The Queen of Versailles

Dave and I saw this movie a while back but I was so dismayed and troubled by it that I can't objectively describe it to you. It makes Gordon Gekko's "Greed is Good" speech come to life.

The best thing for you to do is to go to The Queen of Versailles website to discover the plot in full.  But, in a nutshell, here it is.  This is a documentary about David and Jackie Siegel.  They are building the largest, most expensive house in America.  As a coincidence, they live here in Central Florida and the house is within 20 miles of our condo.  So, we're neighbors, so to speak. 

Jackie Siegal is 46.  David is 76.  They have eight children.  But, by my count David, is the father of 11.   

David Siegal is president of Westgate, the largest timeshare company ever in the history of humankind.  The house they're building supposedly has 17 kitchens and 30 bathrooms.  As the documentary was being filmed, the bottom fell out of the timeshare market so they had to "cut back" on their lifestyle and, for a short time, Versailles was up for sale.  First for about 90 million dollars, later on around 65 million dollars.  But no takers. 

The movie is greed and conspicuous consumption - on steroids!  Also, leveraging.  

But here's what really bothers me.  An assumption is made that they are simply a mirror of the rest of us.  That this is the American Dream.   Everything is for sale. 

As I said, while this movie was being made the economy bottomed out and the Siegels went bust.  But, apparently, things have turned around a bit for them.  When the film (that makes them look so, so bad) premiered here in our neighborhood art cinema, the Enzian, they rented out the theater for their friends and family.   Is David Siegel rich or broke.  Who knows?  Today's paper quotes Jackie as saying "my husband is trying to be debt-free with the company in the next two years.  He's even got the nannies on a budget.  He shuts off the lights when he leaves.  Of course I turn them back on."

The bank was quoted as saying the Siegel's won't be debt-free anytime soon. 

I'd like to have a discussion about values with all the folks who see this movie.  After our basic needs are met, like food, shelter, etc. it's a wonderful thing to, as the Apostle Paul says, be content with what we have.

This is me, yesterday, being very content to dig into oysters in the shell at J. B.s Fish Camp. At 80 cents an oyster we didn't have to leverage anything.  We could afford them.

The American Dream. 

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