Jackie and David Siegel are not well-known to many members of the general public, but they are two of the most significant movers and shakers of real estate and business. David Siegel founded the enormously successful timeshare company Westgate Resorts. He, his wife Jackie, and their large family are based on Orlando, Florida, where they endeavoured to build Versailles, the biggest private home in the United States. However, David ran into financial troubles during the 2008 economic recession, and construction on their home was stalled. The Siegels and their troubles were detailed by director Lauren Greenfield and compiled into the 2012 documentary The Queen of Versailles. The documentary is narrated completely by the Siegels and their associates, so the opinions and views of the filmmakers are not directed shown to the audience. However, the documentary portrays the Siegels as hardworking people, not the greedy vampires that many would assume them to be; despite their wealth, the Siegels faced similar financial issues that a lot of families did during and after the recession. This idea can be extended to all of the other wealthy people that complained of financial problems. The Queen of Versailles does make the Siegels and others of their class more likable and relatable, but the fact is that their troubles are not similar in magnitude or importance to those of normal families. In the way they are portrayed in the documentary, the Siegels are not much like the typical viewer, despite their middle-class backgrounds.
In The Queen of Versailles, David and Jackie explain their rise to financial success. They both came from the middle class and started small: David owned a small real estate business, and Jackie worked at IBM as a computer engineer. Surprisingly, they are extraordinarily modest about and generous with their wealth, and serve as an excellent example of the "American Dream". However, David owns a timeshare business, and it took a big hit in 2008. The business and the family lost a lot of money; so much, in fact, that the Siegels had to stop building their home, had to sell a major company building, and worried about continuing their lifestyle. These worries echo those of many more typical Americans, as thousands lost their jobs, their homes, and their futures. Despite this superficial similarity, the Siegels cannot relate much to normal Americans. When normal people make a lot less money than they used to, it can mean skipping a car or house payment, or even being unable to put food on the table. For the Siegels, it meant buying fewer toys for their children for Christmas (they still received dozens each), having to put their unfinished mega-mansion (which was larger than anything a normal person would dare to dream about) on the auction block, and downsizing their housing staff. In 2008, middle-class people lost their livelihoods; the Siegels just had to downgrade their lifestyle to something a little closer to the average, at least the average for the rich. The stakes are, in many ways, bigger personally for the average American than for the Siegel family.
Throughout the documentary, the Siegels show off all of the things they are able to have and do because of their enormous wealth. David has a fleet of cars, portraits of him and his family painted to look like royalty, and a golden throne. Jackie has diamond and gold jewelry galore, a $17,000 pair of Gucci crocodile skin boots, and is the hostess of a party for all of the Miss America contestants. One of their children has a room stuffed with beanie babies, and they all have several exotic pets. While all of this extravagance may be interesting to watch, it is not relatable. As I watched the documentary, I personally did not know what this lifestyle was like, except for the fact that it seemed rather nice. I could not relate to the way the Siegels reveled in their material possessions, as neither me nor anyone I know live like the Siegels do. It was a good tactic of the director, Lauren Greenfield, to try to make the Siegels seem like normal people, but because they are at the far end of the social spectrum, her efforts failed.
The Queen of Versailles, is, frankly, a fascinating documentary overall; after all, who doesn't enjoy looking at how the other half lives? However, while the Siegels may not have the stereotypical snooty attitudes of wealthy people, they are not relatable to viewers. When viewed under a microscope, their economic problems are not similar to those faced by typical Americans during and after the 2008 recession. Simply put, everyone has problems and all problems are bad, but not everyone's problems are equally bad. This is where the portrayal of the Siegels in The Queen of Versailles fails.
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