The hosts discuss how the film attempts to juggle various themes including feminism, body image, and family dynamics, but ultimately falters due to a script that feels overstuffed and unfocused. Chris and Jessica point out that the musical elements seem tacked on, failing to enhance the narrative and instead contributing to an uneven pacing that detracts from the overall experience.
As they analyze Maeve's character, the hosts express their frustration with her portrayal as more obnoxious than empowering, making it difficult to root for her journey. In contrast, Natalie Abbott's performance as Tayla emerges as a standout, bringing emotional depth and relatability to the story. The episode also touches on the supporting characters, including Shane Jacobson as Rick and Rebel Wilson's portrayal of Jeanette, both of whom feel more like caricatures than fully developed individuals.
With a score of 3 out of 10, Chris and Jessica conclude that *The Deb* is a missed opportunity, lacking the cohesive vision needed to deliver a satisfying musical experience. They encourage listeners to skip this one unless they're die-hard fans of Rebel Wilson or curious about her directorial efforts. Join Chris and Jessica as they unpack the missteps of this film and hope for better projects in the future.
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This episode includes AI-generated content.
00:00:00 --> 00:00:02 Chris: Okay, so here's something to think about.
00:00:03 --> 00:00:05 Rebel Wilson's first shot at directing the
00:00:05 --> 00:00:08 Deb is a musical comedy that somehow
00:00:08 --> 00:00:10 manages to feel both overstuffed and
00:00:10 --> 00:00:13 underwhelming. Today we're breaking
00:00:13 --> 00:00:16 down what went wrong, and if there's anything
00:00:16 --> 00:00:16 that went right.
00:00:17 --> 00:00:20 Jessica: Oh, I'm ready for this one. There's a lot to
00:00:20 --> 00:00:22 unpack here, and I have to say, this movie
00:00:22 --> 00:00:24 left me with more questions than answers.
00:00:24 --> 00:00:25 Where do you want to start?
00:00:26 --> 00:00:28 Chris: Let's start with the premise, because on
00:00:28 --> 00:00:31 paper, it's not the worst idea you've
00:00:31 --> 00:00:34 got. Maeve, this rebellious, self proclaimed
00:00:34 --> 00:00:36 feminist high schooler who gets expelled for
00:00:36 --> 00:00:39 a stunt that's supposed to be empowering, but
00:00:39 --> 00:00:42 comes off as reckless. She's sent to live
00:00:42 --> 00:00:45 with her uncle in a small, drought stricken
00:00:45 --> 00:00:48 town, and from there it's a mix of culture
00:00:48 --> 00:00:50 clash, family drama, and a
00:00:50 --> 00:00:53 debutante ball subplot. Sounds
00:00:53 --> 00:00:54 like it could work, right?
00:00:54 --> 00:00:57 Jessica: It could have, but the execution just wasn't
00:00:57 --> 00:00:59 there. The story felt like it was trying to
00:00:59 --> 00:01:02 juggle too many themes. Feminism,
00:01:02 --> 00:01:04 small town values, body image, family
00:01:04 --> 00:01:07 dynamics. And it didn't handle any of them
00:01:07 --> 00:01:10 particularly well. It's like they threw every
00:01:10 --> 00:01:12 idea into the script without thinking about
00:01:12 --> 00:01:13 how it all fit together.
00:01:14 --> 00:01:17 Chris: Exactly. And then they decided to make it a
00:01:17 --> 00:01:20 musical, which honestly felt like an
00:01:20 --> 00:01:23 afterthought. The songs were sporadic and
00:01:24 --> 00:01:26 didn't add much to the story. If anything,
00:01:26 --> 00:01:28 they just made the pacing feel even more
00:01:28 --> 00:01:29 uneven.
