portrait of the queen movie review

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Portrait of the Queen Reviews

(T)he bulk of the film involves behind-the-scenes stories from a handful of photographers about how they took certain shots. While that makes Portrait of the Queen diverting enough for Anglophiles and photography buffs, others might wish for more.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Sep 14, 2023

As amusing as it is to hear from the lensmen who have photographed the Queen, it doesn't really offer an in-depth portrait of the late monarch beyond what's generally known.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Sep 11, 2023

Elements that could have made for a somewhat intriguing documentary get lost in what amounts to a tedious piece of agitprop that ultimately regurgitates the dutifully respectful picture of Elizabeth we’ve seen time and time again.

Full Review | Sep 6, 2023

September 7, 2023

Movies for the Rest of Us

Review: Portrait of the Queen — Movies for the Rest of Us with Bill Newcott

This documentary asks the question: While royal portraits are painstakingly staged and, almost by definition, phony, is there some manner in which they can offer a window into the actual person behind the pomp and circumstance?

Bill Newcott

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Portrait of the Queen

Run Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

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Writer: Paola Calvetti

Director: Fabrizio Ferri

Available on Video on Demand

The argument can be made that Queen Elizabeth II was the most-photographed human in history. And it may well be true: Seventy years as a worldwide celebrity who also happened to be a head of state can do that.

This new documentary, featuring interviews with a handful of top lensmen who served as official portrait photographers to Her Majesty, addresses the central irony of QE II’s reign: At a time when she was among the planet’s most visible people, she was also one of the least knowable.

Even though royal portraits are painstakingly staged and, almost by definition, phony, is there some manner in which they can offer a window into the actual person behind the pomp and circumstance? Director Fabrizio Ferri seems to think so, and here he spends nearly an hour-and-a-half making his case.

Ferri never quite proves his point, but his is an intriguing investigation, nevertheless.

Along the way we meet some engaging visual artists, starting with the guy who was tapped to snap the Queen’s coronation portrait, plopping her down in front of a hopelessly fake-looking Westminster Abbey backdrop and trying to make her look comfortable holding an unwieldy gold scepter in one hand and a heavy gold globe in the other. It’s actually a pretty funny story, told with panache by the film’s narrator, the veddy English actor Charles Dance.

Then follows a parade of photographers, each with a unique take on what it was like to point a camera at the Queen, each trying to find some way to capture her royal essence. One explains how, each time he asked the Queen to smile, she seemed to get more frowny (until an aide whispered in his ear that Her Majesty smiles only when she feels like it…not when she’s told to). Another recalls trying to accomplish a hybrid candid/portrait image, and in so doing went for a walk with the Queen and her corgis. Somewhere on a Scottish trail, she let out a piercing whistle to summon a pair of wandering horses.

The film’s most intriguing passage involves a 2010 shoot at Scotland’s Balmoral Castle, where photographer Julian Calder mounted a monumental effort to capture Elizabeth in her role as the Queen of Scots, resplendent in the regalia of the Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle. There she stands, heather at her feet, a roiling brook echoing the flow of her purple robe — and, occupying the upper half of the image, a blanket of roiling gray clouds, which neither the queen nor the photographer would ever suggest reflects the fraught relationship between the British Crown and the Scots ( see: Braveheart ).

Your faithful film critic happens to be someone who has spent a good deal of his career in the company of professional photographers, and that makes Portrait of the Queen especially fun for me. I’ve always been a word guy, yet I’ve long envied most photographers’ ability to tell engaging, frothy stories of their adventures (and frequent misadventures). That seemingly congenital storyteller trait is in evidence throughout the film as the photographers throw their heads back and regale the filmmaker with one ripping yarn after another (Ferri seems to have followed the tack I would have advised: Do not ruin things by fact checking any of them).

Still, a jolly good raconteur does not a unified film make: For all the interesting tidbits and accomplished photography on display, the film never really settles into answering its central question: Who was Queen Elizabeth, as revealed in her official portraits? The photographers all come away with the well-defined impression that Queen Elizabeth was, at her core, a pro; a master at giving the people what they wanted and masking her own takes on the matter.

Fair enough. The only problem is, we already knew that.

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Thanks for notifying us about this film. I’ve seen enough actresses portraying Queen Elizabeth ll, but they are not she. This is the real deal, and I’m looking forward to seeing it. She did mask her own takes on matters which is why she was/is so beloved. The Queen truthfully did a ‘high-wire’ act, conducting herself in a no margin for error manner.

Being on a pretty short leash, she successfully combined the toughness the role required, with being the gracious, friendly/smiling Queen we love and miss on this one year anniversary of her passing.

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Elizabeth: a portrait in part(s), common sense media reviewers.

Disjointed royal docu has outdated views, some language.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Serving your country, being professional, being im

The Queen is shown as being polite and professiona

Brief discussion of Britain's colonial past and in

Archive footage of war and civil unrest, which inc

Mild, light-hearted reference to finding the Queen

Language used includes one use of "f--k," "s--t,"

The Queen and her family are shown wearing pricele

Social drinking in moderation as part of functions

Parents need to know that Elizabeth: A Portrait in Part(s) is a documentary about the life of Queen Elizabeth II, on the eve of her Diamond Jubilee. The film takes a found-footage approach that shows the Queen to be polite, articulate, and thoughtful, as well as dedicated to her work. Various setbacks in her…

Positive Messages

Serving your country, being professional, being impartial, and doing what is expected of you. Trying your best in difficult and unexpected circumstances. Sacrificing privacy in exchange for a privileged life.

