Melbourne International Comedy Festival review

A whole hour dedicated to Cadet Kelly, the formulaic  2002 Disney movie with  Hilary Duff as an easy-going teen force into military school that scores a mighty 5.5 on IMDB? You’d better believe it.

This show’s title gives away Ben McCarthy’s opinion of this potboiler, and he’s here to convince the audience of its brilliance with the passion of a true evangelist.

He delivers with a manic caffeinated intensity reminiscent of Chris Farley in his pomp, oscillating from intimidating swivel-eyed zeal to unsettling girlish giggle as he recalls the delight the movie brings him.

While he cannot comprehend how it can be possible some of us have never seen it, let alone adore it, he promises a scene-by-scene deep dive into every small delight.  You don’t believe he’ll do it, but he does, cracking up as he describes every supposedly hilarious plot point. The upshot is that  you need no advanced knowledge of the original to enjoy McCarthy’s unhinged championing of it, which turns out to be genuinely persuasive.

This is not like Guy Montgomery and Tim Batt watching Adam Sandler’s Grown Ups 2 every week, knowing it’s terrible. In a fantastic performance, McCarthy never breaks the conceit that Cadet Kelly is criminally overlooked cinematic gold.

A few bits of the hour are not directly related to the film, including a hilarious lip-synch to Christian Bale’s notorious outburst on the set of Terminator Salvation, which the comic makes increasingly camp as the expletives flow, and reminiscences of his own career highlights  in a supermarket ad.

Even so, the concept slightly runs out of puff towards the show’s end – and the conclusion is a bit flat given the head of steam that’s been building up throughout.  

However, it’s remarkable that McCarthy sustains it as long as he does. His commitment to the absurdity of this premise as well as a physically and emotionally potent performance you can’t tear your eyes from, make this a standout slice of silliness

Review date: 18 Apr 2025
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett
Reviewed at: Melbourne International Comedy Festival