Few political documentaries arrive with this much noise, money, and expectation attached.
Melania Trump’s glossy new film didn’t just tiptoe into cinemas — it landed with a £40 million production cost, a global marketing blitz worth around £35 million, and the backing of Amazon MGM Studios.
For a genre that usually thrives on modest budgets and niche audiences, this was a full-scale blockbuster rollout.
And yet, while moviegoers showed up in droves, critics came armed with knives.
Box Office Success Meets a Critical Wall
Despite being torn apart by reviewers, the documentary has pulled in roughly £5 million at the US and Canadian box office, making it the strongest-performing non-concert documentary release since 2012.
Verified audience scores shot up to near-perfect levels, creating a dramatic split between public reaction and professional opinion.
That divide quickly spilled onto social media, where debates over political bias, review-bombing, and culture-war outrage took centre stage.
Industry analysts have since described the film less as a traditional cinematic release and more as a high-stakes political investment, given its unprecedented budget and promotional push.
What the Film Promises — and What Critics Say It Delivers
Directed by Brett Ratner, the documentary follows Melania Trump during the 20 days leading up to Donald Trump’s second inauguration.
On paper, it promises rare access, intimacy, and insight into one of the most private First Ladies in modern history.
According to critics, however, what viewers actually get is spectacle without substance — plenty of luxury, very little reflection, and almost no meaningful political or personal context.
The Guardian’s Brutal One-Star Takedown
The Guardian wasted no time dismantling the film.
Its critic awarded just one star, describing the experience as “dispiriting, deadly and unrevealing.”
Xan Brooks went further, calling it a documentary with “not a single redeeming quality” and likening it to an expensive piece of designer taxidermy — polished, lifeless, and cold.
He mocked moments focused on aesthetics, such as aides praising Melania’s colour choices, and accused the film of obsessing over luxury while completely sidestepping the political reality surrounding her.
His final verdict was scathing: spending two hours with Melania felt like “pure, endless hell.”
The Atlantic Finds Almost Nothing There
The Atlantic echoed those sentiments, criticising the documentary’s glacial pace and emotional emptiness.
Sophie Gilbert described Melania drifting from place to place while the camera follows obediently, “like a lap dog,” struggling to find anything resembling action.
Although Melania declares she lives “with purpose and devotion,” the footage reportedly consists mostly of wardrobe fittings, ceremonial planning, and vague philosophical statements.
The reviewer argued that what’s missing from the film is far more interesting than what actually appears on screen.
Variety Questions the Value for Money
Variety focused less on tone and more on value, bluntly stating that the film may be many things, but it is not worth its £75 million combined cost.
Reviewer Daniel D’Addario noted that much of the runtime shows Melania walking in and out of rooms, offering narration that feels emotionally distant and largely uninterested in self-examination.
He suggested the film avoids exploring Melania’s inner world altogether, making even trivial personal details — like her fondness for Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean” — feel strangely shocking simply because she reveals so little else.
The conclusion? A bitter aftertaste, considering how much was spent for so little insight.
Vanity Fair Calls It Propaganda Wrapped in Gold
Vanity Fair dismissed the project as dull, emotionally opaque, and overtly propagandistic.
Joy Press argued that Ratner fails to elevate the material visually, instead delivering endless shots of Trump-era excess that grow monotonous fast — “like watching gold paint dry.”
Even moments addressing serious subjects, such as Melania’s mother’s death, were described as emotionally hollow.
According to the review, Melania remains inscrutable throughout, offering polished platitudes about humanity and respect without revealing anything raw or personal.
Empire Labels It Cynical and Pointless
Empire delivered one of the bluntest verdicts, branding the documentary “political propaganda at its most transparent.”
William Thomas likened it to a scripted reality show — “The Only Way Is White House” — complete with narration that offers little more insight than a school report.
The review argued the film feels carefully curated to flatter its subject rather than tell a story, lacking drama, tension, or even a basic narrative arc.
In the end, it “just sits there,” expecting applause for existing.
The Daily Beast and Decider Pull No Punches
The Daily Beast didn’t mince words either, calling the film “terrible” and suggesting it might be an outright abomination without its accidental comic moments.
Reviewer Kevin Fallon described Melania as expressionless and emotionally sealed off, delivering generic statements about history and inspiration.
Attendance at screenings was reportedly sparse, with one showing hosting barely a dozen people in a 200-seat theatre.
The final judgment was damning: Melania has nothing to say, and the film offers nothing insightful, entertaining, or revealing.
Decider’s Jesse Hassenger agreed, criticising Melania’s narcotised voiceovers and avoidance of the camera.
He described an agonising opening filled with fashion tweaks and vague commentary, concluding that the project barely qualifies as a movie at all — just loosely assembled footage with no conflict or purpose.
Business Insider and BuzzFeed Deliver the Final Blows
Business Insider opened its review with a blunt statement: this is not a good movie.
Peter Kafka described glossy visuals of private planes and luxury SUVs masking a film where “zero interesting things happen.”
Stylistic tricks, he argued, exist purely to disguise the lack of substance, likening the final product to a wedding video meant only for the people involved.
BuzzFeed went even further, offering a savage, almost comic dismissal.
Natasha Jokic said she’d rather relive a kitchen bug infestation than watch the documentary again.
She mocked its screensaver-like visuals and compared Melania’s vague remarks to an absent parent using AI to write a wedding speech.
After two hours, the most memorable detail, she joked, was learning that furniture gets moved at precisely 12:01 pm.
A Hit With Audiences, a Punchline for Critics
In the end, Melania’s documentary has become less about the woman at its centre and more about what it represents — a cultural flashpoint where politics, celebrity, and media distrust collide.
Critics see emptiness dressed in luxury, while audiences appear drawn to the access, polish, and sheer spectacle.
Whether the film’s box office momentum continues or fades under the weight of its reviews remains to be seen.
What’s clear is that this documentary has already achieved one thing most films can only dream of: everyone is talking about it.
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