Sunday, September 6, 2026

Julianne Moore and Paul Giamatti Are the Talk of Telluride with Jesse Eisenberg’s “The Debut” Getting Rapturous Reviews Awards Talk

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From Telluride, all I’m hearing about is Julianne Moore.

Already an Oscar winner for “Still Alice,” Moore has broken out as the lead candidate for Best Actress in “The Debut.”

Coming off “A Real Pain,” Jesse Eisenberg wrote and directed this comedy about local theater in New Jersey. Paul Giamatti plays the director of a new musical who also has a reputation for being difficult. Moore, whose character has no acting experience, auditions and wins a part in the show.

So far, every review is rapturous. Eisenberg co-wrote seven original songs for the fake musical, and they’re all said to be witty and tuneful. One of them will go into contention for Best Song at the various awards shows.

“The Debut” next at the Toronto and New York film festivals. It’s from A24, and probably their best shot this year — and also one that doesn’t take much convincing to like it.

I told you about “The Debut” a few months ago. The combination of Eisenberg, Moore, and Giamatti is a no-brainer.

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Roger Friedman
Roger Friedman
Roger Friedman is the founder and editor-in-chief of Showbiz411. He wrote the FOX411 column on FoxNews.com from 1999 to 2009, where he covered Michael Jackson, and previously wrote the "Intelligencer" column at New York magazine in the mid-1990s, where he covered the O.J. Simpson trial. He also edited Fame magazine. His bylines have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the New York Daily News, the New York Post, Vogue, Details, and the Miami Herald. He is a voting member of the Critics Choice Awards (Film and Television branches), and his movie reviews are tracked by Rotten Tomatoes. With D.A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus, he co-produced the 2002 documentary "Only the Strong Survive," which screened at Directors' Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival.

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