3 min readNew DelhiJan 30, 2026 02:17 PM IST
Documentary films are supposed to act like a mirror for the society — an honest, uncensored account of reality. However, some realities are less interesting to people, and in some cases, these stories face harsh criticism. That is exactly what is happening with the documentary Melania, which is based on the life of the United States’ first lady, Melania Trump. The film already had a target on its back because of director Brett Ratner’s involvement, and now it is receiving poor reviews.
Melania premieres to poor reviews
Ahead of its January 30 release date, Melania premiered at the Kennedy Centre in the US. The event was attended by Trump’s closest confidants and other celebrities like Dr Phil, Nicki Minaj, and Ratner himself. The reviews soon started flowing in, and right off the bat, it was all bad news. Letterboxd users swarmed the platform with bad reviews, with most pointing out that there was absolutely no need for this.
One user wrote, “Death of cinema and death of American democracy,” while another said, “Nobody asked for this absolute piece of flaming garbage.” It does feel that the Trump administration expected this, because according to a report by Variety, most of the mainstream media was barred from attending the premiere. A user on X wrote, “If they were going to make a movie about a First Lady, they should have done it like Jackie Kennedy because at least she’s interesting. Nobody cares or should care about Melania’s life.” To add to the fire, The Guardian reported that Melania had sold just one ticket during a screening at Islington Cinema in London.
The marketing debacle
Amazon MGM Studios is releasing the documentary on 1500 screens in the US, after acquiring the rights for a reported sum of $40 million. According to The Guardian and The New York Times, Amazon has also spent $35 million on just the marketing of the film.
Another reason why people might not go and see the film is the director himself. Brett Ratner was a huge name in the business but was ousted by the industry after being accused of sexual assault. According to People, no charges were filed, and Ratner still doesn’t accept the accusations, but Hollywood decided to step away from him. Many reports also suggested that Trump was in fact using his connections over at Paramount to get them to make a Rush Hour 4, with Ratner returning as the director. Moreover, Ratner was also seen in the recently released Epstein Files.
Down and out
With horrible reviews, non-existent sales and the polarising image of Donald Trump and Brett Ratner attached, a lot of box-office trouble seems to be in store for Melania. The Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon talked about the film and its premiere and said, “The only red carpet where the paparazzi were taking selfies.” Jimmy Kimmel also talked about the film during his show and said, “Melania Trump got a movie deal, and Amazon paid her $28 million. Everything is so deeply corrupt and so preposterous.”
