Variety calls it a 'shamless infomercial'

After lavish DC debut, Melania Trump’s atypical, criticized documentary opens worldwide

Amazon-backed film about US first lady gets nasty reviews while underscoring Donald Trump’s business alliances and marking a return for disgraced director Brett Ratner, who said he moved to Israel in 2023

“Melania,” the Amazon MGM-produced documentary following the typically guarded US first lady as she prepared for the second inauguration of her husband, US President Donald Trump, opened in 2,000 US theaters and 5,000 worldwide on  Friday.

The vast release came a day after a lavish premiere at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, recently redubbed the Trump-Kennedy Center, where the 55-year-old former model’s outspoken husband called the film “glamorous, very glamorous.”

“I want to show the audience my life, what it takes to be a first lady again and [the] transition from private citizen back to the White House,” Melania Trump told reporters as she and the president moved along a charcoal-colored walkway at the event attended by Cabinet members, members of Congress and conservative commentators.

She said viewers will see how she conducts her businesses and philanthropy, cares for her family and builds her White House team.

Most US media have been unenthusiastic in their reviews, with The Atlantic calling the documentary a “disgrace” and the Variety trade magazine describing it as a “shameless infomercial.” The Guardian called it “dispiriting, deadly and unrevealing,” and derided its apparent tiny opening UK ticket sales.

Expected viewership for the film has been much discussed online, with many anticipating weak sales.

The film was directed by “Rush Hour” franchise director Brett Ratner, who has faced multiple allegations of sexual abuse and denied any wrongdoing, and who announced in 2023 that he had moved to Israel.

At a showing in Washington, where a major winter storm has snarled transit, Savannah Harrison told AFP she had purchased her ticket because she “was just very intrigued to see the behind the scenes.”

Unlike most reviewers in US media, she was delighted by the film.

“In contrast of what we see from President Trump every day, it’s just another aspect that it humanizes them a little bit more,” she said, saying that she went into the film with a positive view of the first lady.

In Los Angeles, where voters opted against Trump 2-to-1 in 2024, a billboard for the documentary was defaced to make it appear as if the first lady was defecating on an American flag.

The 1-hour 44-minute film follows the normally guarded Melania during the 20 days leading up to the January 20, 2025, inauguration. After its theatrical release, it will be available for streaming on Prime Video.

From the presidential couple’s Florida estate to Trump Tower in New York and the White House, the first lady goes from appointment to appointment, preparing her outfits for Inauguration Day and deciding on decor for their return to Washington.

There are no sensational revelations, though she does discuss the deep impact of her mother’s death. She also says her favorite singer is Michael Jackson.

Surprise guests also make appearances, including French first lady Brigitte Macron, who holds a video call with her incoming American counterpart.

A film steeped in politics

While the film grants rare access into her life, “Melania” has also given an insight into the way US business titans have lined up to pay tribute to the Trump administration in the past year.

Amazon tycoon Jeff Bezos has grown notably closer to Trump, securing a prime seat at the inauguration and telling the Washington Post newspaper he owns to favor pro-business editorials.

US media say that of Amazon’s $40 million licensing deal for the film, Melania, who served as executive producer, will receive 70 percent. The next highest bid, from Disney, was reportedly only $14 million.

At a viewing in Florida, Jannet Iglesias was enthusiastic about the film, calling it “incredible.”

“I think that everyone has to come and see it. I’m going to come for the second time,” she said.

In South Africa, the film was withdrawn from major theaters just before its release, with the distributor citing “the current climate.”

South Africa’s government has had very tense relations with Trump, notably over his unfounded allegations of there being a “genocide” against White people in the country.

Director Brett Ratner said his measure of success would not be box-office performance.

“It’s a documentary and documentaries historically have not been huge box office smashes,” he told reporters on his way into the premiere. “You can’t expect a documentary to play in theaters.”

Ratner’s return to the public eye, however, comes after years of controversy.

The director behind the “Rush Hour” franchise was in 2017 accused of sexual assault by actresses Natasha Henstridge and Olivia Munn, as well as four other women, in the midst of the #MeToo movement. He has denied any wrongdoing.

In 2023, Ratner announced that he had emigrated to Israel, posting an Instagram story showing the passbook issued to new immigrants, which grants tax breaks and other benefits. His move followed reports that Bryan Singer — the director of big-budget superhero films such as “X-Men,” who was also disgraced by #MeToo allegations — had been living in Israel in recent years while similarly seeking to revive his career.