00:01:29 --> 00:01:31 Jessica: That's such a good point. If you're going to
00:01:31 --> 00:01:34 make a musical, the music needs to feel
00:01:34 --> 00:01:37 integral to the story. Here it
00:01:37 --> 00:01:39 felt like they were just trying to add some
00:01:39 --> 00:01:41 flair to distract from the weak script. And
00:01:41 --> 00:01:43 let's be honest, the script was a mess.
00:01:45 --> 00:01:48 Chris: Oh, absolutely. The tone was all over the
00:01:48 --> 00:01:50 place. One minute it's trying to be a raunchy
00:01:50 --> 00:01:53 comedy, the next it's a heartfelt drama,
00:01:53 --> 00:01:55 and then it's a coming of age story.
00:01:56 --> 00:01:58 It's like the movie couldn't decide what it
00:01:58 --> 00:02:01 wanted to be. And as a result, it didn't do
00:02:01 --> 00:02:02 any of those things well.
00:02:02 --> 00:02:05 Jessica: And because of that, the characters suffered
00:02:05 --> 00:02:07 too. Let's talk about Maeve.
00:02:08 --> 00:02:10 She's supposed to be this bold, unapologetic
00:02:10 --> 00:02:13 feminist, but she comes off as more obnoxious
00:02:13 --> 00:02:16 than empowering. I found it really hard to
00:02:16 --> 00:02:16 root for her.
00:02:17 --> 00:02:20 Chris: Same here. Maeve had potential as a
00:02:20 --> 00:02:22 character, but the way she was written made
00:02:22 --> 00:02:25 her so unlikable. She's self
00:02:25 --> 00:02:27 centered, manipulative, and doesn't seem to
00:02:27 --> 00:02:30 learn much until the very end. And even then
00:02:30 --> 00:02:32 her growth felt Forced and unearned.
00:02:33 --> 00:02:35 Jessica: I will say though that Natalie Abbott as
00:02:35 --> 00:02:38 Tayla, the cousin, was a standout for me.
00:02:39 --> 00:02:41 She brought a lot of heart to the role and I
00:02:41 --> 00:02:43 found myself sympathizing with her more than
00:02:43 --> 00:02:44 anyone else in the movie.
00:02:45 --> 00:02:47 Chris: Yeah, Tayla was probably the most relatable
00:02:47 --> 00:02:49 character. She's this big hearted dreamer who
00:02:49 --> 00:02:52 just wants to fit in and be accepted, but
00:02:52 --> 00:02:54 she's constantly being bullied and
00:02:54 --> 00:02:56 ostracized. Her storyline had some
00:02:56 --> 00:02:58 emotional weight, even if it was a bit heavy
00:02:58 --> 00:02:59 handed at times.
00:03:00 --> 00:03:02 Jessica: And then there's Shane Jacobson as Rick, the
00:03:02 --> 00:03:04 hardworking farmer and mayor of the town.
00:03:05 --> 00:03:07 He's likable enough, but he felt more like a
00:03:07 --> 00:03:09 caricature than a fully fleshed out
00:03:09 --> 00:03:11 character. What did you think of him?
00:03:12 --> 00:03:15 Chris: I mean, Shane Jacobson has this good natured
00:03:15 --> 00:03:18 everyman thing down to a science, so he was
00:03:18 --> 00:03:20 fine in the role. But like you said, Rick
00:03:20 --> 00:03:22 felt more like a stock character than a real
00:03:22 --> 00:03:24 person. And don't even get me started on
00:03:24 --> 00:03:26 Rebel Wilson's portrayal of Jeanette, the
00:03:26 --> 00:03:28 hairdresser and beautician.
00:03:28 --> 00:03:31 Jessica: Oh, Jeanette. She was supposed to be funny,
00:03:31 --> 00:03:33 but her character just didn't work for me.
00:03:34 --> 00:03:36 Her attempts at humor felt forced and instead
00:03:36 --> 00:03:39 of being endearing, she came off as annoying.
00:03:39 --> 00:03:42 The only bright spot in her storyline was her
00:03:42 --> 00:03:44 younger daughter, Kid Koala, played by
00:03:44 --> 00:03:45 Scarlet Crabtree.
