Dir: Jesse Eisenberg
Cast: Julianne Moore, Paul Giamatti, Halle Bailey, Jesse Eisenberg, Colton Ryan, Patrick Fabian, Bonnie Milligan, Cara Buono, Bernadette Peters
Julianne Moore’s tour-de-force performance transforms a meek housewife into an outrageously committed method actor in Jesse Eisenberg’s riotously absurd, razor-sharp tribute to the world of community theatre.
In musical theatre, the golden rule is to leave the audience craving more. That was exactly how I felt as the credits rolled on “The Debut”, the closing night film at this year’s BFI London Film Festival. After two weeks of films that delved into ever heavier, more unsettling territory, last night’s final feature felt like a breath of fresh air, being by far the funniest and lightest in tone of the six films I have managed to attend. Yet, beneath its playful surface, Jesse Eisenberg‘s latest film reveals unexpected depth. Typecast for years as the quintessential neurotic lead, Eisenberg has, in recent years, established himself as a sharp, articulate writer-director. He began his filmmaking career with the under-the-radar “When You Finish Saving the World” in 2022, but “A Real Pain” is what truly announced his arrival a couple of years ago, blending biting humuor with the poignant struggles and comforts of third-generation Holocaust survivors—territory Eisenberg knows intimately.
The film garnered critical acclaim, earning Eisenberg a BAFTA for his script and a slew of nominations, including at the Oscars. Yet, many will likely remember the film for Kieran Culkin’s unforgettable, Oscar-winning performance as Eisenberg’s brash on-screen cousin. I was captivated by Eisenberg’s second feature and his knack for weaving humour through the darkest of themes—depression, the holocaust, and the universal exasperation with family members who never quite grow up or always seem to outshine you.
When news broke that Eisenberg was penning a musical comedy, I was genuinely surprised, especially after the raw, historically charged territory of his previous film. Musical comedies are notoriously tricky to master, particularly for someone not known for song and dance. But after witnessing “The Debut” at LFF’s closing night, I can confidently say Eisenberg doesn’t just follow the musical playbook—he reinvents it, crafting a playful tribute that also slyly pokes fun at the theatre world.
Eisenberg sets his sights on the vibrant world of community theatre in “The Debut”, both celebrating the passion of small-town troupes and gently lampooning their sometimes overblown seriousness. Into this welcoming, eccentric world steps Mona Friedman (Julianne Moore), a meek woman in her sixties, worn down by years of being overlooked by her indifferent husband and soon-to-depart teenage twins. Mona, the archetypal timid suburban housewife, hasn’t ventured into the city since childhood. When she stumbles upon an audition for a minor role in the local production of “Nosey Neighbours“—a fictional, long-running musical dreamed up by Eisenberg—she seizes her chance.
Thanks to her persistence—and a stroke of luck when local theatre legend Serena Cherry (Bernadette Peters) drops out—director Jerry (Paul Giamatti) has little choice but to cast Mona, the only other hopeful who auditioned. The role may be small and the production’s three-day run fleeting, but for Mona, it is a lifeline, a spark to reignite her spirit. Under Jerry’s demanding guidance, Mona is pushed to embody her character, Miss Danielle. The transformation works a little too well: Mona plunges headlong into method acting, blurring the lines between her drab reality and her character’s shabby superintendent life, sending her world and the production spiraling into chaos.
In the first half of his third feature, Eisenberg playfully dissects and celebrates community theatre, skewering its quirks and introducing a cast of instantly endearing, if sometimes over-the-top, thespians. Halle Bailey plays Stef, a radiant, ever-hugging leading lady, and Eldar Isgandarov plays Piotr, the hilariously courteous Eastern European stagehand, along with the rest of the tight-knit ensemble. Their infectious optimism breathes new life into Mona, even as Jerry’s relentless demands pile on the pressure. What begins as a charming, laugh-out-loud dramedy soon takes a wild turn into the absurd and surreal, as Mona’s journey of self-discovery echoes Natalie Portman‘s psychological unraveling in Darren Aronofsky’s “Black Swan” (2010).
Eisenberg keeps the tone buoyant with humour, even as Mona’s antics—like checking into a seedy hotel to ‘become’ her character—push the story into surreal territory, exploring the madness of artistic obsession. The real joke is that Mona’s role, and the play itself, are so minor; if she ever made it to Broadway, she’d be utterly unhinged. Julianne Moore is nothing short of mesmerizing, staking her claim as this year’s Oscar frontrunner. Her metamorphosis from timid housewife to wildly overconfident method actor is both hilarious and haunting, especially as she masterfully portrays a character who is, ironically, terrible at acting. Moore nails every comedic beat and musical cue, laying bare the tangled emotions of a woman desperate for her moment in the spotlight.
Watching Mona spar with Giamatti’s Jerry as he tries to sculpt her into Miss Danielle is pure delight. Their dynamic is the film’s heartbeat, culminating in a riotous rehearsal where Mona, fully in character, unleashes a five-minute tirade demanding ‘rent’ from Jerry and spirals into panic at the thought of eviction onto the streets. For Mona, the line between stage and reality blurs completely, making the scene both hilarious and unsettling. Here, Eisenberg deftly shifts the film from a witty send-up of musical theatre, reminiscent of Christopher Guest’s “Waiting for Guffman” (1996), into something darker yet still irresistibly entertaining.
It is worth noting that “Nosey Neighbours”, the fictional musical at the heart of the film, springs entirely from Eisenberg’s imagination; every song was crafted just for the screen. Though I am far from a musical theatre expert, I could not resist the infectious charm and delightfully cheesy sincerity of these tunes. The play may be imaginary, but its catchy refrains could easily find their way to the West End. Emile Mosseri‘s juxtaposing score sets off the lively stage numbers brilliantly, while pulsing with Mona’s growing nerves and picking up speed as opening night draws near.
The vibrant cast, anchored by Bailey’s luminous presence, is filled with actors who bring real theatre chops, making the musical numbers soar—at least until Mona takes the stage. Eisenberg’s sharp script blurs the line between reality and fantasy, filtering the entire production through Mona’s rose-tinted perspective. The camaraderie feels almost too good to be true, especially as the story veers into a more psychologically haunting coda.
This is a far richer musical comedy than it first appears, thanks to Eisenberg’s razor-sharp script and his heartfelt salute to the unsung heroes of community theatre. Yet Julianne Moore’s unforgettable, transformative performance steals the show—one sure to earn standing ovations when the film arrives in UK cinemas next year.
The Debut is showing in UK Cinemas from 15th January 2027
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