MADDIE'S SECRET - - SHHH, Don't Tell

Review by Steve Barton II

The stand-up comedian to movie director pipeline has been strong with incredible talents like Judd Apatow, Bo Burnham and Academy Award winner Jordan Peele. While none of those comedians cast themselves in their own productions, several other comedians like Woody Allen and the legendary Mel Brooks couldn’t let their egos resist the temptation. John Early has been working as a comedian since 2012 and has slowly built up his reputation with his supporting role on 30 Rock or his starring role in TBS/HBO MAX hit comedy series Search Party. With those roles and the success of his HBO MAX comedy special in 2023, John was able to write, direct and star in his feature film debut titled Maddie’s Secret. Maddie’s Secret follows a young woman who becomes a social media influencer whose content is centered around food, but she’s struggling with a bulimia issue behind the scenes. As the story develops, Maddie attempts to juggle her career, relationships with newfound online fame all while hiding her biggest secret.

Maddie’s Secret is a captivating story due to its leading performer, John Early. While watching Maddie and listening to her 1950s innocent housewife accent, it’s easy to forget that she is actually the male writer/director under makeup and lady prosthetics. Instead of doing a cheap imitation of a woman and making it a poor joke, none of the characters acknowledge that Maddie is any different yet instead comment on how beautiful she is inside and out. The character of Maddie is also layered and complicated because everyone sees her as a confident, beautiful young woman who has a promising future in the food industry, but she’s struggling with her relationship with food in secret. Many women who have had or currently struggle with eating disorders may see themselves in Maddie and see that their struggles don’t define who they are.

Being able to not only bring the character of Maddie to life, but also write and direct on this level should be commended in itself. John was able to balance Maddie’s main story with her complicated relationship with food with her other messy relationships with both her obsessive best friend, Deena (Kate Berlant) and her always accommodating boyfriend, Jake (Eric Rahill). With so much going on at once, it would be easy for Maddie’s Secret to feel unbalanced, but Early gives every story point equal scene time and the care that only talented artists can do. John found the inspiration for Maddie’s Secret during the pandemic and saw the many changes that food content went through in such a short period. From waves of food being uncomfortably sexualized to over stylized editing that makes it look almost unreal, John saw a story on this content could affect someone struggling with an eating disorder or self-image issues.

In the end, Maddie’s Secret is an incredible debut from John Early from both an acting and writer/director standpoint. Maddie’s story may feel simple and boring to some audiences, but others may feel inspired by Maddie to chase their dreams or confront their problems without fear of failure or judgment from loved ones. Early shows through Maddie how social media has changed how people spend their time and their mental frameworks. It’s truly depressing that Maddie felt she had to keep her dangerous struggle as a secret and hopefully films like Maddie’s Secret can help normalize these feelings.

Maddie’s Secret will be released in New York (IFC Center) on June 19th and in Los Angeles on June 26th! More cities to follow.

Rating: 4/5