I found this documentary, directed by Lauren Greenfield, to be mind blowing and mesmerizing. Mostly, I was sitting and watching the DVD and shaking my head wondering can this get any more bizarre--and it does.
This is the story of Jacqueline and David Siegel living in a 17 bathroom house, in the Orlando area, with 8 children and many pets. She is a former model, extremely well endowed physically, and Mrs. America married to a timeshare conglomerate mogul(Westgate Resorts)who built his company into the largest timeshare resort company in the world. She is 30 years his junior.
Of course all of this is prior to the Great Recession of 2008. They are so filthy rich that they decide they need a 30 bathroom house patterned after the Versailles Palace, in France, and when completed will be the largest single family home in America.
But,alas, the Great Recession comes upon us and the bottom falls out of the timeshare market. Things begin to go south for the Siegels. The banks, who when times were good, were falling all over themselves to give Siegel cheap money. But now, as Jacqueline puts it they are like vultures waiting for the carcass to die so they can sweep in and pick it apart. Seven thousand workers of the timeshare company are laid off 2 days before Thannksgiving. Foreclosure of their properties are certainly looming, including the Versailles replica.
Jacqueline, claiming she's not been told about the extent of the financial problems seems to continue to live in this fantasy world. She'll start shopping at Wal_Mart but will buy shopping carts full of items, admitting she is compulsive. She doesn't seem like a bad person, and claims she's worked in menial jobs in her life, and knows what it's like to be poor.
To me, she is the heart of the film. It's totally fascinating to watch her try and cope in her own way with what's happening. While on the other hand David(her husband) is clearly the cold calculating businessman, showing the strain of his empire crumbling around him.
I believe if you take the approach that you hate these people who have had so much compared to the average person, like myself, and 99.9% of the populace as well, then this film will not be enjoyable. But if, you can just watch it without judgments, as it unfolds, it can be as good as any Shakespearian tragedy. I was telling myself a great deal of the time "I don't believe this", and shaking my head in disbelief.
I don't believe you have seen anything like it in the past or will in the future. It is unique, in my opinion.
This is the story of Jacqueline and David Siegel living in a 17 bathroom house, in the Orlando area, with 8 children and many pets. She is a former model, extremely well endowed physically, and Mrs. America married to a timeshare conglomerate mogul(Westgate Resorts)who built his company into the largest timeshare resort company in the world. She is 30 years his junior.
Of course all of this is prior to the Great Recession of 2008. They are so filthy rich that they decide they need a 30 bathroom house patterned after the Versailles Palace, in France, and when completed will be the largest single family home in America.
But,alas, the Great Recession comes upon us and the bottom falls out of the timeshare market. Things begin to go south for the Siegels. The banks, who when times were good, were falling all over themselves to give Siegel cheap money. But now, as Jacqueline puts it they are like vultures waiting for the carcass to die so they can sweep in and pick it apart. Seven thousand workers of the timeshare company are laid off 2 days before Thannksgiving. Foreclosure of their properties are certainly looming, including the Versailles replica.
Jacqueline, claiming she's not been told about the extent of the financial problems seems to continue to live in this fantasy world. She'll start shopping at Wal_Mart but will buy shopping carts full of items, admitting she is compulsive. She doesn't seem like a bad person, and claims she's worked in menial jobs in her life, and knows what it's like to be poor.
To me, she is the heart of the film. It's totally fascinating to watch her try and cope in her own way with what's happening. While on the other hand David(her husband) is clearly the cold calculating businessman, showing the strain of his empire crumbling around him.
I believe if you take the approach that you hate these people who have had so much compared to the average person, like myself, and 99.9% of the populace as well, then this film will not be enjoyable. But if, you can just watch it without judgments, as it unfolds, it can be as good as any Shakespearian tragedy. I was telling myself a great deal of the time "I don't believe this", and shaking my head in disbelief.
I don't believe you have seen anything like it in the past or will in the future. It is unique, in my opinion.