Johnny Depp’s latest film, Jeanne du Barry, is receiving a less than stellar reaction from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, despite being his first movie in four years. The historical period drama premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in France last year and is now making its debut in U.S. theaters. In the film, Depp plays King Louis XV, who has an affair with a commoner named Jeanne, played by French cinema icon Maïwenn, who also directs the film.
Upon its domestic opening, Jeanne du Barry received a 46% “rotten” rating on Rotten Tomatoes from critics, based on an average rating of 67 reviews. The audience score, based on ratings from registered Rotten Tomatoes users, was not yet available at the time of publication. Released by indie distributor Vertical Entertainment, this is Depp’s first feature film role since his 2020 indie drama Minamata. Depp’s career had been on hold due to civil defamation proceedings with ex-wife Amber Heard, but he returned to the big screen with this project.
While some reviews were complimentary of the film, acknowledging Depp’s performance, others were more critical. Mick Lasalle of the San Francisco Chronicle praised Depp’s portrayal of a king weary of his duties, while Variety critic Peter Debruge commended the film, calling director Maïwenn a major filmmaker. However, other critics were less impressed, with Esther Zuckerman of Daily Beast describing the film as confusing and misguided, and Richard Lawson of Vanity Fair criticizing Depp’s appearance and performance in the film.
Both Depp and Maïwenn have been promoting the film through interviews in the U.S. and overseas. Maïwenn was upset by a British publication’s characterization of Depp, while Depp took the opportunity to criticize studio executives for spending large amounts of money on films that audiences may not be interested in. Despite the mixed reviews, Jeanne du Barry is now playing in U.S. theaters, giving audiences the opportunity to see Depp in his first film role in several years and judge for themselves the merits of the historical drama.
