The Queen of Versailles

F. Scott Fitzgerald once said, “Let me tell you about the very rich. They are different from you and me.” That observation is evident in filmmaker Lauren Greenfield's documentary about a billionaire family's financial challenges—including foreclosure—in the wake of the current economic crisis. Contemptibly irritable 73-year-old David A. Siegel made money selling subprime time-share mortgages to people who couldn't afford them and brags about how he got George W. Bush elected president in ways that were not necessarily legal. Clueless, 43-year-old blonde, Botoxed, and otherwise surgically enhanced Jackie acquired an engineering degree, modeled, and was crowned a beauty queen before becoming Mr. Siegel's trophy third wife. In 2007, they decided to build an extravagant 90,000-square-foot mansion in Orlando, FL, modeled on the palace at Versailles, France. The biggest private residence in America, the Siegel home would boast 30 bedrooms, 23 Jacuzzi-equipped bathrooms, 10 kitchens, a ballroom, cavernous grand hall, theater, bowling alley, roller rink, two tennis courts, baseball field, separate wing for their seven children (plus a niece) and a grotto with three spas behind an 80-foot waterfall, along with his-and-her offices, formal gardens, and an underground 20-car garage (plus family portraits in royal robes). Out of the original 19 servants, 15 have been fired, prompting Jackie to candidly confess: “If I'd known I wasn't going to have nannies, I wouldn't have had so many kids.” Since the film's release, David Siegel has filed restraining lawsuits, while others have questioned the ethics of Greenfield's shrewd editing techniques, but all in all this is a nonjudgmental story of one (albeit filthy rich) family's experiences during the collapse of the real estate market. Recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include deleted scenes (23 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: a solid extras package for an excellent documentary.] (S. Granger)