Positive Role Models

The Queen is shown as being polite and professional when carrying out her obligations to her country as its head of state. There is also some discussion of how the Queen's official duties hinder the public from knowing her in anything other than a professional capacity.

Diverse Representations

Brief discussion of Britain's colonial past and interviews with people from those countries. Some ethnic diversity shown on official visits, but the main subjects of the documentary are the British royal family. The archive footage shows some outdated views about race, integration, and multiracial people. Recent news headlines are shown questioning whether members of the royal family hold racist views.

Did we miss something on diversity? Suggest an update.

Violence & Scariness

Archive footage of war and civil unrest, which includes arson, punches, kicks, slaps, and guns being pointed at people. Trauma as the result of attacks, conflict, and grief. Rifles held in what appears to be shooting practice. Other rifles and cannons fired as part of official ceremonies.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Mild, light-hearted reference to finding the Queen sexually attractive.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Language used includes one use of "f--k," "s--t," "bloody," "moron," and "God" as an exclamation. The offensive and outdated term "colored" is used when referring to people of color.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Products & Purchases

The Queen and her family are shown wearing priceless ceremonial jewelry, such as the Queen's crown, tiaras, and necklaces. They also ride in carriages as part of state ceremonies and are shown living a highly privileged life, albeit as a result of royal status and official duties.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Social drinking in moderation as part of functions and celebrations.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Elizabeth: A Portrait in Part(s) is a documentary about the life of Queen Elizabeth II, on the eve of her Diamond Jubilee. The film takes a found-footage approach that shows the Queen to be polite, articulate, and thoughtful, as well as dedicated to her work. Various setbacks in her professional and personal life are also mentioned, which she handles with stoicism. There is some diversity, with international duties the Queen undertakes shown in various countries that celebrate different traditional dress and customs. The British royal family itself is less diverse, though, and their considerable wealth and fortune is there for all to see. Violence features in the archive footage, including one threat on the Queen's life. Elsewhere we see riots caused by civil unrest, which includes violent scuffles and the police response. Some weaponry is shown and used as part of the Queen's duties and naval ceremonies. There is occasional swearing from commentators, comedians, and the general public, including one use of "f--k." The offensive term "colored" is also used when referring to people of color. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

Where to Watch

Videos and photos.

Community Reviews

• Parents say

There aren't any parent reviews yet. Be the first to review this title.

What's the Story?

ELIZABETH: A PORTRAIT IN PART(S) is a documentary consisting of archive footage covering the British monarch's 70-year reign.

Is It Any Good?

An iconic subject can't elevate this documentary, which compiles a mishmash of royal and news footage from across the 70-year reign of Queen Elizabeth II in a way that gets us no closer to our subject. Granted, this is partly because the Queen must keep a professional distance from the public, but there's still little in Elizabeth: A Portrait in Part(s) that even the most ardent royalist could seriously defend as disarming or insightful. The documentary's most interesting moments come when the Queen is shown reflecting on the nature of her remarkable life and royal duties. In typically understated fashion, she comes across as thoughtful, articulate, and not without a sense of humor. In contrast to her disgraced son, Prince Andrew, who features briefly, this is a feat of remarkable self-awareness and self-control.

Indeed the high-profile chapters in her life arguably don't revolve around her at all. That said, the film's decision to ignore the recent death of her husband, Prince Philip, is an odd one. While the sudden passing of her former daughter-in-law, Lady Diana, is awkwardly mentioned in another blink and you'll miss it moment. Likewise, a glimpse of some tabloid headlines is all we get of her grandson Prince Harry's rancorous split from the grand British institution of which she is the most senior figure. If nothing else, this shows the quiet diplomacy that the Queen practices to be more difficult than it appears, but at the same time it's far from compelling viewing.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about how the Queen came across in Elizabeth: A Portrait in Part(s) . What character strengths did she display? Would you describe her as a role model ? Why, or why not?

How much did you know about Britain's longest-serving monarch? Did you learn anything new from the documentary?

Talk about some of the language used in the documentary, particularly some of the outdated and offensive terms used. Did the filmmakers do enough in calling it out?

Would you describe the documentary as being balanced? Is that always important? Why, or why not?

Why do some countries have royal families while others do not? What are the pros and cons of having a monarchy?

Movie Details

• On DVD or streaming : May 27, 2022
• Cast : Queen Elizabeth II
• Director : Roger Michell
• Studio : Showtime Networks
• Genre : Documentary
• Topics : History
• Run time : 89 minutes
• MPAA rating : NR
• Last updated : December 29, 2023

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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Portrait of the queen.

Directed by Fabrizio Ferri

Queen Elizabeth II was the most photographed, the most loved and talked about, spied upon, praised, criticized, popular woman on the planet. All over the globe and in every moment of her long life, that came to an end at the age of 96, people have always wanted to watch her through a peephole, discover new things about her, get to know her better, connect with her and understand her. Portrait of the Queen offers an original portrayal of the story of The Queen from a totally new perspective: through the most intense, amazing, revealing photographic portraits of her, as shared by the extraordinary photographers who accompanied and often created the image of the British monarchy itself.

Charles Dance

Director Director

Fabrizio Ferri

Releases by Date

• Theatrical limited

22 Nov 2022

30 nov 2022, 08 sep 2023, 11 sep 2023, 05 aug 2024, releases by country.

• Theatrical U
• Theatrical limited Fathom Events Release

95 mins   More at IMDb TMDb Report this page

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Portrait of The Queen Movie

Who's Involved:

Susan Sarandon, Queen Elizabeth II, Fabrizio Ferri, Isabelle Rosellini

Release Date:

Thursday, November 30, 2023 Limited

Plot: What's the story about?

