# ‘The Debut’ Review: Julianne Moore And Paul Giamatti Get Big Laughs In Jesse Eisenberg’s Hilarious And Even Sweet Look At Community Theatre – Telluride Film Festival

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/the-debut-review-julianne-moore-and-paul-giamatti-get-big-laughs-in-jesse-eisenbergs-hilarious-and-even-sweet-look-at-community-theatre-telluride-film-festival/
- Published: 2026-09-06T15:37:14+00:00
- Updated: 2026-09-06T21:44:01+00:00
- Original publisher: Deadline
- Original article: https://deadline.com/2026/09/the-debut-review-julianne-moore-paul-giamatti-jesse-eisenberg-1237069095/
- Topics: Americas, Business, Entertainment, Film, Markets, World

## Key points

- Eisenberg's "The Debut" wows Telluride crowd with Moore, Giamatti comedy.
- A24 will release the community-theatre comedy this December.
- Moore's improvised, obscenity-laden rehearsal scene earns the film's R rating.

## Summary

Deadline's Telluride Film Festival review praises Jesse Eisenberg's third feature as writer-director, "The Debut," calling it a hilarious and occasionally poignant comedy set in the world of amateur community theatre. The review highlights go-for-broke performances from Julianne Moore and Paul Giamatti, noting that an intense Moore rehearsal scene drew such sustained laughter at the premiere that the audience broke into applause; A24 is set to release the film in December.

Moore plays Mona, an overlooked New Jersey housewife who auditions on a whim for a local production of a musical called "Nosy Neighbors" and is cast almost by accident after the favoured performer drops out. Under gruff director Jerry (Giamatti), Mona is pushed to improvise a single throwaway line and delivers an escalating outburst of obscenities that earns the film its R rating, a moment the review likens to Dustin Hoffman's immersive performance in "Tootsie." The film draws comparisons to theatre comedies such as "The Producers" and "Waiting for Guffman," though Eisenberg, who also takes a small role, is said to carve out his own tone by blending broad farce with warmth rather than mockery of small-town productions.

## Coverage

- [Deadline: ‘The Debut’ Review: Julianne Moore And Paul Giamatti Get Big Laughs In Jesse Eisenberg’s Hilarious And Even Sweet Look At Community Theatre – Telluride Film Festival](https://deadline.com/2026/09/the-debut-review-julianne-moore-paul-giamatti-jesse-eisenberg-1237069095/)
- [Variety: ‘The Debut’ Review: Julianne Moore Is Astonishing in Jesse Eisenberg’s Funny and Dizzying Community-Theater Comedy](https://variety.com/2026/film/reviews/the-debut-review-julianne-moore-jesse-eisenberg-1236852779/)
- [The Hollywood Reporter: ‘The Debut’ Review: Julianne Moore and Paul Giamatti Are Dynamite Together in Jesse Eisenberg’s Entertainingly Offbeat Theater Comedy](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/the-debut-review-julianne-moore-paul-giamatti-1236691977/)

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