House of GucciThis is one of the most awaited awards-hopefuls this season. Lady Gaga’s turn as Patricia Reggiani has been widely expected to put her in the thick of the Best Actress conversation. It’s a 2 1/2 hour long biopic with star power, a prestigious director, and more box office potential than the vast majority of contenders can hope for this year. What could possibly go wrong?
The reviews have been mixed. If you are looking for a Best Picture nomination, a 67% Rotten Tomatoes score is not the best. Since 2010 we’ve had only three films nominated with that score or lower (Vice, Bohemian Rhapsody, Extremely Loud, Incredibly Close). But let’s say audiences disagree and find it highly entertaining and fun. Nominees for Best Picture are typically culturally significant, stylistically noteworthy, or emotionally compelling. “Fun” doesn’t always cut it for the Academy. Though it’s not out of the question, I am doubtful GucciCracks the Best Picture lineup. What other categories could it be found in?
Certainly, a Makeup & Hairstyling nomination, perhaps even a win, is in the cards. Jared Leto’s casting was unnecessary. However, he is difficult to recognize under all of the prosthetics. Pacino even didn’t recognize him when he set up on set. As a bonus, Gaga and Driver’s wig games are on point. We’ve seen prosthetics transforming well-known actors lead to make-up wins for Bombshell, Vice, Darkest Hour?, Grand Budapest Hotel recently. GucciWith The Eyes of Tammy FayeAnd DuneFor the win here.
Leto’s cartoonish, silly, SNL-style Italian impression of Leto is hard to miss. Some feel Leto’s performance is inappropriate, but voters love all caps performances such as this. Leto could pair the Supporting Actor nomination (Hillbilly Elegy-style) with the make up nomination and continue to be in conversation, even if it sinks.
Gaga gives the film’s best and most passionate performance, even though her direction, writing, editing, and writing are poor. Lady Gaga might not be considered for Best Actress if her film is poor overall. However, this is a very showy role, and if the film’s reputation with the public is better than it is with critics, she certainly has a shot at a nomination (but not a win, sorry fans).
Gaga’s best chances at retaining her buzz are in snagging nominations at major precursors. Gaga was awarded for her work by the Critics Choice Awards, Golden Globes and Golden Globes. A Star is BornAnd American Horror Story, respectively. But her moment of truth will likely come at the SAG awards, as they’re more likely to embrace a populist pick. She will be missed if she is nominated.
Although costuming is a key narrative focus, it is also a very contentious category with competitors like Cruella. Dune, Spencer, Nightmare Alley, CyranoAnd West Side Story. I’m not sure House of GucciPriority will go to Driver, Pacino and Hayek. And don’t expect Driver, Pacino, or Hayek to crack the race either. They’re solid, but none of them give career-best work. The film is likely to be too weak for adaptation screenplay, director, or editing.
Though only makeup feels totally secure, I’m currently feeling 3 nominations for House of Gucci (Makeup, Supporting Actor, Actress). It would be very similar. Bombshell’s nomination trio in 2020. Let’s see If there are audiencesLady Gaga will be remembered this Thanksgiving weekend in a big way. CinemaBlend will continue to provide more profiles of award winners in the coming weeks.