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Rotten Tomatoes has hit back at speculation that reviews of Melania Trump's documentary are fake.
Directed by Brett Ratner, the self-titled film hit cinemas on 30 January and delves into Melania's life in the weeks leading up to Donald Trump’s inauguration in January 2025.
It didn't take long for reviews to flood popular film rating sites – Rotten Tomatoes being one of them.
The film holds an 8 per cent score on Rotten Tomatoes’ Tomatometer based on 50 critic reviews, compared with a 99 per cent rating from more than 1,000 verified users on the Popcornmeter. The stark contrast has led some to question the authenticity of portions of the audience response.
The platform has since broken its silence over the matter, saying there has been "NO manipulation on the audience reviews for the Melania documentary."
In a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, they explained: "Reviews displayed on the Popcornmeter are VERIFIED reviews, meaning it has been verified that users have bought a ticket to the film through Fandango."
"Awesome representation of Melania! Beautiful movie," one penned, as another positive review quipped: "Very interesting look into the lives of FLOTUS as she prepares for the inauguration. This was so much more enjoyable than an interview format."
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However, film critics branded the film "numbingly, agonizingly dull," along with Leigh Paatsch from the Daily Telegraph, Australia, writing: "The whole vibe is eerily off from start to finish, leaving you feeling as if you’ve spent 105 minutes alone on a merry-go-round in an abandoned amusement park."
Meanwhile, over on IMDb, the film scored a poor 1.3 out of 10 from 52,000 users.
"I can't pretend I sat through this to the end. There was only so much I could take, and as we left the cinema, the screen itself was empty. That probably says everything I need to say about this dire .... movie," one read.
Another candidly chimed in: "This documentary about the First Lady of America feels flat and lifeless. It presents facts without soul, relying on dull narration and repetitive footage. There's no insight or emotion, just surface-level storytelling that feels more like a rushed school project than a meaningful film, leaving the viewer bored and disconnected from the subject."
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