Film: The Queen of Versailles (2012)
Cast includes: Jackie Siegel, David Siegel
Director: Lauren Greenfield (Thin)
Genre: Documentary (100 minutes)
“It’s good to be queen,” says Jackie. She tells us her husband David is her “magic man.” “All I wanted was love…. He said ‘trust me,’ and I’ve always trusted him.” Jackie is a 43-year-old mother of 7. David is the 78-years-old owner of Westgate Resorts, the largest timeshare company in the world. “He doesn’t need Viagra,” says Jackie. Jackie had been an engineer at IBM, but soon figured out that it wasn’t the life she wanted. She met her first husband when she was a model in New York City… an abusive relationship that wasn’t the life she wanted, either. She met David at a party, and he eventually won her over. David used to own orange groves in Orlando, Florida. When a timeshare developer wanted to buy some of the land, David listened to his plans, turned down the offer and started his own timeshare company. Showing us around their 30,000 square foot home, Jackie says, “There’s no place like home.”
But it’s their new home… the 90,000 square foot home with 30 bathrooms, modeled after Versailles, that brought the Siegels to the attention of a documentary filmmaker. Why are the Siegels building the largest private home in America? “Because I can,” says David with pride. We get a tour of the home under construction, plus the warehouses full of antiques, marble and dream house fixings. But it all came to a screeching halt because of the economic meltdown of 2008, and the filmmakers were there through thick and thin. The Siegels, like the rest of us, have been hit hard by the crisis and have had to tighten their belts. They’ve gone from 19 full time employees in their home to just 3. Their premiere property in Las Vegas… the brightest star on the strip… is in jeopardy of being foreclosed. Versailles has to be put on hold. Will Jackie learn to live with less? She’s trying. Things are so bad, the kids might have to go to college so they can get jobs.
We really don’t want to feel sorry for these people… but we can’t help it. The filmmaker makes them come to life, warts and all. Eventually, they have to put Versailles up for sale, but it’s not easy to find a buyer for a $75mil, half-finished home. Everyone in the family struggles with the economic hardships. Jackie’s niece, who now lives with them, says she’s had a “taste of being dirt poor and a taste of being filthy rich.” And as we find out, so has Jackie, but “she’s compulsive.” Jackie used to spend $1mil a year on clothes. She wanted 1 or 2 kids… she kept going until she had 7. Being frugal isn’t easy. Christmas is almost unbearable with the new austerity. David is in a bad mood almost all the time. He works 24/7 to keep from losing everything he’s worked for. “We’re at the mercy of the banks.” Even a loving kid can’t cheer him up. “If you love me, you’ll turn off the lights.” It’s easy to relate.
3 popped kernels
An Ultra Real Housewife tale… a family building the largest home in America… derailed by the 2008 economic meltdown
Popcorn Profile
Rated: PG
Audience: Grown-ups
Distribution: Art house
Mood: Neutral
Tempo: Cruises comfortably
Visual Style: Unvarnished realism
Character Development: Engaging
Language: True to life
Social Significance: Thought provoking
