USA Today gives the film half out of four stars and notes that it paints a flattering portrait of the US first lady, but without really telling us anything about her.
Variety thinks the film is mostly just boring, as if someone put together the blandest clips from a reality show.
Lacks substance
CNN reporter Betsy Klein has followed Melania Trump for almost a decade and still doesn't know what she's like as a person. The film adds nothing new, she says: it "lacks substance and clues that give a better understanding of who the first lady is."
The London Evening Standard gives it three out of five stars and writes that you can take it for what it is - Melania's own, curated image of herself.
An exaggerated film that captures the decay of the entertainment industry, The Atlantic thinks, writing that director Brett Ratner seems desperate for action, but that there simply isn't any.
A highlight
David Marcus on Fox News argues that the film is needed. “When the entire culture industry blacklists a person, like they are doing with Melania, how can you reach your fans and tell your story?” He believes the film is a real highlight for the millions of Americans who admire the US first lady and want to know more about her work.
The Guardian reviewer watches the film alone in the cinema and thinks there's probably an interesting documentary to be made about Melania. But not this film - whose two hours he describes as "endless hell".
Her husband, Donald Trump writes on X that he just saw the film for the second time. “The audience loved it, and so did I.”
“Melania” follows Melania Trump for 20 days before her husband Donald Trump’s presidential inauguration in January 2025.
The film was directed by Brett Ratner, who has not made any films since 2017, when he was accused of sexual harassment and misconduct by several women.
The film company Amazon MGM has paid $40 million for the rights to the film and another $35 million to promote it.
Of the $40 million Amazon paid for the rights, 70 percent will go to Melania Trump.
