Moore Delivers a Fire-Breathing Turn in The Debut

Bilge Ebiri hails Julianne Moore’s three-in-one turn in Jesse Eisenberg’s The Debut: a wild, genre-blending tale in which a shy New Jersey homemaker becomes a fearless stage star under a mercurial director, with shifting visuals and original songs that fuse comedy, musical, and noir. The film’s playful, metamorphic structure mirrors Mona Friedman’s ego-dissolving transformation, showcasing Moore’s fearless range and marking a bold leap for Eisenberg as a director.