The Deb | Dir: Rebel Wilson | ★ ★ ★ ★
Rebel Wilson is known for her crude comedy in films such as Pitch Perfect and Bridesmaids. The Deb, her first film as a director, is a musical comedy based on the stage musical of the same name, set in a small dusty outback town in the middle of a drought.
Maeve (Charlotte MacInnes) is head girl at her salubrious private school, captain of the debating team and chair of the ‘bisexual fire signs for a vegan canteen alliance’. She is also a Tik Tok influencer who identifies as an activist.
Her declaration at assembly in front of the whole school that got lots of clicks but no appreciation from the principal of the school, who just happened to be her mother as well. It resulted in her being sent to live with her Uncle Rick (Shane Jacobson) in Dunburn.
The wheatbelt town is 6 hours away from … well, civilisation. Maeve, who calls herself ‘the feminist voice of her generation’, is horrified to find out that her cousin, and in fact the whole town, is looking forward to the Deb Ball. That out-dated patriarchal tradition where young women are dressed as princesses in virginal white and presented to society.
Even though Maeve’s thinks that the Deb Ball is ‘an antiquated shit-show from hell’, her cousin Taylah (Natalie Abbott) is desperate for the chance to be more attractive after being the target of bullying for so long. Maeve is bored and decides to help Taylah, and make a podcast about it.
The main mean girl, Annabelle (Stevie Jean), is the daughter of the town’s beautician Janette (Rebel Wilson), whose salon Curl Up N Dye is set up in her garage. Unfortunately, Wilson seems to be trying to upstage her talented cast with her bawdy crudeness.
The slick production embraces diversity as it sings and dances to catchy tunes in a dusty country town. It finds a more modern way of ‘coming out’, and there is also a touch of romance where you wouldn’t be expecting it.
Lezly Herbert
