Director: Jesse Eisenberg
Writer: Jesse Eisenberg
Stars: Julianne Moore, Paul Giamatti, Halle Bailey
Synopsis: When an unassuming housewife is unexpectedly cast in a community theater production, she loses herself in the role under the spell of a strong-willed director.
Hyperbolic words and phrases like “masterpiece” and “best film of the year” are becoming all too common in an increasing attempt to grab attention and garner views, with a new “best movie” seemingly releasing week in, week out. However, when it comes to Jesse Eisenberg’s latest, The Debut, those compliments finally feel fitting. This is a movie likely to be in contention for several of the biggest awards on offer come awards season.
The Debut follows Mona Friedman (Julianne Moore), a middle-aged woman with graduating twins and a husband who is more concerned with his crosswords than listening to a word she says. Desperately disillusioned with her life after decades of mistreatment and searching for a sense of purpose, she auditions for a small supporting role in a local theater production.
Initially, the part goes to local celebrity and theater veteran Serena Cherry (Bernadette Peters), but when she discovers she is not the star of the production, she drops out. That leaves the director, Jerry (Paul Giamatti), quite literally no other choice. As Mona was the only other person who auditioned, she comes in to take her place. The movie goes on to follow Mona’s story from her first rehearsal to the opening night performance, creating one of the most distinctive cinematic experiences you’re likely to have this year.
The Debut could’ve gone down a similar path to Eisenberg’s last outing as a director, A Real Pain, focusing on the emotional side of the story and tackling the raw feelings Mona faces as an underappreciated housewife. Instead, it goes down the comedic route, and it’s all the better for it. It allows Eisenberg to take risks with the script, taking the story to places you would never dream up.
You never quite feel like you know what is about to happen because even when you think you do, Eisenberg takes you in a completely different direction. Scenes that appear to be heading toward an obvious punchline or emotional conclusion often veer into something far more absurd, and that unpredictability is a huge part of what makes the comedy work. It’s something that may not work for everyone, but for most, this is going to be a raucous crowd-pleaser.
Eisenberg has always been a terrifically talented comedic actor, but here, he shows that his writing is just as strong. It’s one of the funniest original comedies of the year thanks to its endless one-liners, which are enough to give you a bellyache from the deep laughs they generate. There are also a couple of situational jokes that continue throughout the entire runtime and somehow get more hilarious the longer they go on, even causing my theater to burst into an unplanned cheer.
Something that is equally remarkable to me is the fact that Eisenberg has also written a bunch of original songs for the production depicted in the movie. Going to the lengths of creating an actual original musical for the purposes of the film is noteworthy enough, but the songs themselves are genuinely really good. By the end, once they’ve all had their third playthrough, the infectious, happy vibe almost certainly translates into a theater full of people tapping their feet and dancing along to these wonderfully crafted songs.
The staging of the show is elevated further by some excellent production design from Anne Ross, who has visually created a stage show for the big finale that I would be buying tickets to in an instant. The cinematography from Drew Daniels is just as accomplished. By deploying a mix of wide shots and some beautiful close-ups, Daniels ensures the audience can be completely immersed in the finale, almost as if they were sitting in the theater themselves.
For everything that is undoubtedly superb about The Debut, Julianne Moore is still the shining star of the whole production. She’s an actor who already has countless incredible performances under her belt, resulting in five acting Oscar nominations to date, but her performance here is arguably among the best of them. The complexity of this performance cannot be overstated. Eisenberg demands so many layers from Moore that it’s scarcely believable she’s able to capture every element so well. She goes from a downtrodden shell of a person at the beginning to a bold character actor bursting at the seams by the end. But what is so striking are the portions in between, where Moore is able to show Mona’s growth through her body language, tone of voice and even the posture she adopts.
It means Mona’s transformation never feels sudden or forced. You can almost see her confidence building scene by scene, with Moore making subtle changes to the way Mona carries herself as she becomes increasingly comfortable in this completely new environment. It’s the sort of performance where the character at the end feels almost unrecognizable from the one we meet at the beginning, yet you completely believe how she got there. It all culminates in a mid-movie speech that is the most enjoyable five minutes of cinema I’ve seen in years. This actually resulted in a standing ovation in the middle of a press screening, something I have never witnessed before.
While Moore will rightfully be receiving all the flowers, Paul Giamatti cannot be forgotten in what is yet another stellar turn. It’s a performance that may be overlooked because it’s nowhere near as showy, but his fantastic chemistry with Moore is crucial. Giamatti brings a sternness that perfectly complements her performance, allowing Moore to shine even brighter. It’s hard to think of another working actor who would’ve been able to pull off the character of Jerry, who in many ways is similar to Paul Hunham in The Holdovers. Beneath the hard exterior is a level of vulnerability and empathy, something Giamatti has been able to perfect throughout his performances in these types of roles.
The Debut may only be Jesse Eisenberg’s third turn as a feature-length director, but if this is anything to go by, despite being a very accomplished actor, the director’s chair may be his true calling. Powered along by two exceptional performances and a fantastic script, this is a real awards contender across the board and will make it onto many people’s favorite movies of the year lists.
