Versace - Ein Leben für die Mode

...that it shows how the mind of a deluded, dumb narcissist works. Every second of this ludicrous "movie" screamed "Donatella was here and controlled everything from the script to the acting and most of all made sure that everything was about HER". The result of this obvious intervention is a complete and utter failure. A script that would've been written better by a mentally impaired child, horrendous acting, homely "models" who couldn't walk or pose, badly, badly recreated clothes and, worst of all, the amateurish direction of Sara Sugarman.

"House of Versace" is a two-hour masturbation of a stupid and narcissistic woman who has hired (and controlled - badly) a team to make a film about HER (nothing to do with Versace or reality at all). It is a sordid fantasy of a self-absorbed débile, in which she is this perfect creature even in her faults and where everyone exists as an extension of herself, performing the function of adoring her, admiring her and forgiving her when she needs it. Sounds ridiculous? That's because it was. My words fail me to express how ridiculously bad it all was. Cliché after cliché. I give it the lowest rating I can.

This is one of the most offensive portrayals broadcast in the history of television. Poorly written and cheaply produced it does nothing to capture the era. Gianni Versace is played by a lookalike mannequin whose performance along with a disgustingly superficial script makeover the master into a cheap fag. If you want to see the great Versace Atelier clothes or the roaring supermodel era of Miami thru 90's get a catalog, you won't find it here. Gina Gershon mopes thru her role as the fallen sister, replete with the obligatory and overdone drug problem. This offensive offering is a two hour game of charades played with fake Yawker Brooklyn/Italian accents. Versace ruled the fashion world during his short life, to have this man of immense talent portrayed in such a poor offering is a hostile and exploitive cheap shot.

This movie is more about Donatella than Gianni glossing over the murder and the life of Gianni but showing Donatella's meltdown and comeback. It's entertaining enough but maybe the focus could have been a bit more on before the death. The fashion shows and creative process are quite high energy.

Gina Gershon gives a good performance even if her figure is much too beautiful than the subject. Almost any actress would be way better looking than Donatella but she captures the essence with the lips and blonde hair. Enrico from Veronica Mars looks like Gianni.

Worth one watch.

This TV movie based on the Versaces and their "relationship(s)" is nicely told. Of course there is an inciting incident with the husband (you might know what will happen, but it's about the reactions from others, especially his wife that drives this movie along). But we get a lot of other people who are somehow involved in all this.

Gina Gershon goes all in with this. And she's not afraid to show darker sides and vulnerability. Actually at times it is hard to feel any sympathy for her Versace (portrayal). But then again, do not forget, she's a human being fighting against adversary. That's not an easy thing to do. It's almost as difficult as a leopard trying to change his spots. A TV movie/drama of the week, based on and around a tragic event

If you know the Versace univers, you can give a reasonable verdict about characters, performances, storytelling . If not, you can define it as just a decent film, the effort to define the relations between family members, the acting of Gina Gershon and the presence of Raquel Welch being good points for a drama about ways to resist against dark circumstances and to discover the basic, fundamentals values.