VIFF 2026 | Julianne Moore Stages 'The Debut' Named Mona

"You got the part!"

A24 / Elevation Pictures

VIFF 2026—Actor/filmmaker Jesse Eisenberg writes and directs The Debut, starring Julianne Moore and Paul Giamatti as a meek New Jersey housewife and powerhouse community theatre director, in a blistering musical comedy, The Debut, which bears more than a few passing similarities to the famed The Simpsons episode, "A Streetcar Named Marge."

Produced once again by regular Eisenberg co-star and collaborator Emma Stone, the film features a familiar cast of role players that includes Eisenberg in a small role himself. Much of the fictional play-within-a-film, "Nosy Neighbors," feels like an extremely sincere regional ensemble musical. There are hokey song and dance numbers repeated for maximum effect and comic potency.

What really makes The Debut sing is Moore's unbelievably committed performance as a mild-mannered woman slowly crumbling in a midlife crisis and turning herself over to the "reality" of her musical stage performance under the tight control of Giamatti's mannered but maniacal director. Their chemistry together pushes the otherwise small-stakes story to both extreme laughs and lengths.

There's a blisteringly earnest quality to the increasingly surreal musical comedy. It's clear some of the deeply personal aspects of the suburban community theatre material have informed the film's overall structure, mirroring the act of rehearsal. Eisenberg levels up his ambition and visual language to truly express the artistic turmoil of a dissatisfied mother who rediscovers herself (to extreme lengths) through performing for others. It's one of the funniest and best films of the year.

The Debut screened at the opening gala of the 2026 Vancouver International Film Festival as part of the Special Presentations series.


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