Published Feb 3, 2026, 12:48 PM EST
Leo is a professional writer, having worked in the journalistic field for many years. In that time, he has covered breaking political news, in-depth analyses of true crime, and a few more lighthearted topics such as entertainment, culture, and travel. His writing can be found at various outlets, including Rare, Wide Open Country, and PC Invasion.
Leo uses his writing not only as a creative outlet but also to fund his lifestyle of travel and adventure. For four years, he has been hopping from country to country, meeting new people, eating new foods, and struggling to learn new languages.
Despite claims made by Donald Trump, his wife's biopic, Melania, has been a total flop, receiving scathing reviews across the board. However, when The Guardian first released their take on the movie, it came with a one-star review despite the writers panning. Later, they released an update on the article informing everyone that there had been a formatting error.
In the initial review of Melania, Xan Brooks tore it down in a way that only a journalist of his caliber could. Hilarious writing, savage criticisms, and witty digs made it clear that this is, by far, one of the worst films of the decade. However, it was still given a single star, which it absolutely didn't earn. With an update a day or two later, The Guardian informed readers there was a formatting error. It was amended and given the zero-star review it deserved.
" The star rating for this film was corrected on 2 February 2026. A formatting issue led an earlier version to be awarded one star, when the reviewer’s intention was zero."
Throughout his review, Brooks holds nothing back, tearing the movie apart in every aspect, from the empty room he went to see it in to the vapid subject and droll pacing. At no point in his breakdown of Melania does he give it an inch. Nobody expected the film to be anything but a flop, but the reality of it, according to Brooks, is perhaps worse than we expected.
The production of Melania came at quite a cost for Amazon MGM, which spent an alleged $75 million on the production. Of this sum, $40 million was for the rights to the movie, of which $28 million went to the first lady. Jeff Bezos and Amazon paying Melania this amount of money doesn't count as bribery, as she is technically a civilian and not a politician. It is a completely legal process.
Throughout his review, Brooks makes some very damning statements, clearly implying that the film wouldn't be worthy of even a single star. Sadly, it doesn't seem to be a film that is so bad it's good. Melania, according to the review, is a failure at every stage, making it unworthy of even becoming a terrible cult classic.
"It’s one of those rare, unicorn films that doesn’t have a single redeeming quality. I’m not even sure it qualifies as a documentary, exactly, so much as an elaborate piece of designer taxidermy, horribly overpriced and ice-cold to the touch and proffered like a medieval tribute to placate the greedy king on his throne."
Despite the damning review, the film was initially released with one star. However, this was a formatting error on the part of The Guardian. It may have been intentional in order to take a further dig at Melania, as the one-star review it could claim disappeared only days later.
English (US) ·