Peter Chu’s review published on Letterboxd:
My father always tells me that I should not spend what I don't have. This is a lesson I still adhere to, but not everyone abides to it. It's a painful lesson to many people in America during the financial crisis which includes the richest 1%.
The Queen of Versailles follows David Siegel, a billionaire who own a timeshare empire, he has parties with the rich and famous, claims to have political influence (he brags that he is the reason why George W Bush was elected president in 2000). He and his wife, Jackie decides to build a mansion that ends up being about 90,000 square ft. Obviously, they don't need a 90,000 square ft home, but David has money to burn, his wife loves to spend, and he has 8 children + countless maids working for him, so why not?
Fast-forward 2 years later (2008), the financial crisis hit and the Siegels are caught in the financial bubble like everyone else. David's company is losing money rapidly, but his wife doesn't seem to understand the idea of it, still spending money everywhere. Jackie Siegel is quite a character; she is not evil nor a bad person, just blissfully naive about her situation. She explains the reason she has 8 kids is because her nannies will take care of them. She knows her husband is auctioning off everything to pay off debt, but she can't stop spending. Jackie is like some of the characters in Arrested Development, of course Arrested Development actually makes fun of these characters and Jackie is the real deal.
The Queen of Versailles is a riches to rags story told from the side of the 1%. It doesn't make fun of the Siegels, the camera catches a lot of moments that would make many people groan, but it has sympathy for these characters as well. It's a cautionary tale but also a commentary on the American Dream, what happens when you achieve the American Dream, then have the bubble bursts and crash back to reality.