Relationships can be tricky things. Sometimes they can start off with good intentions, and before you know it, you’re fighting over who gets to keep the cat.

Someone who knows a thing or two about relationships is Johnny Depp. For instance, his well relationship with actress Amber Heard ended on a sour note or three, when Depp decided to sue Heard for defamation in 2019. It was a court case that resulted in a number of stories about the pair being revealed, only made worse by the fact that it was being played out live on TV.

This ultimately resulted in another of his relationships going south, this time with the general press, as the Hollywood star’s behaviour seemingly warranted him being ‘cancelled’.

So this latest film, that sees him star in a French production playing Louis XV, is the actor’s latest attempt to work on another big relationship in his life, that of his audience.

Although living with the stigma of being an illegitimate daughter, Jeanne (Maïwenn) wasn’t prepared to allow it to hold her back, either where her education was concerned or her status in French society in the 18th century.

And yet despite all the opportunities that came her way, she was often branded nothing more than a prostitute. But again she wasn’t deterred, and continued to influence the right people.

This led to her catching the eye of none other than Louis XV (Depp); although married, the king was known to have a number of female acquaintances brought to him, with his dalliances an open secret at court, even amongst his family.

Louis was keen for an introduction to Jeanne, despite her lowly social status, and when it happened he quickly became fond of her, so much so that she ended up moving to court.

So from such humble beginnings, Jeanne now found herself with the ear to none other than the King of France himself. But despite a truly remarkable climb through the social ranks, even Jeanne wasn’t prepared for the toxic confrontation she faced at court that was driven to bring her down.

French director Maïwenn, who may go by the single name for the reason her full name Maïwenn Aurélia Nedjma Le Besco is quite a mouthful, continues the theme of relationships, with her film having a key one at the heart of it.

The film, which she also stars in as the titular character, is one full of strong female characters, and the relationships they have with one another, such as Jeanne with the king’s daughters, who weren’t happy at all with her appearance at court.

It’s ironic then that the weakest relationship on screen is between that of Jean and the king himself. Depp, who speaks French throughout – no doubt helped by his 14 year relationship with Vanessa Paradis – gives a very low key performance, perhaps embracing the regality of the role a little too much. Much of it is left to long glances, which the director chooses to linger on, as there feels to be somewhat of a barrier between him and his audiences – those at court and us.

Taking centre stage, quite rightly, is Maïwenn, who although does well as Jeanne, leaves a sense that she could have pushed her more, making her somewhat more volatile, as well as making more of the lofty position she found herself in. This means that the film overall comes across as a little on the safe side, when it really could have had license to embrace the wild.

Which is a shame because it looks impressive, with the royal court locales looking suitably majestic and imposing, with Maïwenn possibly delivering more behind the camera instead of in front of it.

As far as Depp is concerned, it feels like an opportunity for him to test the waters as far as a possible comeback is being on the table. Perhaps the fact his next project sees him as director only may well be more of an indication of that, who knows.

But as far as the star uncancelling himself goes – if there’s such a thing - only time will tell, but this little French soiree won’t do any harm at all.