Critics Savage Melania Documentary: 6% Rotten Tomatoes Score Lower Than “Cats”

Jason Sargent Sunday, February 1, 2026

Michael PrieveSat, January 31, 2026 at 2:12 PM UTC

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The reviews are in, and they’re brutal. Brett Ratner‘s $75 million documentary about Melania Trump has received a miserable 6 percent rating among critics on Rotten Tomatoes, making it one of the worst-reviewed films in recent memory.

Released this weekend, the Melania documentary has been absolutely eviscerated by entertainment journalists. The film’s dismal score sits below even the infamous 2019 musical Cats, which at least managed to scrape together a 19% rating.

The Daily Beast‘s Kevin Fallon didn’t hold back, calling the project “a level of insipid propaganda that almost resists review; it’s so expected and utterly pointless.” Meanwhile, Variety‘s Owen Gleiberman delivered an equally devastating critique, describing it as “so orchestrated and airbrushed and stage-managed that it barely rises to the level of a shameless infomercial.”

The documentary follows the First Lady during the 20 days leading up to Donald Trump‘s second inauguration. However, what was intended as an intimate portrait has instead been labeled everything from boring to dangerous propaganda.

Donald Trump and Melania Trump at the world premiere of Amazon MGM Studios’ film ‘Melania’ at the Trump-Kennedy Center on January 29, 2026. Photo Credit: mpi34/MediaPunch/INSTARimages

The Hollywood Reporter‘s Frank Scheck noted the film “fawns so lavishly over its subject that you feel downright unpatriotic not gushing over it.” He went further, writing that the film ends with “onscreen graphics listing Melania’s achievements as first lady in such laudatory fashion that North Korea would blush.”

Perhaps most damning is The Guardian‘s Catherine Shoard, who called the documentary “exhaustingly boring and chillingly vain.” She observed that the First Lady “has no friends” and appears to maintain “an entirely airless existence.”

The Atlantic went nuclear on the project, declaring it “a disgrace” and arguing that “Melania the movie isn’t a documentary; it’s a protection racket.”

Melania Trump at the world premiere of Amazon MGM Studios’ film ‘Melania’ at the Trump-Kennedy Center on January 29, 2026. Photo Credit: mpi34/MediaPunch/INSTARimages

Adding to the controversy, Rolling Stone reported that two-thirds of the film’s New York-based crew didn’t want to be credited. One crew member told the publication they hoped it “flops,” while another confessed, “I feel a little bit uncomfortable with the propaganda element of this.”

Box office projections appear equally grim. Early reports suggest the film has sold out at just two theaters nationwide despite opening in approximately 1,500 to 2,000 locations. That’s a catastrophic performance for Amazon MGM’s reported investment.

Only one major outlet offered anything resembling praise. The London Evening Standard gave it three out of five stars, though even that review questioned whether the film was “worth $40 million.”

Donald Trump and Melania Trump at the world premiere of Amazon MGM Studios’ film ‘Melania’ at the Trump-Kennedy Center on January 29, 2026. Photo Credit: mpi34/MediaPunch/INSTARimages

The harsh reviews extend beyond political disagreements. Critics specifically targeted director Brett Ratner’s filmmaking choices, with TheWrap‘s reviewer noting he “couldn’t find the humanity in a funeral,” referring to footage of President Jimmy Carter‘s service.

As the documentary limps through its opening weekend, one thing is clear: the reviews for Melania are among the most scathing in recent entertainment history.

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