This is a documentary about David (74) and Jackie Siegel (43) - he is the owner of Westgate Resorts, which is apparently the largest privately-owned timeshare company in...the US? The world? I don't know.
The movie begins with the couple talking about their new house that is being built, the largest single-family, single-building home in the US, which is modeled on the palace of Versailles in France. It's stupid big. $75 million.
Both David and Jackie come from humble means, and this was intended to be a rags-to-riches kind of a thing. But during the filming, the 2008 real-estate tumble occurs, and banks stop backing sub-prime investments, which is pretty much exactly the definition of time-shares.
It's a great documentary (a darling of Sundance, etc.) and very interesting (and not a little sad to watch all those time-share employees lose their jobs). Among other things, David has a bizarre and distant relationship with his grown children from his first wife, and is "closest" to the son (Richard) who is a VP at Westgate, who shows the business side of matters to the documentarians. They are closest because they work together, but it's not at all a father-son relationship. Also interesting is wife Jackie, toward the end, saying she doubts they will lose the house, and simultaneously realizing that the documentary crew spends more time with her husband than she does and may be privy to information that she doesn't have.
All this is BEFORE David Siegel sued the filmmaker, Lauren Greenfield, claiming he didn't let her make the film and she did it against his wishes. That's a completely asinine accusation - he gave interviews to the filmmakers! he totally knew what they were doing and was fine with it! - and he lost the first court battle.
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/queen-versailles-lawsuit-filmmaker-wins-415325
Anyway, check it out if you like documentaries or watching rich people having to cut down on their domestic staff. The couple's 8 children (who are being raised as responsible citizens who can't bother to keep pets alive) are just another source of intrigue.
Availability: DVD and Streaming
Released: 2012
Reason I watched it: Netflix and New York Magazine said so
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