Let the grand guignol begin as Ridley Scott goes to camp in his first feature since swapping out Gettys in the scandal-plagued All the Money in the World. Once again the focus is on a notorious clan piloted by a gaggle of pricey lookalikes. Offscreen, Scott’s a stitch, but the director has never allowed his funny bone a chance to ride roughshod until this undeniably tame and humorless dragging of one’s toe through a farcical stream. The result is just this side of soul-crushing. The subject of fashion affords Scott the opportunity to squeeze a few chuckles out of the outlandish threads, but the laughter begins to evaporate the moment the costumes start out-performing the high-priced stars playing dress-up. A comfortably numb Adam Driver looks more Yves St. Laurent than he does Maurizio Gucci. And a question to admirers of Lady Gaga’s overacting: did you watch it without sound or is the singer’s voice not part of her acting process? Gaga’s Italian accent is pitched somewhere between Beaky Buzzard’s frantic mother and Natasha exclaiming, “Quick, Boris! Throw safe on moose and squirrel.” Even worse is Jared Leto who clearly honed his accent by watching hours of interviews with Michael V. Gazzo on "Merv!" In the end, Scott can’t hold it together as evidenced by a final hour that ranks among his worst. (2021) — Scott Marks
This movie is not currently in theaters.