In 1995 Maurizio Gucci was murdered just steps away from the office of Tom Ford in Milan, so there are few people who have an insight to the story of his murder like the famous gay fashion designer and filmmaker.
Now, Ford is speaking out about the new House of Gucci film, which portrays that event and those leading up to it. But Ford wasn't exactly happy.
"I recently survived a screening of the two-hour-and-37-minute film that is House of Gucci," Ford wrote for Air Mail in a review of the film. "The shiny, ambitious, beautifully filmed and costumed tale of greed and murder is stunning by the sheer number of stars that have been cast. The movie rivals the nighttime soap Dynasty for subtlety but does so with a much bigger budget."
"I'm still not quite sure what it is exactly, but somehow I felt as though I had lived through a hurricane when I left the theater," he continued. "Was it a farce or a gripping tale of greed? I often laughed out loud, but was I supposed to?"
Ford continued, saying he's biased because he knew and worked with Maurizio Gucci (played by Adam Driver in the film) who he called "much more interesting in life than his depiction in the film suggests." Ford was serving as creative director of the brand when Gucci was shot and is briefly portrayed in the film by actor Reeve Carney.
But despite these complaints, he still had praise for the movie's star, Lady Gaga. "It's her film, and she steals the show," he wrote. "In her often over-the-top portrayal of Patrizia Gucci, her accent migrates occasionally from Milan to Moscow. But who cares? Her performance is spot-on."
Before the film was released, Lady Gaga was the clear Oscar frontrunner for her role in the film. But as more and more mixed reviews come in, that may be changing. However, Gaga is still getting praise for the film, even from critics who didn't like it overall.
If the movie keeps getting mixed reviews, it could reopen the door for Kristen Stewart to become the Best Actress frontrunner once more for her role as Princess Diana in Spencer. The Oscar nominations will be announced February 8, 2022, so we'll have to wait until then to see how this all shakes out!
House of Gucci is now playing in theaters if you want to see the hurricane for yourself.
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