Melania seated staring into the middle distance in Melania
By
Jennifer Chu
Published Jan 30, 2026, 8:08 PM EST
Jennifer is a TV News Editor at ScreenRant. She started her journey in entertainment media in 2022 when she first joined Valnet at CBR before coming to ScreenRant.
Jennifer loves TV, especially science fiction. She also loves late-night talk shows, due to her insomnia. Alien: Earth is definitely one of her favorite shows, and she jumps on any chance she gets to write about it. Even on her days off, she will claim an Alien Earth article if one is available.
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She began her career as an editor in 2014. She was initially a finance editor, but her passion for pop culture convinced her to transition into entertainment journalism.
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Melania Trump's titular documentary was already dripping with controversy before Melania's first trailer was released, and now, the critics have spoken.
Directed by Brett Ratner, who many consider to be problematic, and with a budget of $75 million, the project has sparked strong reactions across the board. With many viewers watching the film, intending on disliking it or just watching it out of spite, most people wouldn't be surprised to learn that Melania only received an 8% on Rotten Tomatoes at the time of this article's publication.
One of the earliest signs of Melania becoming an instant flop was perhaps when Amazon banned the press from watching the film during its screening at the Kennedy Center. Many journalists were hoping to get into the premiere of Melania, which took place a few hours after press check-in. However, by the time the documentary was about to begin, members of the mainstream press realized that they were unfortunately not going to be able to see the film before it hit theaters.
Melania was advertised as a behind-the-scenes look at President Donald Trump’s personal life with his wife as she prepared to return to the White House before his 2025 inauguration. The documentary was supposed to focus on how the First Lady dealt with public scrutiny and transitioned back into the world of politics after a four-year hiatus.
While many deemed it to be impressive that a political documentary managed to make its way into over 1,500 theaters, critics were far from happy with the film. Several major media outlets accused the film of being desperate propaganda, and others said Melania dragged on for far too long with no payoff. Those were the tamer reviews. The Guardian called the documentary "trash" and described it as "endless hell," while The Atlantic said it was a "disgrace."
Despite all the negative reviews, there was one outlet that took it easy on Melania. The London Evening Standard gave it 3 out of 5 stars and asked audiences to keep an open mind. The reviewer also complimented the first lady's appearance in the documentary, stating that she looks "stunning" for her age.
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1.0/10
Melania
10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star Like Follow Followed PG Documentary Release Date January 30, 2026 Runtime 104 minutes Director Brett Ratner Producers Fernando Sulichin, Brett Ratner, Melania Trump, Marc BeckmanCast
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Donald Trump
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Melania Trump
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