The first reviews for House of Gucci are here and just like that wild ride of a trailer that first wowed everyone, the reactions are just as messy. 

The social media embargo was lifted on Ridley Scott’s film on Tuesday, November 9th, which brought an onrush of blue tick critics and journos to Twitter with their big opinions.

Judging by the first reviews, you’re either going to absolutely adore it or despair at how disappointing it is. There’s no in-between.

First, a quick recap: Lady Gaga plays Patrizia Reggiani (considering Gaga supposedly stayed in character for over a year, for her sake I hope the reviews are kind), the wife of Maurizio Gucci (Adam Driver). Reggiani was tried and convicted for her ex-husband’s murder and Scott’s film focuses on the events and aftermath of Gucci’s 1995 murder. Jared Leto, Salma Hayek, and Al Pacino also feature in a ridiculously star-studded cast.

So to those reviews. Haring out of the blocks came Rotten Tomatoes critic Erik Davis with a very huge comparison. “#HouseOfGucci has a definite GODFATHER vibe, rich w/ family betrayal, transformative performances, lots of backstabbing & it’s definitely more serious than it is campy,” he pronounced.

“Lady Gaga is incredible, as is Jared Leto, and the story is WILD! The attention to detail is impeccable.” I honestly can’t wait to see if Davis was only comparing the film to The Godfather simply because it features Italian-Americans and has a long running time.

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We Live Entertainment founder Scott Menzel didn’t get as carried away. “House of Gucci is a bloated & uneven mess that feels like two different movies rolled in one,” he wrote.

“Every single cast member acts as though they are in a different movie except for Al Pacino, who seems to have understood the assignment and serves as the film’s MVP.” That’s all well and fine, Menzel, but permission to ban the use of the phrase “understood the assignment” from hereon in?

Entertainment Weekly‘s Joey Nolfi had a much more entertaining and succinct way of describing House of Gucci, calling it “juicy caviar camp, an absurdly enjoyable Italian soap opera where Bald Jared Leto pisses on a Gucci scarf.” Nolfi also reserved praise for Gaga’s performance, calling her “earnest and ferocious” (it doesn’t get more earnest than method acting for a year-and-a-half).

Observer reporter Brandon Katz, meanwhile, was another with reservations, citing the film as “overwrought slog without any discernible direction.” Ouch. “Too many narrative focuses stacked on top of one another,” he said. “Glitzy talented names hamming it up in wealth porn can be fun, but not enough to save the movie from its own messiness.”

I told you it was a mixed bag. House of Gucci is still a few weeks out from its full release, with it set to arrive in U.S. cinemas on November 24th. It’ll be then available to stream on Paramount+ which is when you can also head to Twitter with your bold proclamations of the film’s quality.

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Check out the trailer for House of Gucci:

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