00:03:45 --> 00:03:48 Chris: Totally agree. Kid Koala was cheeky and
00:03:48 --> 00:03:51 charming and her scenes with Rebel Wilson had
00:03:51 --> 00:03:54 a nice natural rapport. But beyond that,
00:03:54 --> 00:03:56 the rest of the cast didn't leave much of an
00:03:56 --> 00:03:59 impression. Tara Marice's shell, the
00:03:59 --> 00:04:01 spinster dressmaker. She was trying so hard
00:04:01 --> 00:04:04 to be quirky, but it just didn't land.
00:04:05 --> 00:04:07 Jessica: And let's not forget the cinematography.
00:04:08 --> 00:04:10 There were a few nice shots, especially the
00:04:10 --> 00:04:12 opening scenes of Sydney, but overall it was
00:04:12 --> 00:04:15 nothing to write home about. The visuals
00:04:15 --> 00:04:17 didn't do much to elevate the movie.
00:04:18 --> 00:04:20 Chris: Exactly. And the humor, oh
00:04:20 --> 00:04:23 boy. It was that stereotypical
00:04:24 --> 00:04:26 sweary, larrikin Aussie humor
00:04:27 --> 00:04:29 that just didn't land for me. It felt like
00:04:29 --> 00:04:31 the movie was trying too hard to be edgy and
00:04:31 --> 00:04:33 irreverent, but it ended up being
00:04:33 --> 00:04:34 cringeworthy instead.
00:04:35 --> 00:04:38 Jessica: Totally. It's like they were aiming for
00:04:38 --> 00:04:40 laugh out loud, but hit roll your eyes
00:04:40 --> 00:04:42 instead. And the fact that the theater was
00:04:42 --> 00:04:44 basically empty when I saw it says a lot.
00:04:45 --> 00:04:47 Clearly, I wasn't the only one who wasn't
00:04:47 --> 00:04:48 impressed.
00:04:49 --> 00:04:51 Chris: Same here. I was the only person in the
00:04:51 --> 00:04:53 cinema during my screening. And that's never
00:04:53 --> 00:04:56 a good sign. So the big question,
00:04:56 --> 00:04:57 should people see
00:04:57 --> 00:05:00 Jessica: this film Honestly, I'd say skip
00:05:00 --> 00:05:02 it. There are so many better movies out there
00:05:02 --> 00:05:04 that are worth your time and money. Unless
00:05:04 --> 00:05:07 you're a die hard Rebel Wilson fan or you're
00:05:07 --> 00:05:09 really curious about her directorial debut,
00:05:09 --> 00:05:11 there's no reason to watch the Deb.
00:05:11 --> 00:05:14 Chris: I agree it's not the worst movie I've ever
00:05:14 --> 00:05:16 seen, but it's far from good. If you're
00:05:16 --> 00:05:19 looking for a fun feel good musical, this
00:05:19 --> 00:05:22 isn't it. Save yourself the
00:05:22 --> 00:05:22 disappointment.
00:05:23 --> 00:05:26 Jessica: Well said. So final
00:05:26 --> 00:05:26 score?
00:05:27 --> 00:05:30 Chris: I'd give it a 3 out of 10. It had a few
00:05:30 --> 00:05:32 redeeming qualities, mainly the performances
00:05:32 --> 00:05:35 of Natalie Abbott and Scarlet Crabtree, but
00:05:35 --> 00:05:36 overall it was a mess.
00:05:36 --> 00:05:39 Jessica: Same here. A uh, three out of ten feels fair.
00:05:40 --> 00:05:42 It's a shame really because it could have
00:05:42 --> 00:05:44 been so much better with a tighter script and
00:05:44 --> 00:05:45 a clearer vision.
00:05:46 --> 00:05:49 Chris: Absolutely. Here's hoping Rebel Wilson's next
00:05:49 --> 00:05:51 project is a step up from this one.