Maddie’s Secret Review: A Weird, Campy Delight
John Early's cross-dressing comedy 'Maddie's Secret spoofs '80s TV movies-of-the-week with an offbeat tone all its own.
In the grand tradition of cross-dressing pioneer Divine playing Edna Turnblad in Hairspray, or John Travolta as Edna Turnblad in Hairspray, comedian John Early stars in Maddie’s Secret, as Maddie, an everyday woman with a song in her heart and a husband who loves her. She also has…a secret.
The secret is not that she’s a drag queen. Maddie Ralph is a biological woman, and Early, a gay man, is playing her. A two-time Emmy nominee for the comedy specials Would It Kill You to Laugh? and John Early: Now More Than Ever, Early also wrote and directed the film, a sincerely campy send-up of old-school TV-movie melodramas, à la Lifetime Movies for Women.
Early specifically has cited as inspiration the overwrought ’80s movie-of-the-week Kate’s Secret, which starred Family Ties mom Meredith Baxter Birney as a “perfect” suburban housewife hiding her struggles with bulimia nervosa. His movie deftly tweaks the concept by playing Maddie’s melodrama totally straight yet somehow still tongue-in-cheek.
Maddie, a dishwasher in the kitchen of a food content creation company, also secretly struggles with an eating disorder. Although, no one suspects, because sunny Maddie appears to be such a “good girl,” as her friend and fellow dishwasher, and not-so-secret admirer, Deena (Kate Berlant) likes to tease.
Maddie, in response, usually just tee-hees, tosses her blonde locks innocently, and goes back to dreaming up recipes in hopes of someday impressing her prick of a boss Zach (Conner O’Malley) enough to become an on-camera chef. She may not be perfect, but, true to genre form, everything’s going swimmingly for her — until it all comes crashing down.
Amusing, and appealingly odd, the film rides on Early’s sheer commitment to the role, from Maddie’s bouncy blonde disposition to the gross-out sessions of bingeing and purging.
Beyond the visual humor of the obvious wig, padding, and coquettish mannerisms, not much ado is made of the male casting, save for the occasional sly reference. Maddie proudly calls herself an ally when Deena invites her to a “radically inclusive” queer gym for a confidence-building dance class.
Those classes are a treat unto themselves, as Early and the cast attack the dance sequences, sharply edited by Danny Scharar, with the same all-out commitment as the melodrama. In a sweaty studio full of real dancers and voguers, led by class instructor Nina (Danielle Polanco, who also choreographed), Maddie and Deena bust serious moves, supplying the movie with an out-of-the-blue highlight.
Then, Maddie hits a wall, and so does the film. A health emergency sends her to rehab. There, she meets a whole new cast of characters — the gruff but caring doctor (Chris Bauer), the tough but caring nurse (Dominique Witten) — and the film’s momentum shifts, the comedy seems less assured.
Vanessa Bayer brings her wacky to playing Maddie’s roommate Julie, and Pat Regan is very funny as snippy Nurse Kelly, but the film doesn’t really know what to do with a trio of sour fellow patients who mostly torment Maddie and Julie.
Maddie’s most brutal tormentor, though, besides herself, is her crabby mother Beverlee, portrayed a bit too blowsily by Kristen Johnson. While working through group therapy sessions, Maddie’s set on course for a climactic confrontation with Beverlee before all is said and done.
More compellingly, Maddie harbors another bombshell secret from her brawny, supportive husband Jake (Eric Cahill, warmly appealing). Though, after sparks of suspense, that storyline fizzles, alongside a climax that feels too abrupt. So the movie might not close with a bang, but, for the most part, Early’s feature filmmaking debut finds the secret to successfully parodying a “classic” that was already a parody of itself.
Maddie’s Secret (★★★☆☆) is not rated and is playing in theaters nationwide, including the AFI Silver in Silver Spring, Md., and the Alamo Drafthouse Bryant Street in Washington, D.C. Visit silver.afi.com or fandango.com.
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