Brett Ratner’s documentary, Melania, which is based on Melania Trump, the first lady of the United States of America, has opened to a terrible critical response as many critics slammed the film, and it subsequently started a discussion on social media platforms. Despite the film holding a very impressive rating on Popcornometer, a critic has gone as far as to say that they would rather watch January 6, 2021, unfold again.
Melania documentary’s Rotten Tomatoes score revealed
Brett Ratner’s documentary centered around Melania Trump and her preparations to take on the role of the first lady again ahead of Donald Trump’s second term recieved terrible critical response on release. The film was released on January 30, 2026, in the United States, and it did not take long for the film to garner negative attention from critics.
It originally opened to a 7% Rotten Tomatoes rating, making it one of the worst-rated documentaries of the year. It has since gone up to 10%, but it still remains a dismal number. @DiscussingFilm started a conversation on X by posting a screenshot of the initial rating.
Some users did come forward to defend the film, pointing to how the audience score was still very high. The audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes stood at a whopping 99%. But the critics had almost nothing positive to say.
“I have no idea why she was okay with this movie being released, because Brett Ratner couldn’t find the humanity in a funeral. Literally,” one critic wrote, while another wrote, “At least Leni Riefenstahl could frame a shot,” referencing the infamous German propaganda filmmaker.
While there may be ample fanfare around the film, it seems like it is not going to turn into a critical success.
Reports state that the film has grossed $7 million against a $40 million production budget so far.
