After the defamation trial was done and dusted, all eyes were on Johnny Depp. Fans wondered how the actor would redeem himself on the big screen after facing the humiliation he did getting dropped from projects. It was later revealed that Johnny Depp would be making his acting comeback with a French film, Jeanne du Barry.
Jeanne du Barry had the honor to be the opening film for the 2023 Cannes Film Festival. The Cannes Festival Director once stated that he made this decision as this was a “beautiful film” and called Johnny Depp’s acting “magnificent.” However, it looks like the critics are not on the same page as him as they remain unfazed by the Maïwenn-directed film.
Did Johnny Depp Just Have a Lukewarm Comeback?
After emerging victorious in his battle against ex-wife Amber Heard, Johnny Depp got the chance to revive his career with a French film, Jeanne du Barry. The actor plays the role of French king, Louis XV as the film showcased his love story with commoner Jeanne du Barry. While there was a lot of excitement for the film, critics do not seem to be impressed.
According to Jordan Mintzer of The Hollywood Reporter, neither the casting of the film nor the film itself does anything to excite the viewers. He stated,
“Depp’s casting offers a few early thrills and then mostly yawns, with Depp dishing out what feels like a total of a dozen lines in respectable French, while otherwise remaining mute. His performance isn’t bad, and neither is Maïwenn’s in the lead role. But the two of them, like the movie, rarely get our pulse racing.”
Mintzer isn’t the only critic to think so. IndieWire’s Ben Croll stated that Depp’s portrayal in Jeanne du Barry “plays off his wider reputation in often fascinating ways.” Telegraph’s Robbie Collin, went so far as to say that calling this Depp’s “glorious comeback” is a far stretch. It looks like this wasn’t the comeback fans were hoping to see, after all.
Johnny Depp Gets Emotional at Cannes 2023
Despite the negative feedback from many critics, Depp appeared to be quite pleased with his work. After the premiere of Jeanne du Barry at the film festival, the movie received a seven-minute-long standing ovation from the audience.
As the hall erupted in applause, the camera panned to the lead actor was visibly overwhelmed and emotional. He then hugged his director and co-star, Maïwenn.
At the event, Maïwenn showed her gratitude to her team and those close to her stating, “I want to share this moment with my lover, with my producer…and I want to share this moment with all my team across the theatre.” Whether the critics enjoyed the film or not, the Jeanne du Barry team has a lot to celebrate for!
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
