Tom Ford reacts to House of Gucci – and it's a scathing review

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"I often laughed out loud, but was I supposed to?"

Lady Gaga in House of Gucci
(Image credit: Universal Pictures)

Director and fashion designer Tom Ford has given his verdict on House of Gucci – and it's safe to say that he wasn't a fan. Back in the '90s, he was the creative director at Gucci and he makes an appearance in the movie, played by Penny Dreadful's Reeve Carney. 

"Directed by master filmmaker Ridley Scott and starring Lady Gaga, Adam Driver, Al Pacino, Jeremy Irons, Jared Leto, and Salma Hayek, the film is … well, 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," Ford wrote in Air Mail. "Was it a farce or a gripping tale of greed? I often laughed out loud, but was I supposed to?"

Ford helmed 2009's A Single Man, starring Colin Firth, and 2016's Nocturnal Animals, which starred Amy Adams and Jake Gyllenhaal. 

He particularly criticized Jared Leto and Al Pacino's performances as Paolo and Aldo Gucci. "Both performers are given license to be absolute hams – and not of the prosciutto variety," he wrote. "They must have had fun. Paolo, whom I met on several occasions, was indeed eccentric and did some wacky things, but his overall demeanor was certainly not like the crazed and seemingly mentally challenged character of Leto’s performance." 

However, Ford did have some positive words to say about the movie – namely, Lady Gaga's performance as Patrizia Reggiani. He said it was "spot-on" and Gaga was the "true star of the film." 

Emily Garbutt
Emily Garbutt
Entertainment Writer

I’m an Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering everything film and TV-related. I help bring you all the latest news, features, and reviews, as well as helming our Big Screen Spotlight column. I’ve previously written for publications like HuffPost and i-D after getting my NCTJ Diploma in Multimedia Journalism.