Michael Fairbanks
Those who enter Maddie’s Secret, the directorial debut of Search Party’s John Early, thinking that they’re about to see a campy drag romp will be quite surprised. One might expect a ‘secret’ in this context to be centered around some kind of gender crisis. Not so. Early portrays his titular character as a cisgender woman and that is not once questioned within the film’s world. Instead, this often emotionally scarring story aims to address eating disorders through a somewhat absurdist lens. It’s a bold move considering just how sensitive a topic this is. In 2017, the gritty indie drama To The Bone was widely lambasted (sight unseen, in many cases) for sensationalizing this affliction in pursuit of prestige. There’s been fear around touching it ever since. Early’s film has no awards ambitions. It is proudly niche and unafraid to lean into comedy. However, the humor here is focused on lampshading the culture that pushes Maddie into a relapse during the worst possible time. Her condition is a serious trial in an unserious world.
We meet Early’s Maddie as she stumbles into a major career opportunity. She’s an aspiring chef who currently works as a dishwasher for a cooking content creation company. Their videos have thus far been centered around bright and conventional Emily (Claudia O’Doherty) who is drooled over by the channel’s owner Zach (Conner O’Malley). Maddie decides to take some control of the stagnation and posts an at-home recipe video of her own. It blows up and Zach is pissed, insisting that the video was a violation of her non-compete clause. However, because of the video’s success, he decides to make Maddie an in-house host. In the midst of joy, she calls her mother Beverlee (Kristen Johnston) who crabbily reminds her that “the camera adds ten pounds.” This interaction causes Maddie to spiral back into disordered eating and purging that she thought she had left in her teenage years. She desperately tries to keep it under wraps, even telling her husband Jake (Eric Rahill) that she’s pregnant in order to explain away her unusual behavior.
Maddie’s Secret would not have worked without the sheer empathy John Early portrays her with. His performance neither parodies womanhood nor sensationalizes Maddie’s unhealthy urges. It is a fully realized dramatic take on this deeply kind and warm person who feels trapped in her own body. Her problem is not caused by food itself. She loves and embraces culinary arts enough to center her entire career around it. There’s just a deep sense of shame that comes from family trauma and once it is turned on, she cannot seem to stop the spiral. Early is not rail thin. His film never makes a spectacle out of Maddie’s body and we only see the aftermath of her purges. The actual act is only viewed through silhouette on the first go and from then on isn’t shown at all. Maddie’s Secret aims to make those affected by this condition feel seen and seek help.
However, it never becomes a maudlin after school special. It is often riotously funny because of the game supporting cast of comedians. Kate Berlant forcefully plays Maddie’s best friend and fellow dishwasher Deena, who not so subtly craves Maddie and resents Jake. Conner O’Malley approaches JK Simmons levels of angry barking as the gross content monger. We quickly learn that Jake pretty much views Maddie as a vessel for a baby and Eric Rahill makes his unending prioritization of a child that does not exist yet deeply pathetic every time he opens his mouth. Eventually, we find our way to a treatment facility and meet a colorful cast of other supporting players. The most prominent one is Maddie’s sweet roommate Julie (Vanessa Bayer) who provides the former SNL player a chance to graft her one note persona onto a character with real emotional impact.
Early infuses every image with a soap opera gloss that makes us feel just slightly removed from reality. This is a Los Angeles where “The Boar” is the gritty cooking drama with FYC posters everywhere. Maddie’s Secret never veers into fully surreal territory but this sheen allows no new plot wrinkle to feel too melodramatic. Our expectation is that Maddie’s life will spiral further and further downward until Early allows her and us catharsis. There will certainly be some audiences who will reject Maddie’s Secret on sight. It will certainly be triggering for those dealing with an eating disorder and any shade of levity within that context might be too much for them to bare. I wouldn’t blame them. However, I do find Early’s film to be a fascinating and often awkwardly hilarious examination of the ways in which our society bends people into mental illness. If you’re willing to embrace Early’s approach and slight removal from this lived experience, it will be one of your most unique viewing experiences of 2026.
