The Debut
A Desperate Housewife went rogue.
The Debut tells us the story of Mona, a New Jersey housewife who is more existing than living. Her husband has a good job, her children have already grown up, and she has a nice house and seemingly everything she could ever need. The only problem is that her life is absolutely empty. Even her husband doesn’t really care about what happens to her as long as there’s dinner on the table and food in the fridge. And Mona begins to realize this herself when, through a random series of circumstances, she auditions for one of the leading roles in a local community theater production. Working alongside Jerry, the director of the musical, Mona tries to understand her character and become a better performer, despite having absolutely no experience. But in her attempt to get under her character’s skin, Mona ends up learning a lot about her own life and gets a little too carried away, leading to extremes both on and off the stage.
Films that explore the psychology, inner workings, and ambitions of people in the arts, whether they’re about aspiring actors, musicians, or, in this case, theater performers, will always hold a special place in cinema and find their audience among cinephiles, who tend to be particularly warm towards films that portray these worlds with genuine care. And I’m confident that The Debut will join their ranks, because Jesse Eisenberg has managed to accomplish everything I felt was missing from his previous directorial efforts with his third feature.
The Debut is a film in which a lot happens, yet it never feels overwhelming. In what has already become something of a signature Jesse Eisenberg style, we dive into a funny story filled with deeply sad and personal moments. It’s about finding yourself against the backdrop of a boring, grey, and long-forgotten life, and about someone who, after finding herself among people who appreciate her, love her, and want something for her, begins to understand just how much she has lost along the way and how much has been missing from her life. It’s about realizing that even a grown-up, supposedly accomplished person can still have ambitions, desires, and goals they want and need to pursue.
It’s also a film about the importance of community, in this case, the theater community. We often forget that behind the biggest musicians, actors, and Broadway productions, there are countless talented and interesting local performers. It’s a story about discovering your own ego and the extremes it can lead you to when you become too invested in something and lose sight of your limits. It’s also a story about mutual support and a very subtle kind of friendship between people who have never known each other before, but who, as grown-up, seemingly accomplished individuals, find themselves coming to each other’s aid.
And finally, it’s a story about the importance of art and how much it can affect someone’s life.
If all of this sounds like too much, it really isn’t. Everything is presented so intelligently, clearly, and effortlessly that the hour and a half flies by. Jesse Eisenberg has seriously leveled up as a screenwriter, delivering an intricate, sharp, funny, yet thoughtful comedy that makes you reflect on what you’ve just watched. There’s plenty of symbolism for everyone to find, and I think pretty much anyone will recognize a little bit of themselves in it.
But Jesse Eisenberg’s greatest achievement here is, without a doubt, his choice of lead actors. And I want to make it clear right away that the entire supporting cast is fantastic, too, including Halle Bailey, Bonnie Milligan, Lilli Cooper, Colton Ryan, and Eisenberg himself. But casting Julianne Moore and Paul Giamatti as the two leads was an absolute bullseye.
Julianne Moore as Mona is simply indescribable. Her combination of comedic moments and profound drama, along with that little spark in her eyes that seems to have gone out, only for her to reignite it through what feels like a titanic effort throughout the film, is absolutely phenomenal. This is undoubtedly one of the best, if not the best, performances of Julianne Moore’s career. An absolute triumph.
Paul Giamatti is just as triumphant as Jerry, a former actor who eventually stopped getting roles and became a director, still carrying around his own unrealized dreams. His chemistry with Moore is wonderful, and there’s something so mischievous about his performance. He doesn’t tell us much about his character, yet you simply look at him and understand his depth. He can be sharp and harsh one moment, yet supportive and genuinely wishing the best for everyone. This feels like a role only Paul Giamatti could have played, and I genuinely cannot imagine anyone else in this part.
And all that’s left for me to say is that The Debut is the Jesse Eisenberg film in which everything finally comes together: the tone, the screenplay, the performances, and the character development. The starting point and the ending feel like two completely different worlds, and we get to watch these transformations unfold with laughter, while also feeling the weight of the characters’ struggles ourselves. We watch people reveal their emotional wounds and realize that it’s never too late to start healing them. And alongside these characters, we’re reminded once again that happiness doesn’t always lie in comfort, and that sometimes, finding it means stepping outside the life you’ve grown accustomed to.
This film leaves you with a smile and a very bittersweet kind of hope. And to make something like that happen, you always need something a little more than just talent.
9/10
