The release of *Melania*, the much-anticipated and heavily criticized documentary directed by Brett Ratner, promised an unprecedented look into the life of the First Lady. What audiences received, however, was less a documentary and more a meticulously crafted, nearly two-hour-long infomercial that left the central subject as enigmatic as ever. Filmed over the 20 days leading up to the 2025 inauguration, the Amazon MGM-backed feature has sparked controversy over its astronomical $40 million acquisition cost and the return of its director, who had been sidelined from Hollywood following multiple sexual misconduct allegations. ### Key Detail Points **1. The Triumph of Style Over Substance (What We Learned):** The film offered a flood of superficial, yet cinematic, detail, focusing relentlessly on the First Lady’s preparation for her return to the White House. Audiences were privy to high-stakes fittings for her inauguration outfits, debates over décor colors (notably ‘white and gold’), and her travels between Mar-a-Lago and Trump Tower. Critics noted that the most human moment captured was reportedly Melania taking off her high heels late at night, underscoring the film’s obsession with a statuesque, airbrushed persona. **2. The “Documentary” That Wasn’t (What We Didn’t Learn):** Despite Melania Trump’s own voiceover stating, “Everyone wants to know, so here it is,” the film failed to penetrate the First Lady’s stoic exterior. Reviewers universally panned the piece for providing zero insight into her genuine emotions, motivations, or private political views. Her narration, filled with wooden platitudes about “timeless elegance,” offered a carefully curated script that critics branded a “hagiography” and calculated “political propaganda.” **3. Controversy and Critical Divide (The Reaction):** The documentary arrived amid a firestorm of cynicism, partly fueled by the fact that it marked director Brett Ratner’s comeback after years of being exiled from the industry over sexual misconduct allegations. The film drew an overwhelming 99% positive audience score, largely from the political right, while critics eviscerated it, giving it a near-zero Rotten Tomatoes score and calling it an “exhaustingly boring” piece of design taxidermy. The vast gulf between the audience and critical reception highlights the feature’s function as a glossy, vanity project designed solely for its faithful base. In the end, *Melania* was a spectacular cinematic event that ultimately served as a mirror, reflecting only the carefully controlled image its subject wished to project, while the true Melania remained firmly behind the gilded glass.