Queen Elizabeth II was the most photographed, the most loved and talked about woman on the planet. A portrayal of the story of The Queen from a new perspective.

0.00 / 5 stars ( 0 users)

Poll: Will you see Portrait of The Queen?

Who stars in Portrait of The Queen: Cast List

Queen Elizabeth II

Isabelle Rosellini

Susan Sarandon

The Fabulous Four, The Big Wedding  

Who's making Portrait of The Queen: Crew List

A look at the Portrait of The Queen behind-the-scenes crew and production team.

Fabrizio Ferri

Screenwriters

VMI Worldwide

Production Companies

Watch portrait of the queen trailers & videos.

Official Trailer

Production: what we know about portrait of the queen.

• The film is based on the best-selling book Elisabetta II: Ritrato di Regina by Paola Calvetti.

Filming Timeline

• 2022 - November : The film was set to Completed  status.

Portrait of The Queen Release Date: When was the film released?

Portrait of The Queen was a Limited release in 2023 on Thursday, November 30, 2023 . There were 2 other movies released on the same date, including Family Switch and The Bad Guys: A Very Bad Holiday . As a Limited release, Portrait of The Queen will only be shown in select movie theaters across major markets. Please check Fandango and Atom Tickets to see if the film is playing in your area.

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• Thu., Dec. 21, 2023
• changed the US film release date from TBA 2023 to November 30, 2023
• set film release to Limited
• added photos to the photos gallery
• added a poster to the photo gallery
• changed the US film release date from TBA to TBA 2023
• added Fabrizio Ferri as director to movie credits
• added Susan Sarandon as actor to movie credits
• added Isabelle Rosellini as actor to movie credits
• added Queen Elizabeth II as actor to movie credits
• added Official Trailer to movie trailers & videos

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Watch 'portrait of the queen' online.

Need to watch ' Portrait of the Queen ' on your TV, phone, or tablet? Searching for a streaming service to buy, rent, download, or view the Fabrizio Ferri-directed movie via subscription can be difficult, so we here at Moviefone want to do right by you. We've listed a number of streaming and cable services - including rental, purchase, and subscription alternatives - along with the availability of 'Portrait of the Queen' on each platform when they are available. Now, before we get into the nitty-gritty of how you can watch 'Portrait of the Queen' right now, here are some details about the documentary flick. Released November 30th, 2022, 'Portrait of the Queen' stars Charles Dance The movie has a runtime of about 1 hr 35 min, and received a user score of 60 (out of 100) on TMDb, which assembled reviews from 5 top users. What, so now you want to know what the movie's about? Here's the plot: "Queen Elizabeth II was the most photographed, the most loved and talked about, spied upon, praised, criticized, popular woman on the planet. All over the globe and in every moment of her long life, that came to an end at the age of 96, people have always wanted to watch her through a peephole, discover new things about her, get to know her better, connect with her and understand her. Portrait of the Queen offers an original portrayal of the story of The Queen from a totally new perspective: through the most intense, amazing, revealing photographic portraits of her, as shared by the extraordinary photographers who accompanied and often created the image of the British monarchy itself." 'Portrait of the Queen' is currently available to rent, purchase, or stream via subscription on Amazon Video, Google Play Movies, Apple iTunes, Hoopla, Vudu, and YouTube .

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By A.O. Scott

• July 19, 2012

It has been said that we live in a new gilded age, in which the rich take it as their sovereign right and civic duty to get richer, while the rest of us look on in envy, simmer with resentment or dream of rebellion. “The Queen of Versailles,” a new documentary by Lauren Greenfield about life on the thin, fragile, sugarcoated top layer of the upper crust, captures the tone of the times with a clear, surprisingly compassionate eye.

A gaudy guilty pleasure that is also a piece of trenchant social criticism, the movie starts out in the mode of reality television, resembling the pilot for a new “Real Housewives” franchise or a reboot of “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous.” Before long, though, it takes on the coloration of a Theodore Dreiser novel — not quite an American tragedy but a sprawling, richly detailed study of ambition, desire and the wild swings of fortune that are included in the price of the capitalist ticket.

When they first sit for Ms. Greenfield’s cameras, in 2007, David and Jackie Siegel are living an outsized, unlimited version of the American dream. His time-share business, Westgate Resorts , is booming. Families seduced by easy credit, aggressive sales tactics and the chance for a taste of luxury are eager to sign on the dotted line, and a sleek new Westgate dream palace has just gone up in Las Vegas.

Mr. Siegel is happy to talk about his modest beginnings in Indiana, his hard work and his devotion to causes including the Miss America organization and the Republican Party. His wife, a former model and beauty contestant, is outgoing and unpretentious, so tickled by her extravagant life that it is hard not to share her enthusiasm.

Feeling a bit squeezed in their 26,000-square-foot mansion in Orlando, Fla., the Siegels are building a palatial home more than three times as big. Envisioned as the largest residence in America, the house is modeled, with little irony and less restraint, on the French chateau referred to in the film’s title.

History buffs will note that the inhabitants of that Versailles were evicted by an angry mob. The Siegels, as of this writing still in possession of their heads, were kept out of their stately pleasure dome by the invisible hand of the market, to which Ms. Greenfield may owe a story credit. If you detect a spoiler here, it’s hardly my fault: blame the financial crisis of 2008 and the subsequent collapse of the real estate market, events that “The Queen of Versailles” recaptures from an especially intimate and fascinating perspective.

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Portrait of The Queen at Ely's Historic State Theater

Portrait of the queen.

