At the world premiere of Maddie’s Secret, one of the stars of the film declared writer-director-star John Early the Douglas Sirk of alt-comedy. His directorial debut certainly supports this claim — the indie feature is high melodrama, simultaneously evoking domestic soaps starring Lana Turner (a noted inspiration) and basic cable after-school specials.

Early cited both as something that inspired Maddie’s Secret, a startlingly confident film that is as funny as it is heartbreaking. There’s a world in which this delightful pastiche doesn’t work and, in the wrong hands, it could’ve been a disaster. But Early so confidently tells Maddie’s story and does it with such care that its emotion sneaks up on you and, before you know it, you’re crying both because of the film’s razor sharp humor and its deeply felt story.

Maddie’s Secret Is Simply Incredible

Maddie’s Secret, follows Maddie Ralph, an all-around good girl with a sunny disposition who works as a dishwasher for a food content collective called Gourmaybe. Eventually, she is elevated to on-camera talent after one of her vegetarian recipes goes viral and as the producers of hit Hulu series “The Boar” are looking for a food director for its sixth season.

This newfound virality comes with pitfalls, though, shining a searing spotlight on Maddie’s close proximity to food, triggering her dormant issues surrounding it. Suddenly, every bite is taken with panic, Early’s eyes shifting anxiously. Every mention of food strikes fear in Maddie, and the pressure mounts as she finds out she’s competing with her fellow Gourmaybe star (Claudia O’Doherty) for the position on “The Boar.”

It’s safe to say that Maddie’s Secret could have easily gone in a much crueler direction. In lesser hands, the film could be downright mean. But, thanks to Early’s ᴀssured direction, the film walks a tonal тιԍнтrope that swings wildly between laugh-a-minute gags and its nuanced portrayal of eating disorders. Every frame is packed with jokes — in the film’s opening montage, Maddie jogs through LA, pᴀssing restaurant signs like Burger on the Orient Express.

But, in this humor, Early also finds deep emotion, and that’s part of the magic Early pulls off as Maddie’s Secret delicately shifts gears and turns into a portrait of recovery. Maddie is never the punchline here, a vehicle for Early’s comedic sensibilities first and then, later on, his thematic concerns. The women Maddie encounters in a recovery center may have quirks that prompt laughs, but they’re also painfully real, from an older woman and her stunted adolescence to a trio of apathetic teens who buck against the rules as a way to cope with their confinement.

The people around Maddie love her, including her doting boyfriend, Jake (Eric Rahill), and her lesbian best friend Deena, played by Early’s frequent collaborator Kate Berlant. That love is the most important thing about this film, and it’s contrasted against Maddie’s relationship with her mother, Beverlee (Kristen Johnson, milking every scene she’s in). Early knows, though, that Maddie’s issues, while stemming from her mother’s abusive relationship, don’t end there.

The entire world eggs on Maddie’s eating disorder, from her job to the signs she jogs by in the morning and the food her boyfriend keeps in their fridge. Watching the character accept this and grow from it is one of the most poignant things in Maddie’s Secret. While Early’s comedic sensibilities may speak to a very specific audience, the story at its center is universal, beautiful in the way many films strive to be, all while making you laugh harder than you will at any other movie in recent memory.

Maddie’s Secret premiered at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival.