Moore Hails 'The Debut' as 'Best Script' at LFF Closing — SkimNews
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- "The Debut" closed the London Film Festival on Sunday with a screening at the Royal Festival Hall, where writer-director Jesse Eisenberg and star Julianne Moore introduced the film to a packed house.
- Julianne Moore called the screenplay "one of the best scripts I've ever read in my entire life" and an "incredible gift," while Eisenberg said he could "only picture Julianne" while writing the central part.
- Jesse Eisenberg wrote and directed the musical comedy, starring Moore as Mona Friedman, a shy New Jersey housewife who auditions for her local theater's production of a fictional musical called "Nosy Neighbors."
- Paul Giamatti, who plays the theater's director in the film, could not attend the U.K. premiere because he has COVID-19, Eisenberg said from the stage.
- The supporting cast also includes Halle Bailey, Bernadette Peters, Colton Ryan, Bonnie Milligan, Lilli Cooper, Maulik Pancholy and Havana Rose Liu; Eisenberg joked that acting alongside his childhood idols was so distracting he "was my worst self."
- "The Debut" premiered at Telluride Film Festival last month, earning Oscar buzz for Moore; Variety's chief critic compared it to "Waiting for Guffman" made by the Coen brothers. The film opens Dec. 11 via A24.
Why it matters: With A24 opening "The Debut" in mid-December and Moore already drawing Oscar buzz from its Telluride premiere, the London Film Festival closer slot functions as a final pre-release stamp. Variety's Coen-tinged review positions the film as a late-breaking awards-season contender from a director who wrote the part specifically for Moore, while Giamatti's COVID absence kept the cast from a full reunion moment in front of a paying audience.
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