Rebel Wilson’s ‘The Deb’: A rowdy satire on debutante balls
A fresh take on tradition
Debutante balls have long been a rite of passage, introducing young women to society’s upper echelons. However, in Rebel Wilson‘s directorial debut, The Deb, the concept is turned on its head. This Australian comedy is anything but polite, featuring characters that range from uncouth to outright offensive. Wilson herself plays a tacky small-town beautician in a brash, John Waters-esque musical satire that collides overzealous progressive values with old-school pageantry.
Legal disputes overshadowing the premiere
It’s unfortunate that the film’s closing-night premiere at the Toronto Film Festival is marred by legal disputes between Wilson and three of her producers. Despite this, The Deb delivers where it counts, poking fun at all parties while rewriting the codes of teenage romance for the 21st century. The film kicks off with an elaborately choreographed, radio-inappropriate opening number, “FML,” setting the tone for the chaos that follows.
A modern twist on a classic fable
Set deep in the outback, where well-meaning folks are decades behind the times, The Deb offers an up-to-the-minute riff on Aesop’s classic “town mouse and country mouse” fable. After her latest school protest gets her expelled, big-city cousin Maeve Barker (Charlotte Macinnes) is sent to dusty, dead-end Dunburn. Maeve, an indignant “cancel pig,” is expected to fit in with her rural relative and social outcast, Taylah Simpkins (Natalie Abbott).
The social dynamics of Dunburn
In Dunburn, Maeve finds herself at odds with the popular girls: Annabelle (Stevie Jean), Danielle (Brianna Bishop), and Chantelle (Karis Oka), who call themselves the “Pixie Cups.” Snappily dressed and TikTok-ready, Maeve seems to have more in common with this social media-obsessed trio than with her less image-conscious cousin. However, Maeve instinctively takes Taylah’s side when her classmates try to humiliate her.
The debutante ball dilemma
The Dunburn Debutante Ball is just weeks away, and Taylah, who dreams of her big night like a Disney fairy tale, can’t find a date. To complicate matters, Maeve almost instantly attracts the attention of Dusty (Costa D’Angelo), whose “Rebel Without a Cause” look suggests Dunburn isn’t entirely cut off from culture. Maeve, who muses, “I think I might be the feminist voice of my generation,” rejects any attempt at chivalry with a curt, “What is it about my birth sex and/or gender performance that makes you assume?”
The Pixie Cups and Janette’s ambitions
The Pixie Cups see the ball as a chance to launch their influencer careers, pressured by Annabelle’s ambitious stage mom, Janette (Wilson), who operates a salon called Curl Up N Dye out of her garage. With her outrageous fashion and killer song, “It’s time to get ugly,” Wilson risks hijacking her own movie. Yet, she remains the funniest thing on-screen, a bad-taste terrorist determined to take down Maeve.
A showcase for Wilson’s talents
To American audiences familiar with Wilson from Bridesmaids and Pitch Perfect, The Deb might feel like her splashy coming-out party, showcasing her comedic and creative talents in a new light. Australians, however, should already be familiar with this side of Wilson, whose career took off in 2008 with the musical sitcom Bogan Pride.
Clever screenplay and contemporary lyrics
The screenplay, credited to Hannah Reilly and Meg Washington, who wrote the stage musical from which The Deb was adapted, is clever and contemporary. This project is every bit Wilson’s jam, grounded in sincerity but relying on bawdy, off-color jokes to deflect from empowerment messaging that might otherwise seem square. And it works: you tend not to feel preached to when Wilson is bragging about giving her signature “back, crack and sack wax” to Hugh Jackman.
A diverse and inclusive cast
Audiences haven’t seen much of Wilson since her 2020 weight loss, which makes her seem even fiercer here. It’s refreshing to see her continue to embrace all body types in the casting of this ensemble, especially in her choice of Abbott, who played the lead in a touring production of Muriel’s Wedding the Musical. As Taylah, Abbott recalls Ricki Lake in Hairspray: both remain irrepressibly upbeat, even when their peers try to shame them.
A plot twist and character development
Taylah seems so guileless that it’s hard to follow an unconvincing plot turn about two-thirds of the way through, when Janette succeeds in driving a wedge between the cousins. But the movie has at least half a dozen characters in need of enlightening. The trick is to change their minds while allowing everyone to remain true to themselves — to have a ball and deflate it too.
Watch the trailer
For a sneak peek, check out the trailer for The Deb.
The Deb is a bold, irreverent take on the debutante ball tradition, blending humor, satire, and a touch of sincerity to create a film that is both entertaining and thought-provoking. Whether you’re a fan of Rebel Wilson or just looking for a fresh, modern comedy, this film is worth a watch.