The secret of “Maddie’s Secret” — or maybe it’s the central joke — is that the movie’s creator and star, comedian John Early, takes the whole thing seriously.
A tongue-in-cheek critique of influencer culture crossed with a sincere homage to the heyday of disease-of-the-week TV movies, the tricky, one-of-a-kind stunt stars Early (who is male) as Maddie “the Fattie” Ralph (who is not). But gender doesn’t factor into the queer comedian’s play-it-straight directorial debut, at least not insofar as his food-passionate protagonist’s fragile reality is concerned.
Just as John Waters’ muse, Divine, assumed dowdy-housewife drag in movies such as “Hairspray” and “Polyester,” Early dons a blond wig
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