“House of Gucci”

(Canada/USA)

Metacritic (8/10), Rotten Tomatoes (****)

When it comes to director Ridley Scott’s latest, those going in expecting high drama are going to be sorely, sorely disappointed. However, those craving a hefty serving of high camp will be positively delighted. This tawdry, wickedly funny account of the pulpy soap opera behind control of the famous (or is it infamous?) family-owned Italian fashion empire puts even the best episodes of Dynasty to shame. It’s virtually impossible to take any of this seriously, which is what I believe the filmmaker was going for here, despite those who mistakenly might believe to the contrary. With superb, over-the-top performances by Lady Gaga, Al Pacino, Jared Leto, Adam Driver and Jeremy Irons, coupled with extravagant production design excesses at every turn and a suitably fitting period piece soundtrack, this deliciously guilty pleasure of a film entertains throughout, even at a somewhat overlong (but nevertheless well-paced) two-and-a-half hour runtime. I was pleasantly surprised by this one, especially given the erroneous, off-the-mark advance reviews of it. In fact, I came away from it rhetorically asking myself, “Who knew Ridley Scott had such a sense of humor!” Indeed, if you don’t come away tickled by this one, then it’s obvious you’re no fun!