Yes No Maybe So: "House of Gucci"
Friday, July 30, 2021 at 12:38AM by Nathaniel R
"Father... Son.... and House of Gucci" If the trailer is any indication, people are going to be obsessing on or quoting House of Gucci frequently in the coming months. So let's go immediately to our Yes No Maybe So™ routine, but in the more expansive second-by-second way we do occassionally when we're really excited...
Maybe So. Blondie's "Heart of Glass" is a perfect song but seems so overused as time-signifier so we hope the movie has inspired needle drops instead.
It was a name that sounded so sweet, so seductive...
Synonymous with wealth, style, power.
But that name was a curse too.
maybe so...okay yes. This movie is going to have really thick accents but... oh, okay I'm into this speech/montage.
Yes/Yum. Adam Driver looks surprisingly hot with highlighted big 80s hair. Who'da thunk it?
Yes. That image of a (presumably) an assassin looking at Gucci's photo is chilling and a smart trailer segueway from the Gaga intro to the whole cast/story.
NOOOO. Jared Leto. Make it stop. Obviously this film will be up for Best Makeup and Hair but also there's a very real question to be asked: If you have a heavier older bald character for someone to play ... maybe hire a heavier, older, bald actor? At one point is this not just vanity for a film production to do this with stars?
-You're a Gucci. You need to dress the part.
-It's chic.
No but also yes? maybe here me out. A groan worthy laugh line there but this project does have the potential to veer into CAMP in a major way. Will it? And maybe that wouldn't be so bad if it did. It looks enjoyable either way.
YASGAWD, QUEEN. SLAY. OTHER QUEER NOISES. Lady Gaga with tacky bangs at a nightclub. Duh, we're in.
Maybe So... here comes the parade of "Academy Award Nominees/Winners" title cards. Thankfully no one here comes up blank after it begins. Don't you feel bad when that happens to actors in a long trailer kudos fest. This prompts whiplash because each card forces so many recollections or tragedies....
- Oh, right Lady Gaga has a songwriting Oscar -- damn, I love A Star is Born
- Adam Driver was so perfect in Marriage Story. Adam Driver is so perfect in... general.
- Oh, right Jared Leto WON.
- It's been way too long since Jeremy Irons had a Reversal of Fortune level role.
- Salma Hayek is such a good celebrity but I have to admit I didn't care for her Frida performace all that much. She has a potentially interesting role here as a Gaga accomplice in the murder.
- That Ridley Scott doesn't have a competitive Oscar or an Honorary when he's 83 years old and has at three masterpieces under his belt (Alien, Blade Runner, Thelma & Louise) plus lots of other popular films is really unfortunate.
Yes. This is pure vanity since we didn't predict him and enjoy being correct but it looks like our hunch that Pacino's role would be smaller than Leto's was a good one. He's not in that much of the trailer where Leto is showcased frequently. (That could just be trailer choices but for now we'll pretend trailers are accurate screentime calculators)
Yes Oooh, a masquerade ball scene? Perfect.
No. A CGI skyline. With this budget? Ugh.
I don't consider myself to be a particularly ethical person. But I am fair.
YES. Is this maybe ACTED with capital letters throughout? Possibly. But it looks fun, too. We love a quotable queen... even a self-conscious one.
YES--haha--butalsoohgodthinkofthefuture the trailer has a delicious quippy stinger "Can you keep a secret?" "Father. Son. and House of Gucci" as Gaga crosses herself. It's perfect but can you imagine how over gif'ed this movie is going to be. Gaga as a walking gif generator. Maybe we'll all be sick of House of Gucci by the time the Oscars arrive?
No do not like that shot of the gun towards the end. Too lurid. Will the movie have any subtlety? Not that we don't like the sledgehammer approach on occassion.
Maybe so We missed some good images and great Gaga shots since the trailer is very montage heavy and edited with rapid-fire chaos. Are they hiding a great movie in here or a messy movie with several bits that "pop"? We'll see on November 24th.
Suddenly all those Oscar predictions we were throwing at don't look so risky, do they? An emphatic YES from TFE. How about from you?
Reader Comments (65)
Lady Gaga in a lead role. Of course, it's a BIG YES.
