Six years after “The Assassination of Gianni Versace”, Ricky Martin is back on the small screen.
The Puerto Rican singer is starring in “Palm Royale”, the first three parts of which are available on Apple TV +.
The heroine of the fiction, Maxine Simmons, is a woman who arrives in the summer of 1969 in Palm Beach, Florida, a vacation spot for golden society.
The favorite meeting point for these elites is the very private Palm Royale club, which gives its name to the series.
Coming from a modest background, Maxine does not have the necessary codes to create illusions and will have to face multiple pitfalls – notably an empty bank account – in order to achieve her goals.
Kristen Wiig, 50, seen notably in the cinema in “My Best Friends”, lends her features to the main character.
At his side, Ricky Martin, 52 years old, but who looks 20 years younger on screen, plays Robert, a waiter at the Palm Royale.
Initially an enemy of Maxine, he will realize that they have things in common that will bring them closer together.
If the singer barely appears in the first part, his role grows over the episodes.
The world of “Palm Royale” is very sunny, colorful and flashy.
The costumes are a feast for the eyes as the different characters – mainly female – offer a permanent fashion parade.
The superficiality of this world, where appearance prevails over everything else, unfortunately rubs off on the storyline.
The more Maxine suffers in her attempts, the more she discovers that the ideal she seeks to achieve is much less rosy than it seems.
A series adapted from the novel “Mr. and Mrs.
American Pie »
Yet she persists and redoubles her determination in her quest to belong.
Obviously, we are talking about identity, the search for happiness, the need for a group to assert its individuality.
Unfortunately, the story remains on the surface.
Where the story is most successful is ultimately when it takes itself the least seriously, offering totally ridiculous but perfectly delicious sequences in the final episodes.
However, to get there, you have to endure a repetitive refrain for a few hours.
Because with ten parts on the clock this season, “Palm Royale” dilutes its message, makes you smile from time to time, but not enough to keep up the pace.
It's a shame, because the series has no shortage of talent to draw on.
Among the wealthy wives who form the central circle that Maxine seeks to infiltrate, we find the always brilliant Allison Janney (“At the White House,” “Mom,” “Me, Tonya”).
Every time the 64-year-old actress appears in a scene, she excels in her position as a privileged woman who does not hesitate to be obnoxious to assert her superiority.
We also meet in the credits Laura Dern, 57 years old (“Sailor and Lula”, “Jurassic Park”, “Big Little Lies”), as a member of a feminist and anti-capitalist think tank.
The actress' talent could have been exploited more even if her role is quite tasty.
Actress Laura Dern, who plays an anti-capitalist feminist, and actor Ricky Martin in “Palm Royale,” season 1 of which is broadcast on Apple TV+.
Apple TV+
In short, perhaps with a few fewer episodes, “Palm Royale”, adapted from the novel “Mr. and Mrs.
American Pie” by Juliet McDaniel, could have been an exploding candy.
As it stands, this series is visually appealing, but does not hold up in the mouth.
Editor's note:
3/5
“Palm Royale”,
American series by Abe Sylvia (2024) with Kristen Wiig, Allison Janney, Ricky Martin… Episodes 1 to 3/10 (3 x 50 minutes).
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