Wickedly sharp and surprisingly moving, John Early’s Maddie’s Secret is a melodramatic comedy like few others. Mixing in influences as varied as Todd Haynes and Douglas Sirk with afterschool TV specials and a level of camp perfected in movies like But I’m A Cheerleader, Early’s feature debut is a refreshing send-up of TV and movie tropes that embraces sentimentality with a cheeky sense of humor. Taking on the competitive world of social platform shows and food influencing, the comedian develops a funny yet poignant movie that skewers the present-day media landscape and addresses a sensitive topic in the age of Ozempic: eating disorders. Along with his longtime creative co-star Kate Berlant, Early arrives on the big screen with With a dedicated-to-the-bit performance and a fearless screenplay, Maddie’s Secret is unafraid to mix serious issues with giddy silliness.-AVClub
“I think you’ll love John Early as a dishwasher who becomes a bulimic food influencer. I know I did.”-Peter Travers