It's definitely a YES. Scott seems to have decided to highlight the humor of the story, which is a relief, I don't see any self-seriousness, just a lot of fun. And Gaga is actually doing a good job !
With Lady Gaga involved, a definite NO - still can't bring myself to watch A Star is Born - i just can't
Not only camp. It's Mommie Dearest level camp.
YES! Adam Drive and Ridley Scott. Hope both could get an oscar nomination. Lady Gaga and Salma Hayek combo sounds delicious! Same with Jeremy Irons and Al Pacino (have they ever worked together?)
MAYBE SO... I find Lady Gaga's accent way too distracting. Am I the only one getting this? Still, I'm pretty sure she'll fit the role.
NO! After All the money in the world, did Scott had to get a young actor for an oler role, again? Although no one comes to my mind right now for Jared Leto's role.
I think due to COVID they shot every NYC scene in Italy with green screen.
The trailer definitely focuses on the "colorful" characters, with Gaga and Leto going big and camp. Gaga as POV character is a fascinating choice because in real life she was somewhat of an observer to all the internal family-business drama (and she was sort of always money-hungry; the real woman didn't have much nuance). The real "pivot" character is Maurizio Gucci (Driver) in the sense that his choices (multiple) and changes in personality caused most of the rifts (in his bio family and with his wife). He was a sort of nerdy-charming, subdued law student until he met and married his wife against his father's wishes. Then something happens (won't spoil) and a lot of people thought he did a 180 in terms of personality. It's probably the trickiest part to play because the seeds for that change need to be evident early-on, and the acting can't really rely on "camp." Driver and Irons should be playing the straight men to a bunch of whackos.
Oh, and Pacino will have opportunities to go big here, but Leto does have the bigger role.
There's no way this is MOMMIE DEAREST level camp. For one thing, this is at least at some level knowing camp. Whatever you want to say bad about Ridley Scott, he's not a moron. Knowing camp is either better or worse than naive camp. Ask Susan Sontag. I think it's worse. It's certainly lesser.
"If you have a heavier older bald character for someone to play ... maybe hire a heavier, older, bald actor? At one point is this not just vanity for a film production to do this with stars?"
Yes! YES! A thousand times yes! Come on, people. Think of all the fat old guys who could use a meaty role. It's just selfish for thin, good looking younger guys to take these parts, and it does take you out of the film. Bob Hoskins wouldn't have a chance of becoming a star today. Young Rupert Graves would have gotten his role in MONA LISA. Would Coppola have agreed to this kind of casting? Would Bergman? Would Visconti?
Speaking of Visconti, this seems like a Visconti movie on cocaine, which is possible perfect. We need Alain Delon and Helmut Berger cameos. If Jesus rules in heaven there will be.
I enjoyed All the Money in the World more then most so I'll give it a try. But it seems like there is just SO much going on. Can a movie start out at a10 then keep it up the whole time?
The story seems interesting but the execution looks like a mess.
-The cinematography changes from polished to shadowed and what is that with the black/white shots?
-An ensemble of big names awarded is not always a good puzzle (I'm talking about you Nine)
-Excess of CGI
-Very Hollywoodesque and not in a good way
I'm not a fan of Hollywood making stories of foreign countries spoken in english. Since my perspective it feels less authentic and could be distracting if the film has wrong accents like Lady Gaga who sounds more Russian than Italian.
So, evidently is a No for me.
Big yes for me. We need more big budget adult movies. This has all the potential to be a blockbuster.
Yes on Lady Gaga and Adam Driver.
FUCK NO on Jared Leto. This is becoming parody at this point. I really think someone should make a film with him and Shia LaBeouf to see who can out-method who to the point that they can both go fuck themselves. Death to method acting, it's a joke now.
I confess. Any trailer that plays Blondie has sold me a ticket.
A Meg Ryan at lunch in the deli yes, yes, yes.
Jared Leto needs to stop.
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 Loved! Big yes for me. The funniest trailer I've seen so far. Gaga is in her Streisand moment. And Leto, I thought he became more charming. They did that in the past with Bette Davis and Marlon Brando, didn't they?
Trailer looks extremely camp. Was having high hopes for this one, but now I fear it could veer into The Counselor-like awfulness. Based purely on the trailers The Last Duel could be a much better bet for Scott to finally win that elusive Oscar.
