Gucci Family Slams 'House of Gucci': 'An Insult to the Legacy'

The house of Gucci is not happy with "House of Gucci".

The family on which the film is based have slammed Ridley Scott's biographical crime drama, calling it inaccurate, extremely painful and "an insult to the legacy on which the brand is built."

The film stars Lady Gaga as Patrizia Reggiani, who woos Maurizio Gucci (Adam Driver) with one eye (or both) on his fashion family fortune, who would ultimately be convicted of hiring the hitmen who killed him.

Family members had heavily criticized aspects of the film in the lead up to its release; after finally getting to the see the finished product, their opinion has not been swayed.

"The Gucci family takes note of the release of the film 'House of Gucci' and is a bit disconcerted because, although the work claims to want to tell the 'true story' of the family, the fears raised by the trailers and interviews released so far, are confirmed: the film carries a narrative that is far from accurate," the heirs of Aldo Gucci said in a statement, translated by Variety.

"The production of the film did not bother to consult the heirs before describing Aldo Gucci – president of the company for 30 years – and the members of the Gucci family as thugs, ignorant and insensitive to the world around them, attributing to the protagonists, events, a tone and an attitude that never belonged to them," it said. "This is extremely painful from a human point of view and an insult to the legacy on which the brand is built today."

The family slammed the film for its "indulgent" tone towards Gaga's character who, despite being convicted in her ex-husband's murder, is "painted ... as a victim who was trying to survive in a masculine and macho corporate culture."

"This couldn't be further from the truth," the family claim, pointing to several women who held positions of power in the "inclusive" company's 70-year history.

"Gucci is a family that lives honoring the work of its ancestors, whose memory does not deserve to be disturbed to stage a film that is not true and that does not do justice to its protagonists," the statement concludes.

"The members of the Gucci family reserves every right to protect the name, image and the dignity of their loved ones."

According to Variety sources, despite their anger, the family do not plan to take legal action at this time.

Aldo Gucci — portrayed by Al Pacino in the film — was the eldest son of company founder Guccio Gucci. He served as chairman of the company from 1953 to 1986, the year he was sentenced to a year in prison for tax evasion, thanks to a tip off to the IRS by his eldest son Paolo, who had fallen out with his father who had blocked him from trying to launch his own Gucci business.

Despite initially voicing her delight that Lady Gaga would be portraying her, Reggiani — who was released from prison in October 2016 having served 18 of her 29-year sentence — later expressed her annoyance that she wasn't consulted during filming.

"...it is not an economic question," she told ANSA in March. "I won't get a cent from the film. It is a question of good sense and respect."

Paolo Gucci's daughter, also named Patrizia, also accused the filmmakers of "stealing the identity of a family to make a profit, to increase the income of the Hollywood system," per AP, again slamming Scott for failing to consult with the family.

But Scott hit back, telling BBC Today: "You have to remember that one Gucci was murdered and another went to jail for tax evasion so you can’t be talking to me about making a profit. As soon as you do that you become part of the public domain."

After years of family in-fighting and spiraling finances, Maurizio Gucci sold his remaining shares to Investcorp — thus ending all family involvement in the company named after them — in 1993, two years before his murder.