Not everyone is going gaga over House of Gucci.
Following the movie's highly anticipated release, the heirs of Aldo Gucci, who served as chairman of the Gucci fashion house for over 30 years (from 1953 to 1986), issued a statement slamming the portrayal of the family behind the iconic brand.
"The production of the film did not bother to consult the heirs before describing Aldo Gucci—president of the company for 30 years [played by Al Pacino in the film]—and the members of the Gucci family as thugs, ignorant and insensitive to the world around them," the Nov. 29 statement read per Variety, adding that the movie has "a tone and an attitude to the protagonists of the well-known events that never belonged to them."
The movie, which premiered globally in theaters on Nov. 24, follows the story of socialite Patrizia Reggiani (played by Lady Gaga), who served nearly two decades in prison for hiring a hit man to murder her ex-husband, Maurizio Gucci (played by Adam Driver). The film also follows the intricacies of the complicated family business and dynamics.
"This is extremely painful from a human point of view," the statement continued, "And an insult to the legacy on which the brand is built today."
The statement also noted that the family takes issue with not only the portrayal of Reggiani in the movie—but also with "statements from cast members" that allegedly paint Reggiani "as a victim trying to survive in a male and male chauvinist corporate culture."
"This couldn't be further from the truth," the statement continued, explaining that before the end of the Gucci family's association with the company in 1993—the film is set primarily in the 1980s—the business was an "inclusive company."
"There were several women who held top positions at Gucci," the family's statement noted, "whether they were family members or not, such as the president of Gucci America, the head of Global PR and communications, and a member of the board of directors of the Gucci America company."
"Gucci is a family that lives honoring the work of its ancestors, whose memory does not deserve to be disturbed to stage a spectacle that is untrue, and which does not do justice to its protagonists," the statement concluded, adding that the "members of the Gucci family reserve the right to take action to protect the name, image and dignity of themselves and their loved ones."
Director Ridley Scott addressed previous criticism from Reggiani last week, who accused Scott of "stealing the identity of a family to make a profit to increase the income of the Hollywood system."
"I don't engage with that," Scott told BBC Radio on Nov 22. "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."
Keep scrolling to see how the cast stacks up to the real life players...