This marks the second Universal screening I’ve been sent to outside of FilmInk this year, and unlike with the ticket for Cry Macho, I consider this more of a personal favour because I’ve been hyped to see this film since I saw The Last Duel. I really treasure when one of my favourite filmmakers has two features come out in the same year, and with how well Last Duel went, I was really hoping that he would go 2 for 2. And I am so relieved to report that Ridley Scott has done it once again, albeit in a distinctly different fashion (heh) than last time.
As a creative in general, I have a lot of respect for Lady Gaga and her impact on popular culture, something that was certainly heightened with her work on A Star Is Born. But even with that in my head going into this, I… really was not prepared for just how fucking good she’d be as Patrizia Reggiani. With how much attention I pay to the names of the people involved with all these films, actors included, I rarely end up completely losing myself in a performance nowadays; as good as the acting can get, I always keep in mind who specifically I’m looking at in that role. But Gaga’s turn here is so transformative and so enveloping, I found myself struggling to maintain that connection in my head. Like… really? This is the kind of talent Stefani has been sitting on all this time? A Star Is Born was one thing, but this is a whole other level.
It helps that she is in good company in terms of actors, and it’s here where I really need to get into Ridley Scott’s ability with actors again. Between the five central actors playing members of the Gucci family, we have two Hall of Fame over-actors in Jeremy Irons and Al Pacino, two larger-than-life personalities beyond the screen in Gaga and Jared Leto, and an actor who is more than game for just about anything a director throws at him in Adam Driver. Even with their respective histories, I find myself in a similar position to when I looked at Seven Stages, as I’m genuinely impressed that any footage exists of these actors, in these roles, that isn’t just one continuous corpsing display.
And I can’t even pin it down to the writing this time either, although the sharp and venomous putdowns spoken between characters definitely help with that. No, this is largely down to how every actor here is on the exact same page: Making Ben Affleck as Count Pierre look like Steven Wright. That is seriously the level of raw melodrama and bitchiness that runs through all of this film. I’ve been seeing a lot of talk lately about how outlandish Jared Leto is here, and while he’s definitely ahead of the pack, it’s not by that much. Everyone here is going all out, even Adam Driver by the end, and it is absolutely hilarious from end to end as a result.
This is the kind of camp that can only come about when the actors and the director have perfect rapport with each other, as even the smallest chink in the chain could bring the whole thing crashing down. But no, it somehow manages to stay intact, giving a quite boisterous look at the financial power struggles behind one of the world’s most famous brands. The tone admittedly makes it difficult to sympathise with… well, anyone here, but by that same token, it also refuses to make that a problem as far as audience engagement. It creates some real perverse fascination in its depiction of the rich and famous, with a specifically Italian brand of melodrama being deployed throughout, and it’s got certain notes of All The Money In The World in its look at the corrupting power of capitalism. There’s even a certain meta aspect to the commentary, since Salma Hayek (who plays a psychic that becomes Patrizia’s closest confidante… because of course she does) is IRL married to the guy who currently owns the Gucci brand.
Those going into this expecting a proper based-on-actual-events drama will not only be disappointed, but likely needing serious hospital time to deal with the whiplash. I honestly didn’t know what to think going into this, other than hoping it’d be entertaining, and I most certainly got what I asked for. This is amazing in just how camp it is in all facets, both as pure entertainment and even as a work of art because, again, I’m still amazed that this film managed to stay intact for its two-and-a-half-hour run time. I’ll reiterate what I said last time: When Ridley Scott is on the ball, he can make some truly incredible cinema.
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