Critic Reviews

Brimming with style and spirit up to the final scene, Maddie’s Secret is among the most daring movies I’ve seen this year. That it simultaneously guarantees a giddy good time is a minor miracle.

In a satire like this, the laughs start heavy, but Early’s best trick is ending this journey in an earnest, emotionally authentic place. He’s not playing a punchline so much as a humorous, painful truth.

Maddie’s Secret renewed my hope that this corner of the industry can go to new places, outside of what is edgy or trendy. It is an extremely accomplished debut and one of the boldest American movies I have seen in years.

Packed with visual gags and a cast of gifted comedic actors, Maddie’s Secret straddles the line between comedy and melodrama, creating a wholly unique cinematic experience.

The film at once lampoons a spectatorship culture that drives creators to madness and cherishes the naïvete of everyday people who want to share their passions with people on the internet.

Wickedly sharp and surprisingly moving, John Early’s Maddie’s Secret is a melodramatic comedy like few others.

John Early's unique sensibility bursts onto the big screen with huge laughs in this loving recreation of '80s-'90s Lifetime movies that's just as heartfelt as it is hilarious.

It’s this generation’s answer to “Cry-Baby” and also distinctly Early.

When we’re just focused on Early, hoping to outrun Maddie’s demons in manic aerobics sessions of deliriously complex choreography, the movie feels like a spell. All of the things that make him an unlikely ingénue — the flop sweat, the slight chunkiness, the desire to pass for a cute foodie — click into place. She couldn’t be more perfect.

Maddie’s Secret possesses a tenacious commitment to clichés and stylistic hyperbole, and while it is certainly a parody, it is undeniably delivered with reverence: an ode to the idolatry bestowed upon characters like Rory Gilmore.