By John Corrado
Maddie’s Secret is the feature directorial debut of American comedian John Early, who also wrote the script, and stars in the film – in full drag – as the titular Maddie Ralph, a millennial woman who’s got a secret.
The result is a satirical dark comedy that is tonally entirely its own thing. There are elements of queer camp classic But I’m a Cheerleader, but even that is an imperfect comparison to what Early has cooked up with his completely unique debut film.
When we first meet Maddie, she is working as a dishwasher at test kitchen GourMaybe, where new dishes are developed. When a video of her cooking at home goes viral, Maddie gets upgraded to her dream job of recipe developer and content creator, upstaging GourMaybe’s snotty on-air host Emily (Claudia O’Doherty).
This gets her noticed by the food consultants of the The Boar, the fictional restaurant show within the movie. Yes, part of Early’s film is about parodying The Bear, FX’s comedy-drama series that is about cooking and so much more. But Maddie has also struggled with bulimia since childhood, and the stress of her new role brings out her latent eating disorder, which she tries to keep secret from her adoring husband Jake (Eric Rahill) and everyone around her.
Early’s film plays like an elaborate, high concept parody of disease of the week melodramas. But it’s the type of parody that becomes a sincere version of what it is parodying. As it enters the strangely poignant final third, Maddie’s Secret plays with a nearly indescribable tone. This is comedic sendup, yes, and it can be pretty darn funny at that. But it’s also a surprisingly sober exploration of trying to get treatment for mental health issues.
This is a high camp film that melds the ridiculous and the dramatic so seamlessly that it’s hard to even know where the line is; it’s an absurdist comedy that morphs into something much sadder and stranger and more stressful. Early’s performance, playing Maddie completely sincerely as a woman, goes beyond mere stunt casting, and adds a deeper layer of commentary to the film that plays into the themes about dysphoria and body image issues.
Every actor has full commitment to the bit, directed to deliver performances that would go big if they weren’t grounded by the surrealistic comedy world of the film. This is a film that requires viewers to be completely on its own unique wavelength in order for it to work, but Maddie’s Secret is so oddly compelling and provides such an entertaining viewing experience that it’s easy to admire the effort overall.
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