The trailer for Jesse Eisenberg's The Debut arrived Tuesday, and Julianne Moore is doing that thing she does where she starts a movie almost invisible and then slowly becomes the most compelling person on screen.
Moore plays a woman who has not sung in public since church choir. Paul Giamatti plays the biggest name in New Jersey community theater, described as "brilliant, but not here to be your friend." That pairing alone would be enough to get me interested. Moore has always been at her best when she plays characters who are underestimated, people the world has looked past who turn out to have something extraordinary inside them. Giamatti is one of those actors who can make an ego feel both monstrous and deeply human at the same time. Put them in a room together and you are going to get something worth watching.
This is Eisenberg's third feature as a director, and everything about this project suggests he is settling into the role with real confidence. His previous film, A Real Pain, earned Oscar nominations for Best Supporting Actor and Best Original Screenplay. That kind of recognition on your second film is rare, and it signals that the Academy sees him as more than a novelty. He is building a body of work as a filmmaker that stands entirely apart from his acting career.
What I find interesting about The Debut is that it seems to be Eisenberg going deeper into the territory A Real Pain opened up. Both films appear to be about people who carry something unresolved, who find unexpected ways to express what they have been holding back. The setting of community theater is a perfect container for that kind of story, a place where ordinary people get to be extraordinary for two hours a night.
A24 is targeting fall 2026 for the release, though no exact date has been announced yet. The fall window makes sense. This is clearly an awards season film, and A24 knows how to position those better than almost anyone in the business right now.
If you loved A Real Pain, this is Eisenberg going further. If you love Moore in roles where she starts quiet and becomes devastating, go watch Far From Heaven before this comes out. Todd Haynes gave her one of her greatest roles in that film, and the emotional register feels like it might be similar to what she is doing here. Fall cannot come soon enough.
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