As an actor and comedian, John Early has demonstrated an ability to communicate through energy and excess. His characters and routines are often loud and flamboyant, and he’s rarely the calmest one in any shared scene. It’s intriguing, therefore, that he makes his directorial debut with a project in which he has the least showy part, save of course for the caveat that he’s playing a woman. Maddie’s Secret manages to be totally over-the-top and remarkably measured at the same time, balancing multiple tones and themes, sometimes even within the span of a single scene.
Maddie (Early) works as a dishwasher along with her best friend Deena (Kate Berlant) for a gourmet cooking show and dreams of getting her big break to be on-air like Emily (Claudia O’Doherty). When her husband Jake (Eric Rahill) records her cooking dinner for him one night, the video does extremely well, prompting her seedy boss Zach (Conner O’Malley) to put her in front of the camera. The pressure of looking good during videos and an opportunity to become part of a wildly popular TV show add considerable stress to Maddie’s otherwise idyllic life, causing a relapse in her long-dormant eating disorder.
It’s difficult to describe this film without actually seeing it because it is so many things at once. Early’s decision to cast himself might seem distracting, but instead he disappears into the role. It’s still his face and facial expressions, but the joke isn’t that he’s a man playing a woman. Instead, it’s that he thought he was the right fit for this part and could do it justice. Audiences may laugh at the sight of Early portraying some of what Maddie does, but it’s not demeaning or slapstick. His voice sounds different when he speaks as Maddie, but there’s something endearing and likable about her, even if she isn’t fully honest with anyone else in the film and doesn’t always react to every situation in the most sensible way.
Early has assembled a fantastic cast for this adventure, starting with his frequent collaborator Berlant, who dials up the comedy from her first appearance as someone who is fully aware that Maddie is straight and married but continually hits on her to the extent of seeming obsessed (the kind of part Early often plays). O’Doherty is a fun nemesis, and Vanessa Bayer, Emily Allan, Leah Hennessey, and Ruby McCollister, Pat Regan, Dominique Witten, and Chris Bauer all enhance the ensemble with their contributions. Kristen Johnson puts Maddie’s worldview into perspective with a hilariously aggressive portrayal of Maddie’s mother, who doesn’t care that she has deeply and negatively contributed to her daughter’s physical and mental health.
It’s possible that some audiences may find portions of this film mildly offensive or reductive, but everything serves a purpose. Eating disorders aren’t treated flippantly but they do figure in prominently to much of the plot and lead to humorous conversations. This film’s focus is more on the melodrama that comes from obliviousness and only hearing what you’re saying and not listening to other people. It’s both a send-up of and a tribute to similarly sensational stories that, as Early described many TV movies he watched growing up, had something substantive buried under a cheesy exterior. Maddie’s Secret, in its title and its content, is purposely larger-than-life, but Early has found a way to communicate important ideas and make a film that manages to take itself seriously even if it should on its face be too silly. He has surrounded himself with capable and amenable collaborators who truly understood their assignments, showing up completely to make this wild concept feel like it’s actually quite natural.
Movie Rating: 8/10