95 mins | Rated TBC

Directed by Fabrizio Ferri

Starring Charles Dance

95 mins | Rated TBC | Documentary

Directed by Fabrizio Ferri | Starring Charles Dance

Queen Elizabeth II was the most photographed, the most loved and talked about, spied upon, praised, criticized, and popular woman on the planet. All over the globe and in every moment of her long life, which came to an end at the age of 96, people have always wanted to watch her through a peephole, discover new things about her, get to know her better, connect with her and understand her. Portrait of the Queen offers an original portrayal of the story of The Queen from a totally new perspective: through the most intense, amazing, revealing photographic portraits of her, as shared by the extraordinary photographers who accompanied and often created the image of the British monarchy itself. Special focus is given to each of The Queen’s most intense, intimate, faithful portraits, symbols of 20th century history, contextualized by the photographers who portrayed Her Majesty – Brian Aris, Jason Bell, Julian Calder, Chris Levine, David Montgomery, and John Swannell.

• by Martin Cid Magazine
• Martin Cid Magazine - Movies

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Portrait of the Queen Reviews

• 1 hr 17 mins
• Documentary
• Watchlist Where to Watch

Queen Elizabeth II through the lenses of the photographers who captured her for seventy years. The narration embodies these photographers and their words so that the viewer gets a glimpse into their worlds by way of the queen's world and vice versa. Each photograph is a piece of her legacy, part of a mosaic that represents who she was and how she adapted her image to the changing world around her.

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Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Mountain Queen: The Summits of Lhakpa Sherpa’ on Netflix, A Moving Portrait of the Only Woman To Summit Mount Everest 10 Times

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From Oscar-nominated director Lucy Walker comes a story about perseverance and determination. Lhakpa Sherpa’s personal life went completely awry, but still she found the courage to summit Mount Everest a record ten times. After premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival, the film lands on Netflix and can be streamed now.

MOUNTAIN QUEEN: THE SUMMITS OF LHAKPA SHERPA : STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

The Gist: Following Lhakpa Sherpa on her 10th summit of Mount Everest in 2022—the world record for summits by a woman— Mountain Queen explores Sherpa’s most formative relationship (with the mountain) through the lens of her her humble beginnings growing up illiterate in Nepal, her abusive relationship with fellow climber George Dijmarescu, and her connection with her three children.

What Will It Remind You Of?: A documentary that truly toes the line between riveting sports feature and emotional character drama, Mountain Queen feels a lot like Simone Biles: Rising , which tells the inspirational story of the woman behind the legend.

Performance Worth Watching: It’s hard not to choose Lhakpa, who tells her story plainly and without expectations of pity. She is strong in her fortitude for climbing Mount Everest a record 10 times, in speaking about her abusive ex-husband George who belittled her, and in discussing her life as an illiterate immigrant in America who was raising three children on her own—inspirational doesn’t even begin to describe the woman at the center of this film.

Memorable Dialogue: There are many inspirational quotes to choose from, from Lhakpa herself and her two daughters, but one of the more memorable lines is Lhakpa lamenting about the 9-to-5 washing dishes at Whole Foods that she has to maintain to support her family and her climbing dreams. “I wish I could be outdoors all the time, but I can’t, I need to work,” she says at the beginning of the film. “Eight hours, nine hours… Whole Foods looks like a jail.”

Sex and Skin: None, and anything racy would have felt out of place in this inspirational and heartfelt story.

Our Take: Lhakpa Sherpa has summited the world’s highest mountain Mount Everest a record ten times, but that’s only the tip of the iceberg of things that she’s accomplished and overcome. The riveting documentary feature from Lucy Walker tells the story of not only her tenth summit but also all that led her to this moment—namely a childhood in poverty and an abusive marriage to a fellow climber that relocated her to America, where she struggled to find a job due to her lack of education in Nepal.

Mountain Queen spends much of its runtime on Lhakpa’s personal life, which is inextricably linked to her relationship with the mountain. Her first foray onto the mountain was only possible because she disguised herself as a man to enter; her Sherpa Nepalese society forbade women from entering a school, let alone summiting a mountain. Before leaving Nepal, she mothered a child out of wedlock which shunned her from her society, later marrying a fellow climber and having two more children with him before divorcing him after repeated domestic violence. But Everest was always her safe place, a challenge and a thrill that was worth chasing for Lhakpa.

Unlike some other climbing documentaries, Walker’s team remains unseen and uncommented upon, allowing Lhakpa and her family to assume their rightful place at the center of the story. Occasionally, the filmmaking feels cobbled together and lacking depth—Lhakpa’s daughter Sunny is moody and reserved at the beginning of the film, opening up about her traumatic childhood later on but never fully divulging how this shaped her relationship with her mother. Similarly, her son from a previous relationship is shown at the beginning of the film but doesn’t reflect on his own disjointed childhood. The missing pieces are forgivable given the heft of what they are dealing with, but both of their journeys ultimately feel partially formed in a narrative that is otherwise quite open.

Even with some fractured storytelling, Lhakpa is a vibrant persona to focus on. Her charisma is clear through her broken English, and it’s hard not to walk away from the film feeling a little bit inspired to chase your own dreams. And the best part is that she’s not done yet.

Our Call: STREAM IT. Lhakpa’s story is worth telling and might even move you to tears.

Radhika Menon ( @menonrad ) is a TV-obsessed writer based in Los Angeles. Her work has appeared on Vulture, ELLE, Teen Vogue, and more. At any given moment, she can ruminate at length over Friday Night Lights, the University of Michigan, and the perfect slice of pizza. You may call her Rad.

