one4review | On 28, Aug 2026

Are you aware of relatively low-effort Disney Channel TV movie Cadet Kelly (2002) starring Hillary Duff? Well, Ben McCarthy is and he has opinions. Strong opinions, as you might be able to gather from the screaming title of the show. And now he’s going to share those opinions.

A wild-eyed McCarthy dressed in nothing but a Cadet Kelly t-shirt and a pair of boxers clumps onto the stage with the barely repressed fizzing energy of a toddler that just downed a can of Monster. He then proceeds to ask every audience member if they’ve seen the movie, taking each no as a personal insult, but decides to explain why it is his favourite movie ever.

The energy that McCarthy’s character brings to the room can only be described as “intense”. He breaks out into yells of frustration or joy at points and while thinking seemingly absent mindedly pulls chewing gum around his fingers or his entire head. In what has been one of the most weirdly disturbing acts of my Fringe experience, he at one point just takes a pair of scissors and cuts off lumps of his own hair while talking about his love of the film. The tension bursts into fits of laughter from the audience but there is a real sense that this is as much a hostage situation as it is a show.

McCarthy’s approach to clowning is something that I can say I’ve truly never seen before with his childish persona almost openly hostile to the audience at times but somehow, he manages to make it work and always knows but when to bring the energy levels down enough to stop it being anything but enjoyably uncomfortable. The highlight is definitely towards the end of the show when a blond-wigged McCarthy gets volunteers to help him recreate his favourite scene, instantly calling cut on any minor mistakes from his fellow “actors”.

Weirdly, as someone who has both seen and also has a lot of opinions on the titular movie (don’t judge me – we all have our hobbies and mine is bad films) Cadet Kelly is actually kind of absent from the show itself. Perhaps this is down to the restriction of only having the standard one-hour showtime to summarise a 90-minute movie, but for a Cadet Kelly connoisseur, there seems to be a lot missing, from the pervasive sapphic undertones, to the oddly kinky interest in polishing boots with spit, to the horribly patriarchal morality of a story encouraging children to embrace conformity and join the army. It feels like this show could have used basically any other film, no matter how obscure or competent, as a framework for McCarthy’s obsessive fandom. It’s only after the show, once the character is dropped that McCarthy gives some much-needed context on why he chose this film and I think that’s a bit of a shame as, if it had been given up front, I think the whole thing would have been more enjoyable for it. That said, it’s the lack of context that makes the first half of this show baffling enough that you find yourself laughing at the absurdity of it, so maybe that’s only my opinion.

Not exactly an easy show to summarise, nor an easy one to recommend, but for the type of people who enjoy high energy clowning and shows that are utterly unique, you won’t be seeing anything else like this.

****
Reviewed by Tom
Underbelly George Square
Until 30 August
23.15 (1 hour)