ALSO speaking of Visconti, the shot of the NYC skyline reminds me of the shot of the Rome skyline in CONVERSATION PIECE. Totally fake, but it worked to show that the characters are living in their own fantasy version of the world. Have you ever seen one of those amazing penthouse views, you do kind of feel like you're looking at a scale model of a city more than a city. It just seems hyper real more than real. You feel like you're in a movie. It's like that old auteurist defense of the fake backdrops in Hitchcock's MARNIE. They look fake but the perspective of the character is divorced from reality, too. Sometimes a few judiciously placed fake shots in a film work really well. Sometimes not. It's like the changing of film stocks, some directors pull if off, some don't.
And I liked THE COUNSELOR. It came dangerously close to camp, but for me anyway, it just managed to avoid it and become something bonkers but riveting. It was certainly more interesting than the muted, respectable ALL THE MONEY IN THE WORLD or AMERICAN GANGSTER. I like it when Scott goes for broke. ALIEN COVENANT > THE MARTIAN.
And who are these people who hate Lady Gaga? It's like hating life itself.
Do we need to even ask this here?
It's a resounding YES.
These snobby people are in over themselves by saying No or Maybe So LMFAO get over yourself
Ryan Murphy is livid he didnt get to this first.
Sooooo there were no Italian actors available for this??
I don't know if this looks more like a Ryan Murphy mess or a SNL sketch.
I can't wait for this, Ridley Scott set the right, decadent tone for the story. And Gaga is doing great, you can hear some Donatella Versace in her accent work.
The comments are interesting, if this was a Black movie the comments would be different.
This looks awful and ghetto not sorry.
I loved the humour in this, it's going to be great. And what a cast !
I don't know what to think but i'm certaianly going to see it,
I like the cast,thought Leto deserved his Oscar but hated him in everything since but Oscar loves showy and he's very showy in the trailer.
I like how GaGa's making a real go of the acting,Is Salma's part big enough for a supporting nod,I too thought she was just serviceable in Frida.
Scott has 4 classics if you inc Gladiator and many would.
The only negative comments that I saw about the film are from TFE's readers. The hype is real, it seems that House of Gucci will be a big financial and critical success.
This doesn’t look good, but it looks like it could be funny. I think I hate the slick gray color cast and the CGI and Jared Leto. There’s a lot here that screams “self-serious prestige Ridley Scott film.” I would have a lot more confidence if, say, Scafaria was directing. I dunno, it just looks kinda generic aesthetically.
Rizz -- LOL. brilliant comment. Wish i'd thought of it for this post ;)
Andrew -- i also think we're looking at a blockbuster. That would be two in a row for Gaga. We thought she was trying to be Madonna 2.0 but all this time she was aiming for Streisand 2.0
I think it looks like a huge mess. The visuals pop but aren’t consistent, the accent work is rough, and Gaga looks…unpolished.
Hope I’m wrong!
Looks like a blast but probs not a big Oscar contender.
This has been my #1 movie of the year, and the trailer did not disappoint. The people who dislike Gaga are still going to be outliers, but come on, it looks great.
Driver looks hot because that was possibly the best era for men's style... when I think of it, I think of Richard Gere in American Gigolo. It's hard for other eras to compare.
I was irritated that Leto was in this movie, but now that I've seen the make-up, I'm fully in for the camp value. He looks like Danny DeVito playing the Penguin in Batman Returns, and if I have to look at Jared Leto in a movie, the best way to do it is by seeing him in Penguin garb.
(Also, I will always love Pacino, and I'm so happy to see him here.)
Looks like The Counselor 2.0 camp event. I can't stand it when films set in foreign countries use accented English that's all over the place. These people would be speaking Italian to one another, and only use garbled English in interviews and such. Gaga sounded Russian in that cup scene! It was "I vant too sook ur vloddd"-level bad, and that appears to be one of the "serious" moments! Driver looks like he couldn't care less. Leto sounds like Luigi in Super Mario Bros. Pacino looks like the only one who might actually belong in this era. I read that the NYC scenes had to film in Italy b/c of covid, so that's why the CGI looks so fake. Since I know nothing about this Gucci story, the trailer at least sold me on the murder aspect the way Versace did. I currently see this maxing out as a makeup/hairstyling/costumes nominee, and The Last Duel will be Scott's "real" Oscar racehorse. Trailer gets a NO, but I'm open to seeing the full one later. Heart of Glass was cool tho.
