The Times Names 1h 38m 'Maddie’s Secret' a Critic’s Pick
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jun 18
The Times Names 1h 38m 'Maddie’s Secret' a Critic’s Pick
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jun 18
Summary
John Early’s feature directing debut earned a New York Times Critic’s Pick, with the review calling it an “audaciously sunny” psychological drama and a precisely tuned comedy.
The 1-hour-38-minute film is framed as a pastiche of made-for-TV melodrama, reviving an aging style with polished visuals, mirror shots, silhouettes and carefully placed gags.
Set in 21st-century Los Angeles, the story follows Maddie—played by Early—as a test-kitchen dishwasher whose demure persona and long-held secret anchor the film.
The review argues Early treats Maddie with full seriousness rather than ridicule, positioning the movie as both a tribute to older melodramas and an original work in its own right.