Lifetime reached new depths with their latest TV Movie about poor wretched Donatella Versace that was excruciatingly painful to watch. This bio-pic made without any input from family was mainly a work of fiction and essentially about how Ms V was really the power and talent behind the throne when her brother was the star designer, and how she almost ruined the business after his death before rehab saved her and thus the Company. Poor Gianni is the also-ran in this story as he is painted as the boring homebody who was in his pyjamas at 9 pm every night and was totally lost without his life-of-the-party talented sister by day. There is one hilarious scene where he is struggling to make a new dress design work and she comes up the mannequin fiercely puffing on her cigarette and without a world, rips off a sleeve. ‘You’re a Genius’ her relieved brother screams very excitedly. Really?
He dies, she takes over sans his talent, stops listening to her older brother the CEO, wastes millions of dollars, ignores her children, neglects her husband and pigs out on drugs and booze. The family step in with an intervention and after rehab she comes back with a brand new collection that saves the Company from bankruptcy.
Poor Gina Gershon in her dreadful blond wig as Miss V. had to spout the most embarrassing lines in the same bad Italian accents as the rest of the American cast. For some reason hers also had a Harvey Fierstein type rasp to it too. I just kept wishing that it has been Maya Rudolph in a funny S.N.L. skit …. but it wasn’t, and neither was it in the least bit amusing. Mind you after the final fashion show and Donatella is wondering if she has redeemed herself and looks up to spy a white butterfly in the room which supposedly represents the spirit of Gianni and his approval …. and then you start to laugh very loud at how ridiculous it all is.
It was a very tacky affair : over-acted, over-decorated and over made-up, there wasn’t one redeeming aspect about this sorry movie at all. Even the presence of Miss Racquel Welch looking tight and taut could not save this one. Donatella kept shouting ‘It’s hot, it’s sexy, it’s working’. She obviously wasnt talking about this movie, as it was so none of these.
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