Becoming Karl Lagerfeld on Hulu may have more glitz than substance, but the overall appeal is difficult to resist. The love scenes in the fashion-focused series are captivating, the dysfunctional relationship at the center of the narrative becomes more heartbreaking with each passing episode, and the show is visually stunning. Six episodes covering the ascent of the renowned pony-tailed, ready-to-wear German designer Karl Lagerfeld—who challenged Parisian haute couture and friend/rival Yves Saint Laurent in the 1970s to become a formidable figure in fashion—will keep us captivated with enough drama to lastl, reported Movie Web.
However, this series doesn't really go there if you're looking for deeper character development. Perhaps it is not necessary. That depth was necessary for Apple TV+'s fashion experiment, The New Look. Not so much this series, though it would have been appreciated. Becoming Karl Lagerfeld does a great job of taking viewers on an interesting journey, even though it may not go into enough detail about the inner workings of Lagerfeld and what really inspired his fashion tendencies. The most impressive characters are Daniel Brühl, who plays the role of Lagerfeld with command on film, and Théodore Pellerin, who plays his loyal but troubled "kept man," Jacques de Bascher. When all is said and done, both performers might receive nominations for awards. Enjoy the sleek and witty adaptation, which was made from the best-selling biography Kaiser Karl, by creators Raphaëlle Bacqué, Jennifer Have, and Isaure Pisani-Ferry, in the interim.
Becoming Karl Lagerfeld transports us to Paris in 1972, a city where fashion dominates almost every aspect of life. It is available in French and German with English subtitles. At the time, Lagerfeld was 38 years old, and the public had not yet fully accepted his ready-to-wear styles. Driven by his prior commercial collaboration with the far more mainstream Yves Saint Laurent (Arnaud Valois in a remarkable performance), Lagerfeld keeps his focus razor sharp.
Jacques de Bascher then makes an appearance. Jacques is self-assured and resolute, and he sets out to seduce Lagerfeld and declare himself his lover. That he does, but for the progressive and somewhat raucous Jacques, it turns into a rather unusual partnership. You see, a lot of mother issues and low self-esteem are the root causes of Lagerfeld's intimacy problems. In fact, living with his mother might not be helpful at all because of the constant pressure she puts on her son to slay the Paris fashion scene. As Lagerford decides to take on Yves Saint Laurent, whose success is backed by his domineering businessman/lover Pierre Bergé (Alex Lutz), Jacques goes along for the ride, glad to cavort — and inflate his familial standing — with the Paris elite.
Jacques sleeps around, at one time starting a romantic relationship with Laurent, to counteract the inner turmoil. It would be referred to as an open relationship in the modern age. Even though Lagerfeld wasn't planning to go there with Jacques, the thought that his "partner" was, in a sense, having a ball infuriated him. A complete standoff. In the end, their connection turns poisonous, and the show sometimes focuses on Jacques' odd development—or regression—becoming the more compelling narrative.
Up to his passing in 2019, Karl Lagerfeld was highly regarded and left behind an incredible legacy. The goal of this series is to demonstrate to us how Lagerfeld chose that course and the lengths he would go to in order to follow it. The inner drive behind Lagerfeld's decision to pursue a career in fashion, his perspective on the world as a fashion designer, and the persistence of his creative spark are sometimes absent from the depiction. Why did the man feel the need to create? Maybe that will always be a mystery, just like Lagerfeld. In contrast, Jacques is shown as a joie de vivre-filled, feisty dandy. | BGNES