What if it rained millions of dollars on you?

You never know in advance how you would react to an unexpected situation, like millions of dollars pouring into your bank account. Even if we create scenarios, we can surprise ourselves.

Warren Buffett, who is worth more than 200 billion Canadians, has never adopted a lifestyle commensurate with his wealth. Rather, he is the ultimate example of frugality. He still lives in the house he bought for US$31,500 in 1958, in his hometown of Omaha, Nebraska.

There are countless texts about the founder of Apple, Steve Jobs, who did not understand why his work colleagues bought Rolls-Royces when they became rich. With his jeans and black turtleneck, he clearly didn’t want to impress the gallery with brands reserved for billionaires. And what about his successor at the head of the company, Tim Cook, known for buying his underwear on sale in a department store.

In the docu-reality Dream Lifewhich will be accessible on the Crave platform from December 18, it’s quite the opposite.

The six rich Quebec women we are presented with spend a lot of money. They like it, and it shows. Their walk-in overflowing with $20,000 handbags and ostentatious designer clothes. They drive Ferraris, Porsches, shop McLarens, boats and multi-million dollar palaces. Their imposing gold jewelry and diamond rings cannot go unnoticed.

They’re not doing anything wrong. They didn’t steal anything. Excessive consumption is legal. And who are we to judge them?

But this exhibition goes badly, as evidenced by the reaction of Internet users on the Facebook page of Everyone is talking about it, who broadcast the trailer and received five of the six women with some tough questions. Unsurprisingly, the comments were mostly derogatory. “Superficiality at its best”, “Too much. It’s embarrassing”, “What is the relevance of showing oneself”, “Indecent emptiness! “, “At a time when people are freezing and starving in the streets and life in general, they could stay in the shadows, that would be fine! »

Should we conclude that we hate the rich, as was subsequently mentioned by certain commentators in the media? The fortunes of Lise Watier, financier Stephen Jarislowsky, Larry Rossy (founder of Dollarama), Alain Bouchard (Couche-Tard) and Jean Coutu have never aroused contemptuous comments.

Could it be, instead, that we feel uncomfortable with the rich who like to show off their possessions and that the nature of what they buy influences reactions? Could it be that overconsumption bothers more than the number of zeros in the bank account?

There’s a difference between a $20,000 bathroom and a $20,000 handbag. Just like a $75,000 car doesn’t send the same message as a $75,000 diamond ring.

And while this is a minefield, we cannot ignore the fact that the type of spending these women do may attract more judgment. Sequins, high heels, Hermès bags, jewelry… all of this is perceived by society as frivolous, and Dream Life enjoys putting unnecessary emphasis on the price of all things.

Ultimately, with this approach, the series does not present these women in the best light. By seeing them shop without counting, which only exacerbates feminine clichés, they seem disconnected from the reality of the average Quebecer who abandoned IGA for Maxi.

Even what could be seen as an admirable success and inspiration to other women ends up looking bad.

Pediatrician Tamara Gafoor makes it clear from the start that she married a descendant of a Nigerian royal family, as if her own background in medicine wasn’t interesting enough.

Real estate broker Tatiana Londono, owner of her own agency in Westmount, has certainly worked very hard to build a business that allows her to have a more comfortable life than that of her father, a Colombian immigrant who washed dishes. But by hearing her talk about her obsession with money, by watching her record videos with childish content to get as many views as possible on social networks, her success takes a back seat.

Fortunately, we are shown the founder of Rebel Design, Stéphanie Bélanger, giving instructions to her subcontractors on a construction site. Here is one who will open the horizons of many young women thanks to her talent and her ambition. Landing contracts elsewhere in the world, for the rich and famous, when there are excellent designers everywhere, is amazing.

Once the shock of the first minutes of Dream Lifefilled with unnecessary close-ups of the breasts and legs of its pretty stars, one can’t help but think about how money can transform humans when they have it…much more than necessary. And all this display of superfluous purchases forces us to think about how we would spend if we became very rich. This is one of the rare merits of the series.