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‘The Queen of Versailles’ Review: Kristin Chenoweth Shines in a Lavish New Musical With a Social Satire Bite

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Sporting Christian Cowen’s eye-popping, just-this-side-of-parody costumes, Chenoweth exudes exuberant humor and don’t-screw-with-me-fellas moxie as she shares her prodigious appetite for objects and children. Though only two of the Siegels’ eight kids appear, they’re enough to give mama major headaches: firstborn Victoria (Nina White) fancies herself an unappreciated plain Jane, while poor relation Jonquil (Tatum Grace Hopkins) is adopted and seduced by excess. (Of the Siegels’ dozen or more pets, we meet only a python, an unattended lizard — for whom Schwartz provides an amusing musical elegy — and a single teacup Pomeranian named Muumi, cute enough for a whole menagerie.)

With the family’s slow but sure Act 2 revival, librettist Lindsey Ferrentino comes into her own. Her much-produced PTSD drama “Ugly Lies the Bone” demonstrated a moral conscience second to none among her generation of playwrights, and she wields it here to show the vapidity of Jackie’s “Champagne Wishes and Caviar Dreams,” a recurring motif in the score, and their excruciating impact on those around her. (Particularly affecting is White’s scorchingly sung summary of Victoria’s life as seen in the whines and raging of her private diary, “My Book of Random.”)

As the losses and departures mount up and Versailles rises from the ashes, echoes of “Citizen Kane” creep in with Jackie in her private Xanadu crooning “American Royalty,” another Schwartz motif, while attended by shadowy figures from the past. I won’t reveal who they are or what they contribute, other than the sense that history’s inequities are most decisively repeating themselves on the steps of the palace.

Tony-winning director Michael Arden (“Parade”) is too much the showman not to recognize that, at almost three hours, the piece begs to be tightened. A couple of songs and reprises could go (though one number seems oddly missing, a ballad for the exquisite Melody Butiu in which she can rationalize nannying for the Siegel brood while separated from her real family in the Philippines). More importantly, the audience gets ahead of the storytelling several times in Act 2, a sure way to set patrons to checking their watches. Arden has plenty of time to rework things.

When he does, I trust the social satire won’t have its teeth pulled. Chenoweth is courageous and skillful in presenting a protagonist of utter folly, who never quite fathoms where she went wrong. We do, though, and the lesson of false values comes across like a whipcrack. Given a choice, Jackie’s story asks, who wouldn’t give everything to have everything, at whatever cost to the soul?

Emerson Colonial Theater, 1,600 seats, $249 top. Opened, reviewed Aug. 1, 2024; runs through Aug. 25. Running time: 2 HOURS, 55 MIN.

• Production: A presentation by Bill Damaschke, Seaview, Diva Worldwide Entertainment and others, of a musical in two acts written by Lindsey Ferrentino, based on Lauren Greenfield’s documentary film “The Queen of Versailles” and the life stories of Jackie and David Siegel. Music & lyrics by Stephen Schwartz.
• Crew: Directed by Michael Arden. Choreography, Lauren Yalongo-Grant and Christopher Cree Grant; sets and video design, Dane Laffrey; costumes, Christian Cowan; lighting, Natasha Katz; sound, Peter Hylenski; hair and wig design, Cookie Jordan; music supervisor, Mary-Mitchell Campbell; orchestrations, John Clancy; music coordinator, Kristy Norter; production stage manager, Clarissa Marie Ligon.
• Cast: Kristin Chenoweth, F. Murray Abraham, Melody Butiu, Stephen DeRosa, Greg Hildreth, Tatum Grace Hopkins, Isabel Keating, Nina White, Stacie Bono, Michael Mulheren, Anna Bakun, Yeman Brown, Amanda Jane Cooper, David Aron Damane, Drew Elhamalawy, Sara Esty, KJ Hippensteel, Diana Huey, Cassondra James, Andrew Kober, Jesse Kovarsky, Pablo David Lauceria, Travis Murad Leland, Michael McCorry Rose, Grace Slear.

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Movie Reviews

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In the wake of Quentin Tarantino ’s ascendance to his pop culture throne in the ‘90s, dozens of imitators tried to mimic his approach to filmmaking, only to fall flat on their faces. It turns out that what he does is much harder than it looks. As all of those Tarantino wannabes were to “ Pulp Fiction ,” Neil Marshall ’s “Duchess” is to the work of Guy Ritchie , particularly “Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels,” the filmmaker's international breakthrough. Incongruent needle drops, freeze frames with character names, overheated narration, and tough tales of interconnected criminals – “Duchess” wants SO badly to be a Ritchie film that he almost deserves co-writing credit on the project. Although he probably wouldn’t want that. “Atrocious” might have been a better title.

The remarkably boring Charlotte Kirk plays Scarlett Monaghan, a woman approached by a suave gentleman named Robert McNaughton ( Philip Winchester ) while out with her deadly dull boyfriend at the club one night. Robert and Scarlett have instant chemistry, so they pretty quickly dispatch with Mr. Wrong and begin a steamy affair before Scarlett discovers how Robert makes his money. He’s a dealer in massive diamonds, which means he travels in an underworld of shady characters that requires that he have a couple of criminal allies of his own in the loyal Danny ( Sean Pertwee ) and Baraka ( Hoji Fortuna ). Colin Egglesfield plays an antagonist of Robert/Scarlett, while Stephanie Beacham is forced to deliver some of the film’s worst dialogue as a crime lord of the jewelry scene.

