Stanisland Magazine

Critics have been tearing down the First Lady’s ‘Melania’ movie. Read the cliff notes here

Last updated: 5th February 2026

It’s safe to say that no one was excited for Melania Trump’s film. You’ve probably heard that it was a dire production and it’s true. Melania, a documentary about a woman living a life of nothing but ups to the detriment of everyone else.

Her new film, by Rush Hour director Bret Ratner has been described as a million and one things, none of them on a positive note. Here’s what every major critic has said about the First Lady’s self-titled new film which has currently raked in approximately $7.1 million worldwide

Variety — Owen Gleiberman

Owen Gleiberman of Variety was equally dismissive in his critique of the “documentary”:

“Melania” is a documentary that never comes to life. It’s a “portrait” of the First Lady of the United States, but it’s so orchestrated and airbrushed and stage-managed that it barely rises to the level of a shameless infomercial. Is it cheesy? At moments, but mostly it’s inert. It feels like it’s been stitched together out of the most innocuous outtakes from a reality show. There’s no drama to it. It should have been called “Day of the Living Tradwife.’”

The Guardian – Xan Brooks

The Guardian’s Xan Brooks dismantled its efforts, and belittled Ratner’s direction:

“No doubt there is a great documentary to be made about Melania Knauss, the ambitious model from out of Slovenia who married a New York real-estate mogul and then found herself cast in the role of a latter-day Eva Braun, but the horrific Melania emphatically isn’t it. It’s one of those rare, unicorn films that doesn’t have a single redeeming quality.”

The Hollywood Reporter – Frank Scheck

Frank Scheck took shots at the film’s director, as well as his association with the US president Donald Trump:

“To say that Melania is a hagiography would be an insult to hagiographies. This is a film that fawns so lavishly over its subject that you feel downright unpatriotic not gushing over it. Fittingly, it was directed by Brett Ratner, whose feature film career was derailed in 2017 after numerous sexual assault allegations that he has denied. But like many unsavory people associated with Donald Trump, he’s apparently received a pardon.” 

Vanity Fair — Joy Press

Joy Press of Vanity Fair wasn’t impressed, calling out the hypnosis of part of the film’s message:

“Nearly everything Melania says in the film is a cliché—platitudes about upholding the Constitution, “respect for others,” and how no matter where people come from, “we are bound by the same humanity.” But much of it feels particularly rich in light of the past year, or even the past week: In the northeast Los Angeles neighborhood where I watched the movie, ICE has been actively picking off local gardeners and street vendors.”

The Independent — Nick Hilton

Nick Hilton of The Independent was ruthlessly, albeit, politely, blunt:

“To call Melania vapid would do a disservice to the plumes of florid vape smoke that linger around British teenagers. She calls herself a “mother, wife, daughter, friend”, yet is only depicted preening and scowling. Figures like Brigitte Macron and Queen Rania of Jordan appear to bolster Melania’s geopolitical credentials, yet time and again she returns to banal aphorisms. “Cherish your family and loved ones,” she implores audiences, who were, up until then, neglecting their family and despising their loved ones.”

Empire — William Thomas

Empire’s review was largely and fairly on the nose saying:

“In 1935, Adolf Hitler commissioned director Leni Riefenstahl to make Triumph Of The Will, a highly nationalistic and likely heavily staged account of the Nazi Party’s 1934 Nuremberg rallies. It was a key moment in the history of propaganda films,”

before concluding:

“Ratner’s documentary instead just sits there, wallowing in a puddle of its own pointlessness, and expects you to clap for it. Melania Trump once wore a jacket emblazoned with the words, “I really don’t care — do you?” Maybe now, after watching this, we understand what she meant.”

Some label it “scripted reality” and political propaganda, critiquing its lack of real documentary depth. Other outlets noted it can even induce “narcolepsy” due to its slow pace and lack of narrative drive. 

Overall Verdict

It’s been described as a whole host of different things, with some calling it scripted reality and narcolepsy-inducing. This was expected, given the lack of excitement coming from the White House and its staff. What has been labelled propaganda now seems to have backfired.

Has Melania given the world anything? Just like her husband, I expect the answer is no. IMDb ratings, which are probably the best representation of viewer satisfaction have it clocking in at a lowly 1.3/10. That says it all.