Review of The Queen of Versailles (2012) by Ethan M — 31 Dec 2012

At first, this movie is MTV cribs, with exponentially wealthier hosts. The opulence, excess, and gaudiness of the Siegel family home and lifestyle is bizarre and nauseating. Jackie Siegel - David Seigel's trophy wife looks like a version of Kim Basinger that someone stuck in the microwave for too long.

It's sad to learn of her past life as a down-to-earth beauty pagaent winner turned computer engineer. The Siegels aren't a particulary happy bunch, but they believe in what they do. What I like about this movie, is that it doesn't hit you over the head with an agenda, like a Michael Moore movie, but rather - lets the characters willingly volunteer their own cockeyed values and perspectives.

"I wouldn't have had so many kids if I knew we were going to lose all our nannies", Jackie Siegel muses - as the help is laid off amidst the 2008 downturn. A bust of Napoleon sits in the background during one of the interviews of David Siegel.

There's plenty of schadenfreude as this ultra-rich family tumbles down. As someone who's seen the theivery of the timeshare business up close, I think what goes around comes around.