Without spoiling, Scarlett ends up forced into more action than she could have expected when she responded to the flirtatious, snappy dresser that fateful night. Marshall, Kirk, and Simon Farr’s script wants to be a Guy Ritchie variation on “Kill Bill,” a story of a woman pushed to vengeance by people who underestimated her. Still, they don’t come close to closing that sale in any notable capacity. Kirk just isn’t charismatic enough or believable when it comes to action (or character or dialogue or anything), which could explain why Marshall resorts to extreme violence to try to make a truly dull film more interesting. At one point, a hot iron is pressed to a torture victim’s penis. At another, oil is poured on a man’s face and lit aflame. It’s like the torture porn version of “ Snatch .” Yeah, not fun.

It doesn’t help that the plotting and tone of “Duchess” are so exaggeratedly stupid that the whole thing plays almost like a parody of Ritchie instead of an homage, one that goes on for what feels like forever – it’s overlong at nearly two hours, and I swear to you it feels twice as long. And when it all ends with a door wide open for a sequel? It’s more of a threat than a promise. 

Brian Tallerico

Brian Tallerico is the Managing Editor of RogerEbert.com, and also covers television, film, Blu-ray, and video games. He is also a writer for Vulture, The Playlist, The New York Times, and GQ, and the President of the Chicago Film Critics Association.

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Review: Kristin Chenoweth is a royal joy in Broadway-bound ‘The Queen of Versailles’

Chenoweth makes a huge impression in the uproarious (and sad) true story of jackie siegel, now on stage at boston's emerson colonial theatre..

By Peter Chianca and Jackie Chianca

First things first: Kristin Chenoweth is a national treasure, and if you don’t agree, you will have to fight us. 

Or at the very least, you will have to consider whether you want to see director Michael Arden’s “ The Queen of Versailles ,” making its world premiere at the Emerson Colonial Theatre en route to Broadway. The “Wicked” actress simply dominates the proceedings from beginning to end, almost never leaving the stage and emanating a level of energy from her 4-foot-11 frame that you simply cannot comprehend without experiencing it in person. She’s like a neutron bomb of charisma.

Based on the 2012 documentary of the same name, the show features music and lyrics by “ Wicked ” mastermind Stephen Schwartz and a rollicking book by Lindsey Ferrentino. It’s ostensibly about the efforts of Jackie and David Siegel — a one-time “Mrs. Florida” and her husband, a timeshare billionaire — to build the largest private home in America, inspired by the Palace of Versailles, “because we can” (to quote the dynamic opening number). It’s really about the uniquely American desire for wealth, fame, and simply having “more” — first as farce, and then as tragedy.

It’s a tricky balancing act, and one that would be impossible without Schwartz and Ferrentino’s adept plumbing of Jackie Siegel’s real life for both high comedy and poignant irony, as well as Chenoweth’s full-throated embodiment of what could be, let’s face it, a pretty unlikeable character. Chenoweth manages to satisfyingly lampoon the real-life Jackie’s gaudy, unfettered consumerism while somehow making you sympathize with her cringey cluelessness.

The type of woman who’d quote Genghis Khan during her beauty pageant interview, Chenoweth’s Jackie Siegel deserves to immediately enter the pantheon of unstoppable Broadway musical matrons alongside Streisand’s Fanny Brice, Merman’s Mama Rose, and Lansbury’s Auntie Mame. And the show itself, with its plucky, uproarious side characters and show-stopping moments — including “This Is Not The Way,” the Act One closer that serves as Jackie’s very own “Don’t Rain on My Parade” — actually owes a lot to those stage stalwarts.

Not so much, though, to Schwartz’s best-known work, “Wicked,” which generated the kind of musical magic that comes along once in a generation, if you’re lucky. “The Queen of Versailles” is too grounded in the real world to soar in the exquisitely clever way that “Wicked” did, but it brings its own unique pleasures; these include an engaging (albeit not notably catchy) modern score by Schwartz to accompany a book that is as funny as anything Broadway has seen in decades. That’s until things take a darker turn.

Not that there are no callbacks at all to “Wicked”: The play’s recurring theme of “American Royalty” owes more than a little to “Defying Gravity,” and “Higher Than Ever,” a second act ensemble number that has Jackie trying to pull the family up by its bootstraps after falling on hard times, can’t help but remind you of Glinda’s similar efforts to manufacture happiness out of emptiness in “Thank Goodness.” But overall, “Versailles” is very much a different animal, and in the end, the audience is better off for having a completely different set of charms to experience.

Chenoweth is abetted by a fabulous supporting cast, notably “Amadeus” Oscar winner F. Murray Abraham as her husband, David, who takes full advantage of his ability to churn through a gamut of emotions behind his deep, dark eyes. And while not a belter, his vocals carry a welcome warmth — particularly in the sweet Act One number “Trust Me” — and he gets what may be the show’s most unexpected highlight in “The Ballad of the Timeshare King,” an uproarious old-time country-western number that nails every two-step, right down to the unlikely sight of F. Murray on a big plastic horse.

The expressive Nina White is sympathetically authentic, and eventually heartbreaking, as Jackie’s oldest daughter, Victoria. Theirs is the most pivotal relationship in the play, so it’s kind of a shame that the character feels so similar to every other disaffected teen you’ve ever seen portrayed on stage or screen. Her Act One breakout number, “Pretty Wins,” about society’s shallow preference for a particular type of good looks, is one of the few times that Schwartz’s lyrics settle for the obvious. But White rises above the cliche, especially in her Act Two duet “Pavane for a Dead Lizard,” in which she and her cousin Jonquil (excellent 19-year-old actress Tatum Grace Hopkins) smoke pot and bury a pet reptile. It’s a sheer pleasure and anything but expected.

