“The Debut” Soars as one of the Season’s Best [TIFF 2026 REVIEW]

An Invisible Life

Jesse Eisenberg loves musical theater. As a young man who split his formative years between Queens and New Jersey, it’s no surprise theater is part of his fabric. But dreams of community theater are not for the faint of heart, especially one that lives in an adolescent boy. During this year’s TIFF, Eisenberg premiered his 3rd feature film, The Debut (2026) to a sold out house. When putting together his 3rd feature film, The Debut (2026) – the story of a naive theater neophyte, Eisenberg wondered who the adult equivalent to his experience would be and came up with a repressed housewife. It’s a comparison that is brilliant, apropos and damning. And it turns a comedy that pokes fun at the sincerity of the local stage and elevates it to a fascinating character study of a woman on the edge. While still being hilarious. 

The Debut is a story of ‘90s housewife Mona (Julianne Moore) who decides to try out for her local community theater’s performance of Nosy Neighbors. Even though her main competition is theater vet Serena Cherry (Bernadette Peters who is sublime), Mona is not deterred. She walks in confidently and delivers a… mid performance. She’s dismissed by director Jerry (Paul Giamatti) and told that he would “be in touch”. Still, she’s hopeful as she returns to her home and her husband and her high school aged twins who barely notice she exists. 

The question of Mona’s existence is one that’s prevalent throughout most of the film. She’s only regarded when she speaks up (which is rare) or when something of mild inconvenience is needed. Even in the chair at her hair salon or out to dinner with her “best friend” Cassie (Cara Buono). Mona claims that she just wants to do the show as a novelty, but her tears after being rejected paint a different picture. She needs the show, even if she doesn’t fully understand why. Through a fortuitous series of events, Mona ends up getting cast as Ms. Danielle, the building super. She meets the rest of the company which consists of theater kids who refuse to give up. 

Hallie Bailey is Stef playing Girl in 4F. We also meet characters played by Colton Ryan, Maulik Pancholy, Lilli Cooper, Jared Loftin, Megumi Nakamura, Bonnie Mulligan and Eisenberg himself. Keeping everything in line are Music Director Marty (K. Todd Freeman), Stage Manager Sybill (Susan Blommaert) and assistant Piotr (Eldar Isgandarov) – which, in a great bit, Mona keeps talking to him in remedial Spanish when he is very Russian. Mona enters into the fairytale that is community theater where positive reinforcement is encouraged along with fast connection. Jerry expects a lot of them and works them hard which is why Mona is given a banana. She can count on this team she’s just met to give her what she needs, even a cigarette that she doesn’t smoke, but pretending to is enough. 

Mona initially is so in awe of everyone else’s talent that she forgets to cultivate her own. But after a personal session with Jerry, Mona finds her confidence and quickly loses her mind. It’s nearly a trope – the insulated, socially stunted person gets an inch of acknowledgement and takes a mile of doing the most. Until this moment, the audience has either decided to empathize, sympathize or loathe Mona’s insecurity. But whatever your opinion of Mona, you can’t help but root for her. Moore imbues Mona with so much sincerity that she demands attention. Knowing what to do with it is another story. 

Life’s a Stage

As Mona begins to break from her shell, she attempts to lose herself in her character. In the process she may just find out more about her own masks than she ever knew. Moore always turns in a capable character, but the passion she puts into Mona is enviable. It’s easy to play a character like this with tongue firmly in cheek, but Moore doesn’t play Mona for laughs. The absurdity of Mona’s life makes it sadly funny (a real “laugh or cry” situation), but Moore understands the underlying depression and sadness that Mona has just accepted into her life. 

She’s beyond a pushover, since to be pushed over, people have to realize you’re there. She’s finally been told by someone that not only is she seen, she’s wanted and being depended on. Watching these expectations both ruin her and be the best thing that’s ever happened to her is something only a skilled actor can pull off, and Moore excels. 

Giamatti is a wonderful community theater director who is just jaded enough in his self importance, but still sincere enough to let it all go once the curtain goes up. His goal is the art, the craft and he’s willing to bump heads with Mona because at the end of the day – although manic – Mona cares deeply about the show as well. Jerry is indifferent at first, nearly cold, but he makes the decision (you’ll have to wait and see if it’s out of the goodness of his heart or absolute necessity) to develop her skill and understand her core. 

The theater players are a perfect mix of weird neighborhood people who can’t stop singing and/or doing accents. I’m likely closer to one than I’m willing to admit, which may be why I understand the characters so well. Bailey plays Stef with a natural sweetness that supports Mona, but also understands her boundaries. Bailey did wonderfully and played into the “heightened yet grounded” nature of her character. All of the theater members did. If we go with the premise that the film is from Mona’s POV, and Mona is a slightly unreliable narrator, then it makes sense for the theater crew to be so Friendly+. Eisenberg’s character may be the most cynical, but even he is laden with love for the arts. 

In the tradition of theater camp love letters like Camp (2003), Theater Camp (2023) and even Wet Hot American Summer (2001), The Debut sings the praises of community theater while giving it a gentle ribbing. Like the loving noogie of an older brother, Eisenberg basks in the importance of musical theater, and the ridiculousness.

This is Eisenberg’s 3rd feature film and it shows his growth and versatility as a filmmaker even off of the excellence that was A Real Pain (2024). His first film When You Finish Saving the World (2022) was based on an audio drama written and produced for Audible in 2020. The film was not received well and it’s worth mentioning because while heavily speculated, there’s never been a frank discussion of why it didn’t connect. My theory is a mixture of tonal and plot shift – the film removed characters, changed the timeline and the overall plot structure – and the limitations of indie and first time filmmaking. I mention this because The Debut can double as a look at how the sausage is made. A look (literally) behind the curtain that shows not everything is as cut and dried as it may appear. Some might consider When You Finish Saving the World a failure, but I think it could turn into a learning opportunity and I think The Debut is as much as a love letter to that as well.

[Mona]’s beyond a pushover, since to be pushed over, people have to realize you’re there.

If You Can Make it There

Eisenberg has a love for ‘70s cinematic style but as a statement. There were car scenes reminiscent of the paranoia of Francis Ford Coppola’s The Conversation (1974) and a scene that screamed Dustin Hoffman in Midnight Cowboy (1969) or John Travolta Saturday Night Fever (1977) where a character saunters down the streets of the small town, but it might as well have been New York for the importance they display. These stylistic easter eggs only add to the sheen of ultra-reality that Mona views her community theater in. 

The music also helps sell this. Composer Emile Mosseri collaborated on When You Finish Saving the World and brought his brand of dark whimsy to The Debut. The music is jaunty, but not cloying. It’s moody but not overwhelming. Eisenberg wrote the actual musical theater songs and they are pitch perfect in composition and delivery. A theater pro himself, his authenticity is on point and the songs fit the theme while also being relatable to our main characters. These songs along with the sound design and composing give the film an all encompassing audio landscape and it’s very effective. 

The Debut is one of the best movies of the year and a much needed comedy film that actually makes you laugh out loud. It’s deeply layered which lends itself to repeat viewings and it seems to only get better with multiple watches. I highly recommend this film and taking a friend who needs a release. 

The Debut has traveled the festival circuit, debuting at Telluride on September 5th. A24 acquired it and will distribute the film nationwide on December 11th.