'Melania' Trump movie reviews arrive: What critics are saying

The initial Rotten Tomatoes score for Melania Trump's new documentary fell short of her husband's approval ratings, opening at 8%.

"Melania" hit theaters nationwide Friday, Jan. 30, following the Thursday night premiere at the newly renamed Trump Kennedy Center, welcoming presidential cabinet members and drawing several high-profile guests, including TV host Dr. Phil McGraw, rap superstar Nicki Minaj and former New York City Mayor Eric Adams.

Directed by Brett Ratner, the nearly two-hour film delves into the 20 days leading up to the first lady's return to the White House on inauguration day, focusing on Trump's personal and private life. It's the first project made by the former model's new production company, Muse Films.

The film also marks Ratner's first feature film since 2014's "Hercules, following sexual harassment allegations made against the "Rush Hour" filmmaker. Ratner denied the allegations and no criminal charges were filed.

Here's what the first batch of reviews say about the film.

What does USA TODAY's review say?

The first slate of movie reviews for "Melania" is less than favorable, with most critics giving it a score between 1 and 1.5 out of four or five stars.

USA TODAY film critic Brian Truitt said "Melania" (★½ out of four) doesn't quite work as a documentary, as Ratner fails to offer a compelling glimpse into the first lady's life, instead presenting an extremely flattering view with little new information. Moments in which Ratner peppers Melania Trump's personality, like her singing Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean," are few and far between, according to Truitt.

"Because she doesn't address the camera, 'Melania' suffers from a brutal disconnect," Truitt wrote. "She talks about a reverence for the military, but Ratner doesn't show her conversations with soldiers. It's a strange filmmaking choice for a documentary, though maybe one that's by design."

What are other critics saying about Melania Trump movie?

Variety's review echoes this sentiment, arguing that the documentary "never comes to life" and is far too "orchestrated and airbrushed and stage-managed that it barely rises to the level of a shameless infomercial." The Hollywood Reporter's review says the film "fawns so lavishly over its subject that you feel downright unpatriotic not gushing over it."

"'Melania' is a level of insipid propaganda that almost resists review; it's so expected and utterly pointless," Kevin Fallon with "The Daily Review" wrote.

Melanie McDonagh with the London Evening Standard played devil's advocate with her review, giving the film three out of five stars and urging audiences to keep in mind that the first lady curated what is shown.

"What we see is what she wants us to see," McDonagh wrote. "If you take this film for what it is, Melania's own, curated take on herself, then there's one thing she wants to get across, it's that there's human warmth there under the cheekbones and the slanting feline eyes."

Meanwhile, The Atlantic's review emphasized that the documentary is ultimately lackluster, quipping, "Ratner seems desperate to find action, but there is none. The pace is stultifying."