BOCA RATON — Phenomenal. Vapid. Inspired. Shallow. Delightful. Disappointing.
On the opening night of the “Melania” documentary, moviegoers in a theater 30 minutes south of Mar-a-Lago left with mixed reviews. One said the film’s soundtrack brought tears to her eyes. Another said she whispered “Thank God” when the credits rolled.
“I’m sure the intent was to warm her up a bit, but it was all about her hair and dresses,” said Edie, one of several politically conservative women who spoke to The Palm Beach Post on the condition that she be identified by her first name only. “It was really ridiculous.”
Edie was one of nearly 100 ticket holders who attended an evening screening on Jan. 30 at the Cinemark Bistro in Boca Raton, a two-story theater that played the film from morning to night on Jan. 30, sometimes multiple times an hour.
They came in Converse and Crocs and high-heeled boots, in dresses and jeans, some alone, others with spouses and their adult children in tow. But for the woman with a rhinestone TRUMP pin stuck to her shirt, it wasn’t obvious by appearance alone which movie they’d come to see.
None wore the signature red hat or American-flag themed apparel. Their most defining characteristics, according to an assistant manager who watched groups cycle in and out of the theater throughout the day, was their fashion — “fancier, more upscale” than most crowds, she said — and their age.
“All seniors,” she said. “One-hundred percent.”
Two dozen of the night’s attendees belonged to Ladies of Liberty, a conservative women’s group in Boca Raton. Members of the club said they usually spend Friday nights enjoying free food and discounted drinks at their community clubhouse, but gave it up on Jan. 30 to come to the theater — a place some said they hadn’t been since the pandemic.
“I felt that if we didn’t come to see the movie, no one would,” said Mickey.
Early reports indicate that conservatives in the southern United States, specifically women over the age of 55, made up 72% of the opening-day audience nationwide. Boca Raton, whose voters favored Trump in the 2024 election over Democratic candidate Kamala Harris, was no exception.
The Ladies of Liberty congregated in the theater lobby ahead of the film. While their husbands stood in line for popcorn, they raved about Melania Trump: a good mother and a great first lady, they said. A fashion icon, misunderstood by critiques, her desire for privacy mistaken for coldness. A woman written off, criticized for everything she does.
“She’s been maligned so much, and she’s such a beautiful, attractive person,” said Sandy.
“I love Melania,” added another, who declined to give her name. “She speaks five languages. She’s very intelligent. She is poised and polite. She wants to do the right thing by Barron.”
They nodded as they spoke, sometimes interrupting each other to add to the list of Melania’s accomplishments, until at last it was time to take their seats. If they carried this enthusiasm with them into the theater, they did so silently.
No one clapped or cheered when the film’s namesake appeared, nor at the shots of Mar-a-Lago (which were few), nor of Trump (which were plenty). They cooed during a scene of Barron Trump waving and winking to a room of fans and laughed at a shot of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris on Inauguration Day.
The only applause came an hour and 48 minutes in, when the credits rolled.
Cindy Levinson, president of the Ladies of Liberty, said most attendees were probably so well-acquainted with the Trumps that they weren’t as awestruck as moviegoers elsewhere, where some have reported bouts of raucous applause throughout the film.
Sandy and Edie left the theater with shaking heads. Critical of how much time and attention the film spent on Melania’s clothes, hair and her “golden palace,” they said they’d gone into the film hoping for depth and substance but left feeling shortchanged, confused about what the producers hoped to achieve.
Levinson disagreed. She said she loved the insight into Melania’s life, her attention to detail, the effort behind the scenes as she helped craft the perfect inauguration-day dress and the perfect White House decor.
“It reinforced to me the amazement of the Trump presidency,” said Lisa Macci, vice president of the Ladies of Liberty.
One moviegoer said the film showed Melania bringing “dignity back to the White House.” Another said she’d had no expectations going in, so she was neither pleased nor disappointed. A third said she wished she’d gone to happy hour instead.
Hannah Phillips is a journalist covering public safety and criminal justice at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach her at hphillips@pbpost.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: I watched the Melania movie in Trump’s home county. Here’s how it went
Reporting by Hannah Phillips, Palm Beach Post / Palm Beach Post
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
