The Queen of Versailles (FILM REVIEW)
The Queen of Versailles
Film Review
by Kam Williams
Headline:
Billionaire Builds McMansion for Trophy Wife in Dysfunctional Family
Documentary
Real
estate mogul David Siegel founded Westgate Resorts back in the Seventies and
went on to strike it rich selling luxury time shares in 28 locations around the
country. Unfortunately, his obsession with work took a toll on his first marriage,
but after a messy, decade-long divorce battle, he started another family with a
gorgeous trophy wife 30 years his junior.
The
74 year-old CEO now has 7 children with Jackie, 8 if you count her orphaned
niece they adopted. Although Siegel was already keeping his flamboyant, young spouse
in the lap of luxury, against his better judgment he also agreed to build her
the biggest and most expensive single-family home in the United States.
A
replica of Louis XIV’s 17th Century Palace of Versailles, plans for the
sprawling, 90,000 square-foot estate included 10 kitchens, a grand ballroom
with a staircase at either end, a skating rink, a bowling alley, a health spa,
tennis courts, a baseball field, a performance theater, maids quarters,
etcetera. But when the real estate bubble burst in 2008, the economic recession
took a terrible toll on Siegel’s entire empire.
Not
only did he have to lay off 7,000 corporate employees at Westgate Resorts, but
he also had to scale back his on his lavish lifestyle. The household staff shrank
from 19 to 4, the kids were moved from private to public schools, and the
family started flying on commercial airliners instead of by a private
Gulfstream jet. In addition, the dream mansion project had to be halted halfway
to completion when the bank threatened to foreclose on the property.
The
stress started taking a toll on the Siegel marriage, too, especially after David
tried to put Jackie on a budget. And when the reckless 43 year-old failed to
implement some of the suggested cost-cutting measures, he went so far as to threaten
to trade her in for a couple of cute 20 year-olds.
All
of the above was captured on camera by Lauren Greenfield, the masterful director
of The Queen of Versailles. The dysfunctional family documentary is compelling because it invites the audience to see just how
decadently the other 1% lives which only makes it that much easier to take
pleasure in their subsequent misfortunes.
A
brilliant biopic which elicits an emotional response that’s the epitome of
schadenfreude!
Excellent
(4 stars)
Rated PG for mature themes and mild epithets.
Running time: 101 minutes
Distributor: Magnolia
Pictures
To see a trailer for The Queen of Versailles, visit:
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