, which is what makes the long ride (2 hours, 37 minutes) so fun.

The rich have it rough in House of Gucci

Oh, won’t someone save these rich people from all of their problems? Okay, jokes aside, the movie kicks off with a pretty damn good love story. Maurizio Gucci is a sweet man who is ambitious, but not greedy, and an introvert. He is portrayed by Adam Driver. If this was a miniseries on HBO instead of a movie, the love story between Patrizia and Maurizio would be a fantastic episode before the story takes a dark turn.

At a party, Maurizio meets Patrizia Reggiani (Lady Gaga), a fun party gal who works for her father’s small, but humble, business. Patrizia spots Maurizio and falls in love almost immediately after hearing his name. No, she’s not a gold digger. Patrizia truly does love Maurizio, and she proves it. However, Maurizio’s father, Rodolfo Gucci (Jeremy Irons), refuses to welcome Patrizia into the family and disowns Maurizio.

It’s not until Maurizio’s uncle, Aldo Gucci (Al Palcino), brings him back into the family business that Patrizia dips her toes into a life of luxury and wealth. Pair Patrizia’s newfound greed with ill-advice from “psychic” Pina (Salma Hayek) and House of Gucci becomes Patrizia’s villain origin story.

Lady Gaga is unstoppable talent. I hope to see her take on more films because she’s truly brilliant here. Another stand out is Jared Leto, who transforms into Paolo Gucci. Leto is unrecognizable, you’ll forget he is even in the movie.

If your family Thanksgiving dinner isn’t dramatic or tragic enough, check out House of Gucci this weekend. Eh, even if it is, watch it anyway.

House of Gucci is rated R and is in theaters Nov. 24, with a streaming release expected in a couple of months.