Melania Trump Movie Reviews Lead to Massively Conflicting RT Scores

Amazon MGM‘s documentary Melania opened to conflicting reviews and audience scores on Rotten Tomatoes. The film follows First Lady Melania Trump for three weeks, as she prepares for her husband’s second inauguration gala.

Critics savage Melania Trump movie & director Brett Ratner

As of Monday morning following its release, the movie held a 10% positive review rating on Rotten Tomatoes. This was based on a total of 20 reviews, which is much lower than the typical number for a new release. This was presumably due to Amazon MGM Studios not holding advance press screenings of the documentary.

Much of the critics’ vitriol was aimed at director Brett Ratner, best known for his work on the Rush Hour franchise and X-Men: The Last Stand. Several critics made reference to legendary director Leni Riefenstahl, whose legacy was tarnished by her work in Nazi propaganda films. However, the comparisons were not because of Ratner’s cinematic artistry.

Consequence‘s Liz Shannon Miller wrote, “Look, Leni Riefenstahl was a terrible person, but at least she had some style. Accused sex pest/confirmed hack Brett Ratner, meanwhile, captures the proceedings with all the flair of an HGTV show.”

Owen Gleiberman of Variety made similar comparisons to commercial television, describing Melania as “so orchestrated and airbrushed and stage-managed that it barely rises to the level of a shameless infomercial.”

RT Audience divided on Melania

The Audience Scores for Melania on Rotten Tomatoes tell a different story. Most of the All Audience comments are negative, with 1/2 star and 1-star reviews common. However, the Verified Audience rating (which is based exclusively on reviews by audience members who bought tickets through Fandango) is overwhelmingly positive. There, the reviews are mostly 4 and 5 stars, leading to a 99% Popcornmeter score.

Source: Comingsoon.net