The secret of “Maddie’s Secret” — or maybe it’s the central joke — is that the movie’s creator and star, comedian John Early, takes the whole thing seriously.
A uniquely tacky critique of influencer culture crossed with a sincere homage to the heyday of disease-of-the-week TV movies, the tricky, one-of-a-kind stunt stars Early (who is male) as Maddie “the Fattie” Ralph (who is not). But gender doesn’t factor into the queer comedian’s play-it-straight directorial debut, at least not insofar as his food-passionate protagonist’s fragile reality is concerned.
Just as John Waters’ muse, Divine, assumed dowdy-housewife drag in movies such as “Hairspray” and “Polyester,” Early dons a blond wig and falsies to embody his film’s titular ingenue: a guileless vegetarian chef whose overnight viral-video success triggers her long-suppressed eating disorder. And also like Waters, who channeled the so-lush-they’re-lurid style of Douglas Sirk’s 1950s melodramas, Early adopts the gauzy, soft-light look of “tasteful” ’80s telepics like “The Burning Bed” and “The Best Little Girl in the World” for an ironic send-up of those over-earnest issue movies.
Bulimia is no joke, even if Early finds unexpected humor in satirizing how such issues were once dealt with by mainstream TV. But he’s not poking fun at the underlying disorder so much as the Emmy-chasing performances that such conditions inspired among a certain category of actor. The entire cast — which is comprised mostly of comedians — is acting in air quotes here, delivering the most awards-hungry version of every line reading.
Maddie works for a Condé Nast-owned cooking brand called GourMaybe, washing dishes for her idol, Emily Brown (Claudia O’Doherty). It’s a toxic work environment, to say the least, in that the network’s backside-slapping boss (Conner O’Malley) expects a taste of the talent, so to speak. The harassment situation’s no better in the trenches, as Maddie’s lesbian best friend Deena (Kate Berlant) has less-than-admirable intentions as well.
Maddie’s too much the good girl to ever stoop to such short cuts, and besides, she’s unwaveringly faithful to her husband Jake (Eric Rahill), who supports Maddie’s cooking dreams, but knows nothing about the childhood trauma that turned her off to red meat. Hint: It has everything to do with unresolved tensions between Maddie and her mother, a ravenous cougar named Beverlee (Kristen Johnston).
One evening after work, Jake films Maddie making dinner and then edits the footage into binge-worthy content — or as he puts it, using “all the tricks to keep people in a stupor on the platforms.” Sure enough, the segment racks up more than 600,000 views overnight, earning Maddie an instant promotion to recipe developer and an audition to consult on the hit restaurant show “The Boar.” As Maddie’s star rises, so too does her anxiety, and the next thing we know, she’s sneaking away to the bathroom to regurgitate her food (although the purging happens off camera, Maddie’s bloodshot eyes and puke-splattered lips make clear what’s happening).
When Jake finds her bent over the toilet bowl, he’s gullible enough to believe that she’s pregnant. Deena isn’t nearly so daft, though she’s more of an enabler, using Maddie’s secret to insinuate herself deeper into the life of her inappropriate workplace crush. During one especially strenuous workout at the “radically inclusive” queer gym Deena recommended, Maddie goes into cardiac arrest and nearly dies. Her doctor (Chris Bauer) insists that she go to rehab immediately.
The next segment of the movie recalls 2017 Sundance drama “To the Bone,” in which Lily Collins battled anorexia, or 2023’s “Parachute,” featuring Brittany Snow. Since serious movies are still being made about dangerous eating disorders, Early must tread lightly here: He doesn’t want to downplay the gravity of such conditions, taking care to offer the same advice such legitimately concerned dramas might provide. But that doesn’t stop him from embracing a retro-funky tone (courtesy of composer Michael Hesslein) and parodying some of the genre’s more overplayed clichés — like Maddie’s developmentally stunted roommate (Vanessa Bayer) or the facility’s raccoon-eyed rebel (Leah Hennessey), both straight out of “Girl, Interrupted.”
Is there someone out there who might watch “Maddie’s Secret” and not realize that the main character is being played by a man? Perhaps, although this is hardly Early’s first female character (“Vicky With a V” is especially popular with his fans). With his dreamy blue eyes and slender nose, Early looks like a real woman less than he resembles Ryan Gosling in drag, though his proportions offer an intriguing basis for the movie’s body dysmorphia premise, while the casting flies in the face of progressive identity politics.
Here is an extreme case where there are no limits on who can play what, sure to tickle some and tick off others on both sides of the aisle. It’s fun to watch the bisexual Berlant poke fun at queer stereotypes (as when she receives a call from “this married chick I’m bangin’,” or in her character’s final scene). There’s an inherent absurdity in watching Jake embrace his wife from behind, convinced that he can feel the baby in her growing belly. More twisted still is the underlying explanation for Maddie’s psychosis, which eventually comes out in therapy, giving Johnston a chance to play the unrepentant screen mom.
As wild as things can get (tamer than you might expect), Early keeps the film emotionally grounded. Can Maddie be cured? Maybe not, but her secret’s safe with him.