A lot of these CGI shots look more artificial or just plain worse in trailers than in the final cut (interesting take on the character perspectives).
As far as not casting Leto...well, they need to get an Oscar nomination for makeup, so there you go.
I can understand it tho, if it's a case of Scott dreaming up Leto when looking at the script, or the writer(s) thinking of Leto going there. Or if there was an audition amongst stars and Leto hit it out of the park.
But yes, especially as a character within the ensemble..Paul Giamatti isn't quite fat, but he's bald, clearly Italian with that name, and he could have taken it.
I'm pretty open minded with stuff like that, but it's not quite cartoony, tho it has the potential of being camp. So maybe they could have looked at someone else. If he's good, I'll take it. If he's not, then no.
A little Russian at times, yes.
Also, the opening of the trailer looked like a commercial.
Crap. The Eyes of Laura Mars. Valley of the Dolls. Lady Gaga is seriously overrated as an actress and as a musician.
Me, I was about to say was Paul Giamatti unavailable or something? I mean his name even sounds Italian.
Maybe there are flashbacks to a sleeker version of the character and so they needed Jared Leto to look more like himself? Not sure, but that would make it more palatable. At least I'll have to see the movie now to see if the makeup looks For The Boys bad or not.
And I do hope that Lady Gaga at least gets to look pretty a time or two in this. She's too young and beautiful to go full Shelley Winters character actress at this point.
TLove - you are not missing anything by not watching gaga's a star is born. it was awful
Belíssima Gaga and surrounded by great talent isn't bad either.
I'm not wanting to criticize(I love LG), but it doesn't sound like those hit miniseries that TV did in the eighties about rich well-dressed people, like I'll Take Manhattan and others? She seems to take everything seriously and be a super professional. 👏👏👏
Gaga embodies the difference between acting talent and screen presence. While I am hard-pressed to buy the first, the latter is undeniable. I'll be buying a ticket. This looks fun.
I'll be very impressed if Ridley Scott can juggle this level of camp. He did it, kind of, with some of the moments in Gladiator, but even then he just let Joaquin twirl his mustache.
Is any gay a no on this? Steffi looks wild and like she's having fun, and really, that's all that matters.
Worth noting – not saying this as a knock against her, it's just worth noting – that Salma Hayek is married to the CEO of Kering, a multinational corporation that currently owns the Gucci brand name.
This is going to be amazing or terrible.
M -- if by "awful" you mean "one of the very best films of its year", then yes. ;)
Naturally, I’m a a big yes (or rather yaaaaasss, queen). It does appear though that Our Lady of Perpetual Gaga is wading into AHS: Hotel territory more than ASIB, which…well, your mileage may vary. How awkward that Salma Hayek gets a “with” title card but *no* character poster of her own. (Does that perhaps mean her role is more of a cameo? Hmm…) And Pacino very well may not appear as much in this film because his character dies long before the catalyzing event: his nephew’s assassination. But that’s just a hunch, who knows.
J, it’s a shame they couldn’t get—or didn’t try to get—Dennis Franz to come out of retirement for this, because he might’ve been a dead ringer in the Paolo Gucci (Jared Leto) role.
One last thought: even though he's an abusive person, this seems to be something that is more in David O. Russell's wheelhouse than Scotts. Everything about the trailer reminded me of Joy and American Hustle.
MGM spent all that money to make Lady Gaga look like Aubrey Plaza. Kind of like how Warner Bros./DC Comics spent all that money to make Margot Robbie look like Gillian Jacobs.
Why not save money and just hire...?
Yes it looks fabulous! And yes it might a camp disaster!
This trailer went in a lot of different directions and makes me very excited for what we will see. Will it be camp? high melodrama? thriller? a little of everything? I can't wait. I love when a drama gets to be loud, bid-budget and "event-y" with mega stars going for it. Cannot wait!
I'm sooooo over Jared Leto and his "acting"...How about hiring someone like Paul Giamatti? 🤷♂️