The Deb – Movie Review
Adapted from the stage musical of the same name, The Deb serves as the directorial debut of Rebel Wilson, who brings to life a timeless tale told through contemporary musical numbers that tonally falls somewhere between Priscilla: Queen of the Desert and Mean Girls, but fails to get close to being as entertaining or defining as either.
The titular “Deb” is the Debutant Ball that takes place in the rural Australian town of Dunburn, where the loveable farm girl, Taylah (Natalie Abbott), sees the chance to finally gain acceptance from her small town, and for herself. That is until the arrival of her city slicker, and outwardly feminist, Maeve (Charlotte MacInnes) arrives at Dunburn on the account of her status-quo disrupting behaviours back at school causing her family to send her away to “learn some lessons”. Feeling that a Debutant Ball is outdated (or more specifically “heteronormative shit”), Maeve becomes intent on destroying the ‘Deb’ from the inside, despite the pleas from her cousin to let her have her chance at making a name for herself.
Right from its opening song (‘Fuck My Life’), The Deb’s snarky and cynical examination of current societal norms is on full display. This movie, written by one of the musicals co-creators, Hannah Reilly, wears its millennial coded, feminist card on its sleeve. And in the same way that iconic Australian musical Priscilla did back in the day, it’s a warm welcome to have art that is willing to be so abrasive, but in a dynamic way.
The musical numbers have a grandiose feeling to them, with cinematography and choreography that feels cinematic. Wilson’s direction of these scenes definitely don’t feel like stage production routines filmed on a movie set, rather the camera moves around these set pieces in a way that does feel exciting. The songs themselves are hit or miss, some bring a fair few laughs, others do well when it comes to the emotional beats, but no singular song or number in the film has an overly punchy impact, rather sometimes feeling a bit same-same.
Another noteworthy cinematic element is the town of Dunburn itself, which captures the blue-skied, orange horizon, small town Aussie feeling quite well. Acubra’s, dusty roads, barbed wire fences and saloon style pubs really do give The Deb a unique Australiana feeling, again something that hasn’t really been seen in musical form since Priscilla.
The comedy, like the musical numbers, is also hit or miss. The film struggles to find a comedic tone, often bouncing back and forth between absurdist slapstick or cynical wickedness. Side characters like Shane Jacobson’s mayor Rick or Rebel Wilson’s debutante head Janette go for more of the quick fire, random comedy, whereas Maeve or even some of the other Dunburn girls she clashes with have a bit more venom in their bites. On their own, both tones have comedic merit, and sometimes do lead to solid laughs. But more often than not, the two tones clash, leaving the humour feeling a little too dry, despite it feeling very akin to that Mean Girls sensibility.
The heart of the film truly lies with Abbott and MacInnes, and their characters exploration of self-acceptance and finding that by fighting the outdated societal expectations of women, is heartwarming and inspiring at times. Watching both characters go through their journey’s, and interacting with each other and other characters, is one of the story’s saving graces.
Overall, The Deb tries to pay homage to the films that laid the foundation before, but unfortunately falls short underneath the comedic tonal clashes and drawn out story. Perhaps as a musical, The Deb has more impact, but as a 2 hour film, it does leave a lot to be desired.
The Deb is in Australian cinemas April 9
