Chicago draws small but complimentary audience for critically panned 'Melania'

In the new documentary “Melania,” the first lady states that one of her goals is to serve with “purpose and style.” To underscore that, director Brett Ratner lingers on images of Eleanor Roosevelt, Mamie Eisenhower and Jacqueline Kennedy before cutting to Melania Trump’s photo shoot for her own official White House portrait.

It's a not-so-subtle attempt at a dramatic moment to end the film, which was met with a smattering of applause Saturday afternoon at AMC River East 21. Only about 20 of the approximately 100 seats were filled in the Streeterville theater. It was a higher showing than most in Chicago; according to seating charts on AMC and Classic Cinemas websites, ticket sales have been lagging in the city for the film, which opened Friday.

“I think I'm one of five Republicans in the city sometimes, so I'm impressed that there were more people there than I thought would be,” said 81-year-old Nicole Beattie, who lives downtown.

Beattie said she enjoyed the film, which documented the first lady’s tasks in the 20 days leading up to President Donald Trump’s 2025 inauguration; these included planning parties, getting fitted for clothes, meeting with a former Hamas hostage, honoring military members and interacting briefly with her husband.

“It just showed a side of her that no one's ever seen,” said Carolyn Naselli, 81, of Streeterville. “It showed intimacy between her and the president. I love both of them. I love the country. I loved the film. Everything about it was fascinating.”

Other viewers have reported a completely different experience watching the documentary, which critics have denounced as a lackluster infomercial, at best, and propaganda, at worst. The film currently has a 6% score on Rotten Tomatoes and an average one-star rating out of five stars on Letterboxd.

Jeff Bezos’ Amazon MGM Studios reportedly paid $40 million to acquire “Melania” and another $35 million to promote the film. With screenings in 1,500 theaters globally, the project has received distribution that is not typically seen for documentaries. But it is projected to gross $5 million or less at the box office. It is also a return to filmmaking for Ratner, who has faced sexual assault allegations.

“This is not a documentary,” said Kyle Henry, a documentary and fiction filmmaker and Northwestern University professor, who has not seen the film.

“‘Melania’ is a PR piece and a political advertisement. It also seems to be an act of bribery in terms of the money. All these tech giants are basically finding ways to try to make sure that they're not on the wrong end of the tariffs and other issues. The public wasn't clamoring for this. No one wants to see it.” (Ratner’s camera does linger on both Bezos and Elon Musk at one point in the documentary, and the director can also be heard saying "Sweet dreams, Mr. President," off camera.)

Henry, who heads production at Northwestern's radio/television/film department, noted that the film didn’t appear at any major festivals. It did, however, premiere at Washington's Kennedy Center.

“I don't even know what its camp value is, but there's no way that the audience justifies a 1,500-theater release,” Henry said.

The film attempts to present Melania Trump in a serious manner, with the first lady matter-of-factly narrating how she spends her days, how she feels and what she wants to accomplish. But it’s more of a tell-don’t-show effort; she speaks about grieving her mother’s death; being proud of her son, Barron; being fearful following the attempted assassination of her husband; and wanting to “elevate” the role of first lady. But there is a lack of early photos and videos, in-depth or fly-on-the-wall conversations, and commentary from others that could have added more color. More often than not, the soundtrack, including songs by the Rolling Stones, Michael Jackson, Aretha Franklin and James Brown, are used to fill long stretches of time.

But viewers like Beattie and Naselli say the film presented a complex portrait of the first lady.

“She's very smart, she's devoted to the president," Naselli said. "She's a caring woman. She's emotional. She's multi-dimensional.”

In the film, Melania Trump also makes declarations that strike a jarring contrast with current tensions in the country amid President Trump’s aggressive federal deportation campaign. For example, Melania Trump says she is proud of her journey as an immigrant and desires to support children and “protect individual rights.” She also states that, “No matter where we come from, we are bound by the same humanity.”

Viewers can see "Melania" in theaters until it streams on Amazon Prime Video at a to-be-determined date. But they won't find it in smaller, venues like the Music Box Theatre in Lake View or the Gene Siskel Film Center in the Loop.

“It wasn't even on our radar,” said Ryan Oestriech, the Music Box's general manager.

“Our audience is paying more attention to movies that lean on more artistic messaging, or things that are sort of in the zeitgeist of conversation regarding the art of cinema. We don’t play that many documentaries. And it seems politically motivated. There are so many other movies we could choose to play right now that I think are more interesting or thought-provoking.”

The film does provide a brief but interesting peek at the transition of the White House between administrations, which is another aspect Beattie appreciated.

"Forget whether it's a Republican or Democrat; to see behind the scenes, how everything is orchestrated, was fascinating," she said.