Jonquil, introduced late in Act One, is probably meant to be our stand-in among this family of over-the-top conspicuous consumers — one of her first lines upon entering Jackie’s gaudy Versailles-in-progress is “What the f***?” — but by that time we’ve already seen so many tacky accouterments swirl by on a wondrous array of spinning scaffolding that we’ve gotten used to it. (At one point Jackie promises to have her face painted over the subject of a classic work of art, and if you think we’re not going to see that later in the play, you haven’t been paying attention.) 

Meanwhile, a phalanx of stellar supporting performers not only manages to stand up to Chenoweth’s potentially overpowering aura, but to complement it — most notably Melody Butiu’s pitch-perfect Sofia, the family’s long-suffering nanny, and Greg Hildreth as David’s hapless second-in-command. But every player is given a chance to shine, thanks to generous musical numbers and a versatile script. This is the type of show when even the wordless reactions draw big laughs, particularly by Andrew Kober in several hilarious turns.

Dane Laffrey’s glorious, multi-tiered sets — including the aforementioned scaffolding at the Siegels’ forever-in-progress palace; the art-laden walls we see during an ingenious, if overused, framing device set in actual 18th century Versailles (“the one in France,” to quote Jackie); and the marble pillars and staircases of the (almost) finished product at the play’s end — are characters in and of themselves. As the show revolves around efforts to film the documentary that made Jackie famous, an intricate array of cameras and screens circle the stage to stunning effect.

Christian Cowan’s glorious costumes run a brilliant gamut from Ancien Régime to Juicy Couture, and the characters in them — while the show doesn’t necessarily revolve around Lauren Yalango-Grant and Christoper Cree Grant’s seamless choreography — are given a nonstop array of fun movements to propel the musical numbers and maximize the show’s ingratiating physical humor.

In the end, though, it all comes back to Chenoweth. The way she manages to pull poignant moments from out of the farce is testament to her versatility. It’s also what elevates the show from simple money-pit slapstick. In fact, her comic energy is so fierce, and the book so exquisitely funny, that it’s sometimes hard to determine when the play is truly trying to be sincere, especially in the uproarious first act. This changes a bit in Act Two, when things turn decidedly darker, but it’s there that Chenoweth pulls off an equally tricky reversal, mining laughs from the sadness. 

You’re left not really knowing whether you’re really supposed to like Jackie, which may be something they need to figure out before heading to Broadway. Regardless, the ending is haunting; the audience leaves having experienced all too clearly the lessons that the play’s main character resolutely refuses to learn, making her all the more tragic. It’s a performance you absolutely need to see, just because you can.

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After a slew of controversies, the SBC turns to a low-key leader to keep things cool

In this photo provided by Religion News Service, Pastor Clint Pressley stands for a portrait in his office at Hickory Grove Baptist Church in Charlotte, N.C., on July 21, 2024. (Yonat Shimron/RNS via AP)

In this photo provided by Religion News Service, Pastor Clint Pressley greets worshippers after a service at Hickory Grove Baptist Church in Charlotte, N.C., on July 21, 2024. (Yonat Shimron/RNS via AP)

In this photo provided by Religion News Service, Pastor Clint Pressley likes to preach from a Colonial-style pulpit at Hickory Grove Baptist Church in Charlotte, N.C., on July 21, 2024. (Yonat Shimron/RNS via AP)

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. (RNS) — As he stepped up into the old-fashioned wooden pulpit on a recent Sunday, Pastor Clint Pressley wasted no time.

After quickly thanking the student discipleship minister who had brought many of the church’s Camp Paradise teens to the 11 a.m. service at his church, Hickory Grove Baptist, Pressley turned to the task at hand.

“Mark chapter 14,” he intoned in his Southern drawl. “If you’re a guest with us, we read the Bible and then we just talk about the Bible. You’re gonna find it feels a lot like a Bible study. Mark 14 starting in verse one …”

After relating the first 10 verses that tell the story of the woman who anoints Jesus with a bottle of expensive perfume, he drives home the passage’s lesson with a series of questions: “You have one life to live,” he said. “Pour it out. Have you done what you could? What’s holding you back? I want your life to be all-out devotion to God.”

This was Pressley’s third sermon of the day. He preached the 8 a.m. service, drove 13 miles to the church’s second campus to preach the 10 a.m. service, and then drove back to the main campus for the 11 a.m. service.

This content is written and produced by Religion News Service and distributed by The Associated Press. RNS and AP partner on some religion news content. RNS is solely responsible for this story.

When he concluded, 40 minutes later, he shed his jacket and stood outside the doors the of cavernous chocolate-brick sanctuary, greeting worshippers on their way out, among them, his parents.

Pressley, 55, the newly elected president of the Southern Baptist Convention, is a hard-working pastor of North Carolina’s fifth-largest Baptist church, whose main campus lies on a busy commercial corner of a modest suburban neighborhood of 1950s ranch homes. A K-12 private Christian school is part of the main 56-acre campus.

Pastoring a church is what he’s wanted to do since he was a kid growing up in the state’s Queen City. He’s been devoted to the task ever since, building a multiracial, multigenerational megachurch that draws some 3,000 people each Sunday.

Southern Baptists, the nation’s largest Protestant denomination, has a faced a series of challenges in recent years: declining membership , a sexual abuse crisis , a crackdown on women pastors , a condemnation of in vitro fertilization , an embrace of Trump and MAGA politics . Yet at its last meeting in June its members elected a traditional preacher who wears three-piece suits, a tie and monogrammed cuffs and mostly stays out of the limelight.

