‘Melania’ Is Getting Dragged by Critics: “A Gilded Trash Remake of ‘The Zone of Interest'”

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The documentary Melania – which some, like Jon Stewart and Jimmy Kimmel, have jokingly called a ‘bribe’ – is receiving largely negative reviews. Currently, it has an 8% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 12 reviews. Frank Scheck of The Hollywood Reporter described it as being so flattering it doesn’t even qualify as a proper hagiography. Owen Gleiberman of Variety said the film felt like a collection of harmless clips from a reality show, lacking any real drama, and suggested a more fitting title would be Day of the Living Tradwife.

Xan Brooks of The Guardian gave the movie a single star, drawing a parallel between Melania and the family depicted in The Zone of Interest – the Oscar-nominated film that juxtaposed a seemingly normal family life with the horrors of a nearby concentration camp. Brooks noted this comparison in his review.

Ratner’s movie feels like a cheap, flashy copy of Jonathan Glazer’s The Zone of Interest. It focuses on superficial glamour – a character fixated on luxury items – to divert our attention from a sinister plot: her husband and his allies are secretly working to destroy the Constitution and plunder the government. The movie isn’t enjoyable, the characters are awful, and enduring two hours with a character reminiscent of Melania Trump feels like an eternity.

Sophie Gilbert from The Atlantic said:

The film Melania isn’t a factual account; it feels more like a way to shield someone from scrutiny. It highlights how the wealthiest individuals invest in media not for artistic reasons, but because public interest allows them to strengthen their power and wealth through these projects.

The Controversy Around ‘Melania’


ABC

Melania Trump didn’t allow critical news organizations to preview her film. Major outlets like The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Associated Press, and Vanity Fair were excluded from the screening after the New York City premiere. The only press invited were Dan Ball, an anchor for the far-right One America News, and his wife, Peyton Drew, a producer at the network.

The documentary about Melania Trump has faced controversy from the start. Amazon won a competitive bidding war against Disney, Netflix, and Paramount to secure the rights, paying a record-breaking $40 million. This high price has led to accusations that Amazon’s CEO was attempting to improve relations with the Trump administration. Concerns have also been raised about Melania Trump having complete creative control over the film. This project marks director Brett Ratner’s first feature film since 2017, when he faced multiple accusations of sexual harassment and assault. Ratner’s close ties to both Melania and Donald Trump are also believed to be helping move forward the long-delayed Rush Hour 4 at Paramount Skydance, whose owner, David Ellison, is the son of a major Trump supporter.

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As a film buff, I was surprised to see Amazon MGM actually give Melania a wide theatrical release, considering how few of their films get that treatment. But the timing is… really bad. They’ve scheduled it for January 30, 2026, right when the country is bracing for major strikes and protests – a nationwide movement called “ICE Out” sparked by several deaths at the hands of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. To make matters worse, on that very same day, the Trump administration arrested Don Lemon, a former CNN reporter, along with three others, which a lot of people are seeing as a direct attack on freedom of the press. Honestly, releasing a film that seems like a positive portrayal of the First Lady while reporters are being arrested and the country is in upheaval just feels incredibly tone-deaf. It’s the kind of thing you’d write into a dramatic screenplay, but sadly, it’s what’s actually happening.

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2026-01-31 03:36