Jeanne du Barry: Maïwenn’s biopic of one of Louis XV’s mistresses is academic and well-done, but generally uninteresting. The protagonist is mostly dull, and scorned by the French nobility for doing something that was rather commonplace at the time; she is portrayed as good-natured, but it’s hard to see her as the paragon of modernity the film seems to believe she is. Maïwenn herself plays the title character; it is a serviceable performance for an undemanding character; Johnny Depp, as the king, almost feels like a piece of stunt casting, but in any case, it is an indifferent performance; Benjamin Lavernhe plays her closest confidant in court with quiet dignity. The production design, by Angelo Zamparutti, and the costume design, by Jürgen Doering, are lush, and nicely captured by the camerawork of director of photography Laurent Dailland. Composer Stephen Warbeck contributes with a classically beautiful musical score.