Published March 2, 2026
BY DANIELA FOLEY
With the largest budget ever given to a documentary at $40 million dollars, “Melania,” funded by Amazon Studios, follows the first lady during the 20 days leading up to her husband’s 2024 presidential inauguration, containing a vibey soundtrack, yet lacking depth or purpose.
For those not interested in watching Brett Ratner’s first film since sexual assault allegations in 2017, the movie is essentially a montage of excessive outfit fittings, heavily edited photoshoots and Mar-a-Lago’s luxury. Though viewers may anticipate a deep dive into the first lady’s political involvement, the documentary offers little of the sort.
Courtesy of AMAZON MGM STUDIOS
One singular scene—buried beneath countless clips of Melania and her team tailoring her custom-made Adam Lippes inaugural ensemble—shows her meeting with Aviva Siegel, a former American-Israeli hostage held by Hamas in Gaza. In another, Melania holds an online meeting with the first lady of France and offers a solution to the issue of bullying: “no phones.” Problem solved!
Even more jarring is Melania’s continual—and rather bland—voiceover. Covering mostly mundane details, the first lady does little to humanize herself or even attempt to reveal any true personality. Instead, the omnipresent voice comes off as cold and offputting.
One question keeps resurfacing: Why? While watching the former model adjust her inaugural outfit down to the centimeter is mildly entertaining—for the first few minutes–it gets old fast. Surely there is more to being first lady than endless gown fittings, yet the film does little to show any depth to Melania’s role.
One of the few moments that humanizes Melania comes when she discusses her mother’s death while attending former President Jimmy Carter’s funeral. The documentary follows her on a brief stop at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York—her mother’s favorite—highlighting her connection to her Roman Catholic faith. Yet any sense of normalcy is quickly undercut by the obvious fear the White House staff seem to have of the all-powerful Trump duo.
Undeniably, the highlight of “Melania” is its soundtrack. Composer Tony Neiman, blends original pieces such as “Melania’s Waltz” with iconic American classics like “An American Trilogy” by Elvis Presley, “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” by Tears for Fears and what the film reveals to be Melania Trump’s favorite song of all time: “Billie Jean” by Michael Jackson.
Though the movie’s tunes make a desperate attempt to bring color to the documentary, “Melania” remains a bland watch— one that preserves, rather than pierces, the mystery surrounding the country’s first lady.
3/10
