Actor and comedian Rebel Wilson’s directorial debut “The Deb” is a bright, campy Australian musical that is at its best when it stops worrying about everything it wants to say and simply lets its young stars have fun.
The story follows Taylah (Natalie Abbott), a spirited country girl in the drought-stricken Outback town of Dunburn whose dream is to attend the town’s annual debutante ball (the “deb”). Her plans are complicated by the arrival of her city cousin Maeve (Charlotte MacInnes), a fiercely progressive teenager who has been exiled to the country after getting herself into trouble at school. Naturally, these two are not exactly destined to become best friends. Maeve sees the deb as a painfully outdated, heteronormative tradition, while Taylah sees it as her chance to finally feel like she belongs.
That city-versus-country clash gives the story plenty of comic ammunition, and Wilson clearly understands how to make the most of it. The musical numbers are energetic, colorful and genuinely inventive, with choreography that gives the film a big theatrical personality. I enjoyed about half of the original songs, which have a wonderfully eclectic sound that moves between R&B, synth pop and Australian rock. When the music clicks, the movie really comes alive. When it doesn’t, it can become painfully dull.
Abbott and MacInnes are also terrific together. Their characters could easily have remained caricatures of the sheltered country girl and the smug progressive city girl, but the performances give their growing relationship enough warmth to make everything work. Taylah’s journey is particularly effective. The movie could have gone down the familiar makeover route by suggesting she needs to change herself to win acceptance. Instead, her victory comes from recognizing her own worth and refusing to let the people who bully and body shame her define her. You go, girl!
The problem is that the film tries to cram an awful lot into its running time. Along with the cousins’ feud, there’s a “save the town” government funding story line, several romances, a podcast subplot and a pile of other smaller narratives. By the third act, the movie starts to feel less like a focused coming-of-age musical and more like several different movies fighting for attention. The pacing becomes frantic, and the majority of the humor doesn’t land nearly as well as Wilson seems to think it does.
Still, there’s an appealing sincerity underneath all the glitter and narrative rambling. The film celebrates individuality, female friendship and the idea that you shouldn’t have to squeeze yourself into somebody else’s definition of who you’re supposed to be. It doesn’t always find the most graceful way to deliver that message, but its heart is in the right place.
Uneven as it is, “The Deb” has enough lively musical numbers, winning performances, and unabashedly goofy energy to make it an enjoyable time. It’s messy, loud, and occasionally overstuffed, but there’s a real spark here that ignites a good bit of fun.
By: Louisa Moore
