The first reactions to Ridley Scott’s House of Gucci are in, and you can read them all by scrolling down. The film, which follows the Gucci family as they prepare for Maurizio Gucci’s murder by his ex-wife Patrizia Reggiani, had its world debut Friday night (November 9).
Gucci is played by Adam Driver, while Patrizia is played by Lady Gaga, with Jared Leto, Al Pacino, and Salma Hayek in supporting parts.
Gaga’s performance was lauded on social media, with LA Times reviewer Katie Walsh describing her as “this alchemy of sheer charisma and presence, power of personality, and commitment to the act.”
“The way she stares daggers at everyone on TV is terrible,” she continued. The more I consider it, Patrizia appears to be a true horror villain.”
“It is absolutely criminal how excellent an actress Lady Gaga is, and how terrific she is HOUSE OF GUCCI,” David Fear of Rolling Stone wrote.
“I saw House of Gucci last week and it’s deliciously wild,” Liv Marks, Senior Entertainment Reporter at Bauer, remarked. Lady Gaga is a force to be reckoned with. She goes and smashes your mind all over again after when you think she’s crested.
Several critics praised the film’s passionate direction while describing it more broadly. “Big & soapy, this absolutely hit the spot for me,” IndieWire’s Chris O’Falt wrote. Everything Leto and Pacino do is comically ludicrous, but Driver and Gaga’s mannered 50s melodrama turns to keep things in check.
“House of Gucci is a bloated & inconsistent mess that feels like two different movies rolled into one,” Scott Menzel commented on the film’s pacing.
“Every single cast member acts as if they’re in a different movie, with the exception of Al Pacino, who appears to have grasped the assignment and is the film’s MVP.”