Ridley Scott Still Makes Movies for Adults. Thank Goodness.
In recent weeks, two new Ridley Scott films have arrived in theaters. At first glance, House of Gucci and The Last Duel are very different movies: one a true-crime drama about a glamorous family, the other a Rashomon-style retelling of an assault in medieval France. But, fundamentally, both of Scott’s new films are about the corruptions of wealth—and the lengths men will go to defend their own power.
Even as far back as 1979’s Alien, Scott’s films have depicted the horrors wielded by those with money and influence. And, decades later, Scott is now one of the “last purveyors of box-office-friendly movies that are entirely geared toward adults,” our critic David Sims says. With these two recent entries to his filmography receiving wildly different critical and commercial responses, though, what exactly does the future of adult dramas look like in cinemas?
On an episode of the culture podcast The Review, Sims, Shirley Li, and Spencer Kornhaber try to decipher House of Gucci. What exactly is the new Ridley Scott film? (Comedy? Tragedy? True-crime family epic?) How do performances like Lady Gaga’s Oscar-bait lead and Jared Leto’s mozzarella-stuffed comic relief coexist on screen? Is it a work of camp at heart?
Listen to their conversation here:
The following transcript has been edited for length and clarity. It contains spoilers for House of Gucci.
Spencer Kornhaber: Today we’re talking about House of Gucci, the much-discussed new movie directed by Ridley Scott starring Lady Gaga and Adam Driver. It’s sort of Oscar bait, but also a total mystery about what kind of movie it’s trying to be. It’s generated a lot of online discussion. So today we’re going to get into it and whether it’s good, bad, or so bad that it’s good.
David Sims: Or whether quality is not a spectrum.
Kornhaber: Or perhaps quality is not a spectrum! Perhaps luxury goods are not desirable anymore.
Shirley Li: Is it the knockoff Gucci handbag you’d find on a blanket near Times Square?
Exactly. We are going to get to the bottom of this. To set it up, is the story about how Gucci the fashion brand was lost by Gucci the family, and how its onetime chairman Maurizio Gucci lost his life to a hitman hired by his ex-wife, Patrizia Reggiani. The central couple is played by Adam Driver and Lady Gaga, and it follows their marriage through the 1970s and 1980s. Al Pacino, Jeremy Irons, Salma Hayek, and Jared Leto play other key family members and associates.
