‘Jeanne du Barry’ Review: Johnny Depp Makes a Decent, if Distracting Match for ‘My King’ Director Maïwenn
variety.comPeter Debruge Chief Film Critic They instructed her no one must turn their back to the king, but she did so anyway. They warned that she was not to look Louis XV directly in the eyes, lest others take it as “an invitation,” but she ignored Versailles’ advisers on this point as well, defiantly meeting the king’s gaze.
Jeanne Bécu was not the type of woman to do as she was told. In this respect, divisive French actor-director Maïwenn can relate, casting herself as the courtesan-turned-comtess in “Jeanne du Barry,” a sensitive and surprisingly low-key portrait of the French monarch’s last mistress.
That Maïwenn saw fit to engage tabloid-embattled Johnny Depp as “her king” is just one of the many hurdles she set for herself — but then, no one embarks on such a project with the intention of pleasing her critics.
Kicking off the Cannes Film Festival just two weeks after Charles III’s coronation across the Channel, “Jeanne du Barry” offers a relatively provocative take on all things royal, though it’s super tame compared with Canal+’s tawdry “Versailles” series or Albert Serra’s recent “Liberté.” The illegitimate daughter of a monk and a cook, Jeanne rose as high as someone of her station might, earning a place as Louis XV’s “favorite” in his final years.
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