Melania Trump is once again being floated into the national conversation, this time via a glossy, aggressively promoted documentary rollout that feels less like a cultural moment and more like a government-issued jump scare. At a time when the country is drowning in Epstein revelations, ICE headlines, and the general sensation that everything is on fire, the powers that be appear to have landed on a solution: promote Melania Trump and hope we all look over there.
Is it a distraction? A coincidence? A soft-focus rebrand timed a little too perfectly? We’re not entirely sure. What we aresure of is that no amount of billboards, Amazon money, or carefully lit close-ups is going to convince queer audiences—especially those with a fully developed frontal lobe—that Melania is the documentary event of the year.
The First Attempt: A Documentary No One Asked For
Let’s rewind. Back in 2021, the documentary Looking for Melania Trump quietly entered the world and just as quietly earned itself a brutal reception. The film currently sits at a 7% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes’ Popcornmeter, which, frankly, feels generous.
The synopsis promised a portrait of Melania Trump as a “model woman of Trumpism,” tracing her journey from Slovenia to the White House. What audiences actually got was… well, not that. Reviews ranged from the succinct (“So bad… No thanks”) to the accidentally revealing.
One glowing outlier praised Melania’s beauty, style, and “PG” suitability for family viewing—an endorsement that somehow made the film sound even less necessary. Meanwhile, others didn’t finish the documentary or their popcorn, which is a level of cinematic failure few projects achieve. “Worst movie ever made” popped up more than once, which is almost impressive in its consistency.
And Now, Somehow, There’s a New One
Fast-forward to now, and suddenly we’re being told Melania is A New Film—as if slapping that phrase on the poster absolves us of memory, context, or basic pattern recognition. This time, the Popcornmeter sits at a truly jaw-dropping 99%, a number so divorced from reality it practically demands sarcasm.
New Yorkers are not holding back. In street interviews, locals unload on the Melania documentary, questioning its credibility, funding, and demand while calling it a disaster before it ever finds an audience.
Follow @SaveAmericaMvm for more. pic.twitter.com/RMg7Iu21Re
— Save America Movement (@SaveAmericaMvm) January 30, 2026
According to its official synopsis, Amazon MGM Studios’ Melania offers “unprecedented access” to the 20 days leading up to the 2025 Presidential Inauguration, framed entirely through the First Lady’s perspective. We’re promised exclusive footage, private conversations, critical meetings, and an intimate look at Melania Trump returning to “one of the world’s most powerful roles.”
Directed by Brett Ratner—yes, that Brett Ratner, currently attempting a comeback after his career imploded amid sexual misconduct allegations. The film is being distributed by Amazon MGM with a marketing budget that could fund several public schools or, I don’t know, health care.
MELANIA. Now playing in theaters everywhere. pic.twitter.com/wIAbgoWJKW
— Amazon MGM Studios (@AmazonMGMStudio) January 30, 2026
The Money, the Timing, the Side-Eye
From Mother Jones, a reported $40 million Amazon-MGM production, a $35 million advertising blitz, and an estimated $28 million payout directly to Melania Trump. The film is opening in roughly 2,000 U.S. theaters, with a global rollout not far behind. Is the 2,000 theater-rollout necessary?
All of this is unfolding while the nation processes federal violence, Epstein file revelations, and escalating immigration crackdowns. On the very day the public reeled from another tragedy, Melania Trump reportedly hosted a lavish White House screening attended by executives, celebrities, and Queen Rania of Jordan. If this feels dystopian, congratulations—you’re paying attention.
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For Those With Taste: A Better Option Exists
If you’re looking for a palate cleanser—and let’s be honest, you are—may we gently, but firmly, redirect you to Give Me the Ball!, the Billie Jean King documentary currently making the rounds via Sundance acclaim and word-of-mouth enthusiasm.
Directed by Liz Garbus and Elizabeth Wolff, the film is a deeply honest portrait of Billie Jean King as an athlete, activist, and queer woman navigating fame, inequality, and survival. Through rare archival footage and candid interviews, it explores her fight for equity, the personal cost of hiding her sexuality, and the toll of putting the world before herself.
It’s electric. It’s human. It’s politically meaningful without being propaganda. And most importantly, it trusts its audience to think.
I really loved this doc about Billie Jean King at #Sundance. Give Me the Ball! is a rousing, entertaining, inspiring film about how to actually change the world – showing us how Billie Jean King did it and what it truly takes to make a difference. A must watch doc. 🎾👏🏻 pic.twitter.com/yJ5i5gG38O
— Alex @ Sundance 2026 (@firstshowing) January 28, 2026
Final Thoughts (Because We Have Them)
If Melania is meant to distract us, it’s doing a poor job—especially among queer audiences who have spent decades learning how to read between the lines. Glossy documentaries can’t rewrite history, launder power, or manufacture credibility out of thin air.
So no, we’re not excited. But we are booking tickets—for Billie Jean King, for truth, and for stories that actually matter.
And if that makes us “difficult”? We’ll take it.