The Gucci fashion brand has a long history of apparel success on a global scale. But the history of the Gucci family is not as well known. House of Gucci fills in the blanks from the inception of the company by Guccio Gucci.

Story: This is a true story, so there’s only the matter of telling it. However, because Hollywood turns on the dramatic, the truly illuminated moments make it to the big screen.

The screenplay was written by Becky Johnston and Roberto Bentivegna. They do a good job of hitting the highlights of how the family legacy unfolds. You will learn how the brand evolved from father to sons to grandson and where it ultimately end up.

Beyond the brand, the tragic personal ending that was so public is detailed. A marriage that ends in assassination. Again, it’s a true story and the writers make good on telling the story.

Performances: Some films turn on the story. This film turns on the performances. Lady Gaga plays Patrizia Reggiano Gucci and Adam Driver plays Mauricio Gucci, grandson of the founder, Guccio Gucci.

Both performances were strong, but, the talk across the industry has been about Lady Gaga. And while she was not nominated for an Oscar, she should have been nominated in place of one or two other nominees. But ultimately, I don’t think the performance was the winner.

Special mention has to go to Al Pacino as Uncle Aldo and Jeremy Irons as Rodolfo, Mauricio’s father. And I cannot forget Jared Leto as Mauricio’s cousin Paolo who is unrecognizable.

Visual: One would think that a movie about an iconic fashion house like Gucci would be a visual marvel. Not entirely. It meets the expectation of continuity with the represented eras, but isn’t really a visual extravaganza. With exception of Jared Leto’s makeup miracle, the rest was expected.

Rating: House of Gucci gets a B. I think the anticipation of the film made it impossible to meet the reality. But, as mentioned, getting the full story in a two hour movie met the expectation.

See this if you’re a fan of fashion and the Gucci brand…