Common Sense Media Review
By Jennifer Green
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Docu offers little new, but the subject still inspires.
Parents Need to Know
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Where to Watch
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Michelle Obama: Life After the White House
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
Michelle Obama rose from a humble background growing up on the South Side of Chicago to become the first lady of the United States. MICHELLE OBAMA: LIFE AFTER THE WHITE HOUSE uses first-hand commentary from onlookers, archive footage of speeches and interviews, and passages from her autobiography, Becoming, to tell her story. We hear Obama talk about her own family background and how her parents instilled in her the values of family, hard work, a good education, and self-love. She went to Ivy League universities and gave up a lucrative law career to find more meaningful work helping people. When her husband decided to run for president, she underwent a makeover to smooth out her public image. The Obamas' passage through the White House is remembered as scandal-free, ambitious, and beneficial for the country. They raised their daughters in the public eye but gave them a sense of normalcy and the same family values. Obama was taught to lead by example, and the documentary aims to illustrate that this is what she did as first lady.
Is It Any Good?
There's value in this documentary because of its inspirational subject, who continues to generate significant public interest, but it offers little new to the canon of information about the Obamas. Michelle Obama: Life After the White House covers the by-now-familiar ground of the former first lady's life story and career. Yet despite the title, there's very little in the way of new material or insight into the Obamas' lives post-presidency beyond mention of her autobiography, Becoming, and the Obamas' documentary production deal with Netflix. In fact, we're 47 minutes in to the 53-minute documentary before the Obamas actually leave the White House.
If you can watch only one Michelle Obama documentary, make it Netflix's Becoming, which offers new behind-the-scenes and first-hand footage and commentary. Life After the White House, by contrast, relies on information from the autobiography, archive footage, and lengthy commentary from two sources -- a "journalist" and a "professor of government" at the University of Essex -- whose expertise or connection to the Obamas isn't clear. Nonetheless, Michelle Obama is always a fascinating and inspiring subject and a role model to millions, making this and pretty much any documentary about her intrinsically worthwhile.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the legacy of Michelle Obama, as described in Michelle Obama: Life After the White House. What is she doing now, and how will her past inform her future?
How did the Obamas ensure that their daughters would feel a sense of normalcy even while living in the White House? Can you imagine being the son or daughter of the president? What would it be like?
How do Michelle and Barack Obama demonstrate integrity? Why is this an important character strength?
What are the different sources for information about Michelle Obama used in this documentary? Which seem more or less reliable? Why?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : May 1, 2020
- Cast : Michelle Obama , Barack Obama
- Director : Jordan Hill
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s) , Black Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Prime Video
- Genre : Documentary
- Topics : History
- Character Strengths : Integrity
- Run time : 53 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : September 29, 2025
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