Julie Chae

What everyone here says is true. You know it's not good when you're embarrassed and feeling sorry for the actors. If I'd read the reviews first, I could have enjoyed this as "camp," especially with some adult beverages, which is probably how the actors got themselves through these awful scenes. (I'm pretty sure the actor playing Potemkin was drunk 95% of his screen time.) I unfortunately watched all 4 hours sober and earnestly hoping there would be a point to the whole thing or at least a scene or something that would make watching it worth it. I was disappointed, and left wondering how it could have gotten the green light with such bad writing and casting. Plot was nonexistent and at the same time terrible. Some of the lines uttered by the actors were laughable for being both unrealistic for the characters as well as ludicrous for the time period. The actors who played Duchess Bruce and Alexei Orlov were fine, but everyone else was terribly miscast or simply terrible. Like I said, I don't know how most could even get through their lines/scenes without unhealthy amounts of alcohol. Most scenes with Catherine and Potemkin were cringe-y or unwatchable. And it was mind-boggling how Catherine or ANYONE could find something so gross and boorish as this depiction of Potemkin to be attractive in the least.