Contributing writer
THE QUEEN OF VERSAILLES opens at Enzian August 17, 2012. Advance ticket sales have been crazy, so a lot of screenings may already be filled up. (Tickets and showtimes).
You're probably already somewhat aware of the subject matter here, as this is likely to be 2012's big crossover documentary hit. A billionaire timeshare magnate and his blonde bombshell wife set out to build the biggest single family home in America, right here in Windermere. They plan on modelling the 90,000 square foot residence after Versailles. Why? As the man says "...because we can." The financial meltdown of 2008 happens, devastates the timeshare business, and suddenly they're left trying to sell this unfinished monstrosity and wondering what the hell happened.Lauren Greenfield's documentary won her the Best Documentary award at Sundance this year, and has also led to her being sued by the film's subject, David Siegel. So already there's plenty to talk about.
The first half hour of this film plays like a schadenfreude overload. These people are filthy rich. I mean, like, comic book villain rich. We learn a little about them as people, but mostly we see that the wife, Jackie, takes the limo to McDonalds, and we see the construction site of their doomed mega-mansion. There are scenes of how people are talked into buying timeshares in Vegas. Jackie has a $17,000 pair of shoes. We'd be furious at how rich and oblivious the Siegels are, if we didn't know what was coming up. When the fall of 2008 comes around and the market drops 700 points in one day (I have no idea what those words mean), there's a change in the mood. Suddenly the business has to start laying off employees by the hundreds, and the effects trickle down to the family. They have to fly commercial. They have to rent a car at the airport. They have to shop at Walmart. The indignities! Yes, it's definitely satisfying to watch the mighty fall, but fortunately more to it than just "these creeps got what they deserved."
Sure, David Siegel does not come off too well, as he sits, stewing, in his home office, yelling at his family for leaving the lights on. He's a proud man and even when offered the chance to save his personal fortune by selling the flagship tower in Las Vegas, he refuses to do so. Jackie is more complicated. It's easy on a superficial level to hate her (see: $17,000 shoes; botox scene) but the more she's on camera, the more sympathetic she comes across. There are more and more indications about how she's kept out of all the family's financial plans. She says "I guess I'll have to watch your movie to see what's really going on!" It's said with a laugh, but it feels forced. She looks genuinely devastated when she finds out that the giant house, now an empty monument to hubris, has gone into foreclosure.
The film is entertaining, funny, and yes, there's plenty of enjoyment to be had in watching the mega-rich falling down a peg or two. But 'The Queen of Versailles' displays a layer of humanity which surprised me, and it gives the film an extra layer than you might not expect.
