On Saturday afternoon, Jesse Eisenberg hit the universe with his most poignant film yet. The actor, writer and director of “A Real Pain” and “When You Finish Saving the World” introduced “The Debut,” which had a thunderous world premiere at the Telluride Film Festival’s Palm Theater on Saturday.
The film opens with a showstopping audition number from community theatre legend Serena Cherry (inhabited by Broadway icon Bernadette Peters), but its central character is Mona Friedman (Julianne Moore), who hopes to escape her quiet, invisible life as a New Jersey homemaker. Mona tries out for the local community theater musical, “Nosy Neighbors,” although she hasn’t sung a note since being in the church choir as a teen. – and when Serena decides that the part is too small for her, Mona’s dreams come true. Replacing Serena in the musical sends Mona tumbling down a rabbit hole of unleashed creativity while simultaneously blowing up her whole identity.
With a role crafted just for her by Eisenberg, Moore takes no prisoners. During a post-screening Q&A, costar Paul Giamatti said that “the most entertaining thing ever” was watching Moore pretend to be a bad actress, to which Moore humbly responded, “Anyone could have done this part.”
That seems unlikely. Moore enters a whole new plane with Mona, particularly in an improv exercise where her emotional intensity is nothing short of miraculous. She invokes Anne Baxter in “All About Eve” or J.K. Simmons in “Whiplash.” She gives Mona breadth and depth as a woman who wants to be seen, artistically and personally.
She also does wonders with the songs, all of which are written by Eisenberg. (Emile Mosseri wrote the score.) Those songs are not always easy to navigate, making what Moore does with “The City May Have Chewed Me Up, But It Hasn’t Spit Me Out” particularly impressive.
Her partner in crime is the amazingly nuanced Giamatti, whose performance as the community theater director, Jerry, brings to mind legendary Broadway directors like Jerome Robbins and Bob Fosse, both of them known to be taskmasters who demanded the absolute best from their casts.
One of the more touching moments comes after Jerry watches Mona on opening night and later shares his story with her. He tells her that he was an actor, and that like every actor, wanted nothing more than to be standing center stage. But after having nominal success on tour, he got older, the parts got smaller and he just gave up.
The supporting cast is composed of major players in the Broadway community, including Lilli Cooper, Craig Bierko, Bonnie Milligan, Colton Ryan and K. Todd Freeman. Even “The Little Mermaid” star Halle Bailey gets to strut her stuff as a sweeter-than-pie leading lady. “Hamilton” choreographer Andy Blankenbuehler stages the musical numbers for “Nosy Neighbors,” and as a director, Eisenberg may soon be giving Rob Marshall (“Chicago,” “Into The Woods,” “Nine”) a run for his money.
Director, screenwriter and songwriter Eisenberg is not only the screenwriter appeared been in numerous Off-Broadway productions early in his career (“Summer and Smoke,” “Asuncion,” “The Revisionist,” “The Spoils” and his solo show “The Ziegfeld File”), which gives him the clarity to capture the audition, rehearsal and opening night process. That experience is one of the major reasons this film fires on all cylinders.
“It is autobiographical,” Eisenberg said during the post-premiere Q&A. “I did community theater, and the people there made me feel so very special, just like what happens to Mona.”
In the theatre, there is a saying that if you’re on time, you’re late. “The Debut” is right on time with the right amount of laughter, fun and “Waiting For Guffman” energy. It had the audience skipping and humming a show tune or two upon exiting the theatre. Eisenberg and Moore have provided a story of survival and the indomitable spirit it takes to withstand rejection in life or in the theater with a never ending Teflon spirit.
“The Debut” will be released in December by A24.
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