Johnny Depp is the best part of the comeback film

Johnny Depp has made far more headlines than movies over the past five years, thanks to a series of marital, legal and professional scandals that have significantly dented his A-list status. These continue to this day, since the publication of Jeanne du Barry has been greeted with a new wave of reports that the Hollywood icon was a spooky figure on the set of writer/director/star Maïwenn's French period piece. (Maïwenn has since retracted those rumors.) But amid all this outside noise, Depp's “comeback” performance turns out to be far less wild and over-the-top than his tabloid reputation. With an understatement that is as ironic as it is impressive, the actor embodies King Ludwig

After its world premiere at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival Jeanne du Barry, which hits theaters May 2, is notable for Depp's involvement, even though he only plays a supporting role in the 18th-century story. Instead, the real focus is on the title character (Maïwenn), who was born Jeanne Vaubernier, the daughter of a cook and a monk. Seemingly banished to a simple life of obscurity, young Jeanne enchants an aristocrat, but is seen as a threat by this older man's wife and sent to a monastery, where she is thrown out onto the streets for her penchant for lewd reading. There, with her poor mother by her side (and as her de facto agent), she becomes a prostitute of some repute. Jeanne particularly attracts the attention of Count Guillaume du Barry (Melvil Poupaud), who takes her into his house, where she loves his son Adolph (Thibault Bonenfant) and befriends the elderly Duc de Richelieu (Pascal Greggory).

Much of Jeanne's early days are recounted in Jeanne du Barry With the help of a dignified narrative, regal compositions (emphasis on masterful master recordings) and Stephen Warbeck's imperial orchestral music, they give the film its understated, semi-dreamy splendor. Jeanne's initial career is a fairytale one, because after wowing the men of high society, Jeanne learns that the King (Depp) is interested in getting to know her. This is a blessing for everyone involved, including Guillaume, who happily accepts a bag full of gold coins as payment for allowing Jeanne and Louis to rendezvous in Versailles. The proceedings are shaken up somewhat by Jeanne's subsequent session with the ruler's trusted valet, Jean-Benjamin de La Borde (Benjamin Lavernhe), who lays out the specific rules and behavior required of those who enter the monarch's orbit. Particularly amusing is the demand that Jeanne should never turn her back on the king; Instead, she has to take small steps backwards as she walks away.

Jeanne du Barry is somewhat interesting if you focus on the peculiarities of life in Versailles, where all sorts of decent customs and rituals prevail. Maïwenn's Jeanne is both a humble nobody trying to fit in and a naturally rebellious soul who cares more about pleasing Louis' heart and libido than his sense of decency. When they first meet, the two strike sparks and strengthen their bond. With the queen nowhere to be seen (and lying in the grave shortly after Jeanne's arrival), Jeanne becomes the king's valued partner. While he is driven by her naughty flair – whether it's her breaking a rule that says she can't look him in the eye during her official court appearance or a later outing in which she wears men's clothing – she is attracted to Louis ' Less valued daughters, led by Adélaïde (India Hair), who deems her unworthy of her society.

Maïwenn stages her action in one luxurious salon after another as well as on the extensive grounds of Versailles Jeanne du Barry captures the overwhelming opulence of this most elite enclave. The costumes are gorgeous and the lighting (often candles) is lavish, and yet there is something staid about the film. The conflict between formality and passion is more subdued, as is the story's exploration of Jeanne's predicament as a woman who is continually constrained by circumstances and ultimately doomed. The director deftly moves to portray Jeanne as a proto-feminist, while briefly exploring the racist reaction of Adélaïde and her followers to Jeanne's young African page Zamor (Djibril Djimo). But while there is a merciful lack of didacticism, there is also energetic drama; From one episode to the next, the script (co-authored by Teddy Lussi-Modeste and Nicolas Livecchi) glides along as if on rails.

Regardless of the amorous connection between Jeanne and Louis (and the chemistry between Maïwenn and Depp), Jeanne du Barry is too calm to excite her. Tensions escalate when Marie Antoinette (Pauline Pollmann) makes her debut at Versailles to court the future Louis XVI. (Diego Le Fur), but even at this pivotal moment in French history the film is frustratingly tame. Worse still, it limps across the finish line and Louis' death drags on indefinitely. Until the end, Maïwenn stimulates the imagination with fascinating details about this long-gone world, such as the lamp that is lit on the king's bedroom balcony to indicate that he is alive. Unfortunately, these only sporadically compensate for the lethargy, which ultimately destroys the film just as smallpox destroyed the sovereign.

So that leaves Depp, who spends most of his screen time strutting around in regal outfits and wigs and sitting half-slumped in armchairs next to his favorite companion. It's a role that's less about dialogue (of which there is little) and more about demeanor, attitude and intensity, and in that respect the actor is more than up to the challenge. Whether he's making funny faces at his lover as he goes about his absurdly spoiled morning routine, or chiding his daughters and Marie Antoinette for the way they treated Jeanne by simply giving them single, imposing glances, Depp confirms that he's nothing has lost the composure and charisma that made him a superstar over the last four decades. This is undoubtedly too small a role to revive his worn-out name, but when it comes to showing that he's still capable of dominating on the big screen, it amounts to a small victory.