“In a time where we have so much cultural chaos, Clint’s steadiness and his reputation for integrity really impress a majority of Southern Baptists,” said Nathan Finn, a professor of faith and culture at North Greenville University in South Carolina and the recording secretary for the SBC.

Pressley does not have a national following or a big social media presence. Though he is a trustee of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and has served in various other denominational roles, he is not trying to use the presidency, which he may serve for a maximum of two consecutive one-year terms, as a platform for influence.

“Really, my hope is to clear some of the fog of negativity and get us back on those two things we have: our confession and our mission,” he said of his mostly symbolic new role.

Pressley is the second North Carolina pastor to lead the SBC in less than a decade. J.D. Greear, who served as SBC president from 2018-2021, has a national following and leads the largest SBC congregation in North Carolina, the Summit Church, with an average attendance of more than 12,000 people spread out across 13 campuses.

Bart Barber, Pressley’s immediate predecessor, who led a small, rural Texas church but was known for his expertise on denominational governance, had a large social media following and an opinion about everything.

Pressley, by comparison, is low-key. His church does not hold voter drives, and he will only refer to current events if it relates directly to the Bible passages he is preaching on.

“He has said publicly, his goal is not to embarrass the convention,” said Chris Justice, pastor of Lee Park Church in Monroe, North Carolina, who nominated Pressley in June. “His answer to things will be short, biblical and delivered in such a way so as not to generate a fight. He’s looking to guide carefully and steward the convention with humility.”

Pressley wants to tone down the acrimony.

The new Southern Baptist president became a Christian in the liberal Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), where his parents belonged, when he was 11. But on a vacation to Roanoke, Virginia, a few years later, a friend the Pressley family met at the beach invited them to their Baptist church. The preacher spoke with conviction. He was authoritative and passionate.

“I’d never heard anything like that, and I thought, that’s what I wanted to do,” Pressley said.

When the family returned home to Charlotte, he encouraged his parents to seek out a Baptist church. They tried Hickory Grove and, after attending for two weeks, became members.

Pressley kept his ties to Hickory Grove while he was at Wofford College in Spartanburg, South Carolina, where he also played football. After graduating, Pressley’s Hickory Grove pastor suggested he go to Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas.

There he met Connie, the daughter of a Mississippi Baptist pastor, who was in her last year studying for a masters of divinity degree with the hope of becoming a missionary. After a nine-month courtship, they were married.

“I told the Lord I was not going to marry a pastor,” Connie Pressley said. “But I was well prepared. My mom was a great pastor’s wife and was a good example for me.”

Even before they married, Connie told Clint she probably couldn’t have children. She had suffered from endometriosis, a condition in which tissue similar to that of the uterus lining grows outside the uterus, making it difficult to conceive.

The couple considered in vitro fertilization but felt like adoption was a more biblical choice. The New Testament uses adoption as a metaphor for becoming rooted in the family of God.

Pressley completed his master’s of divinity at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, which was closer to Mississippi where he was pastoring two small churches and where he and Connie adopted two boys, brothers ages 2 and 6 months, Mack and Nate.

In 1999, he came back to Hickory Grove in Charlotte as associate pastor. Five years later he became senior pastor of a midsize church in Mobile, Alabama, before returning to Hickory Grove as its senior pastor in 2011.

Once he became its top leader, Pressley streamlined many of the church’s offerings and cut out some of the trendier, seeker-friendly outreach programs, such as cookouts and guest appearances from professional athletes. He also sorted through the church’s long list of members to winnow out hundreds of people who were no longer active.

“We kind of pared back on trying to get more people in and really tried to get the people that were there more rooted in the Word,” said Mark Foster, a deacon and Sunday school teacher.

Services at Hickory Grove, like most contemporary Baptist services, feature a modern band that performs praise songs with drums and a synthesizer. But unlike those pastors who stand in front of the stage, beside a stool or a chair, Pressley has kept the traditional Colonial-style wooden pulpit.

He has also bucked the recent trend of pastors dressed in khakis or jeans and a T-shirt.

He may prefer the buttoned up look, but those who know him say Pressley is warm and outgoing — a people person.

“He’s an incredibly encouraging person and incredibly authentic,” said Al Mohler, the president of Southern Seminary and a prominent conservative voice in the SBC. “The public Clint Pressley and the private Clint Pressley are exactly the same man.”

Last August, Pressley’s 24-year-old son, Nate, who had been estranged from the family and living in the Washington, D.C., area, died of an apparent drug overdose. Church members said the Pressleys grieved with dignity and grace.

This year, a volunteer was arrested after church leaders learned he had been accused of sexual abuse by a student at the church’s Christian school. The church reported the disclosure to Child Protective Services and the city’s police. Pressley notified the entire congregation by letter.

“We do not tolerate abusive behavior of any kind,” said Pressley in his letter.

Pressley is a creature of habit, and he sticks to a routine. He said he rises at 5 a.m. most days, reads the Bible, prays and then works out — lifting weights with a group of men, mostly from the church, in his backyard shed. He doesn’t watch much TV and prefers reading books about history. He and his wife vacation — typically at a beach — with other pastor friends.

That commitment to routine serves him well and keeps him focused, said Eric Little, a member of his church with whom he also lifts weights.

“I think the reason I am drawn to pastor Clint is just his model of consistency — of what it means to be a leader, not just in the church, but in the home, in the community,” said Little.

Pressley keeps his eye trained on the long view. His favorite Bible passage is from the prophet Isaiah. He has it engraved on the pulpit as well as painted on the wall of his office: “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever.”