M, 121 minutes
3 Stars
Review by © Jane Freebury
A good dose of country life never did an Aussie any harm, not least in the movies made in this country that regularly send city types to live in the bush where they do some penance. Spending time in the outback, far away from the major cities where most of us live, brings them down a peg or two, helps to show them what really matters. We saw this at work in last year’s popular, Kangaroo, a sweet story about a TV weatherman whose car inconveniently needed repairs while he was stuck in the back of beyond.
This is how it goes in this screen version of the hit youth stage musical of 2022, The Deb, written by Hannah Reilly in collaboration with Megan Washington. It is a spirited directorial debut for Rebel Wilson, the high-profile actor, a veteran of the international and local film industries. She has a smaller but significant part here as Janette, the town beautician whose salon operating out of her garage goes by the name Curl Up N Dye. It promises to deliver clients the ‘real you, plus eyelashes, plus contouring, plus plus’.
The action takes place in the fictional outback town of Dunburn, somewhere out west where the folk have yet to adopt the language of political correctness, and where quaint community traditions are still maintained. Like the annual ball that gives lonely, local dressmaker Shell (Tara Morice) a chance to dress the latest batch of 18-year-olds in her woeful creations.
A spirited directorial debut for Rebel Wilson
Seriously though, drought has brought the region’s business to their knees. The town and surrounds look dusty, brown and depressed, and they are desperate for water. The town’s new mayor Rick (Shane Jacobson) has begun trying to alert the government minister in Canberra to the situation, but he’s getting short shrift.
The debutante ball will however go ahead in Dunburn, where the girls are expected to be wives by the time they’re 22. There’s no mention of ‘schoolies’ at the Gold Coast, a world away.
A visit by podcaster and future feminist influencer extraordinaire, Maeve (Charlotte MacInnes), Rick’s niece from the city, is just what Dunburn needs. And vice versa. Chucked out of private school for bad behaviour and her harbourside home by her school principal Mum, she has been sent out west to do penance over the school holidays with her uncle Rick and his daughter Taylah (Natalie Abbott).
Naturally enough, the two girls don’t bond to start with, but they find themselves on the same side against the opposition, the town’s meanest of mean girls. A trio comprising Annabelle (Stevie Jean, the indie music performer is a stand-out), Danielle (Brianna Bishop) and Chantelle (Karis Oka), also known as the Pixie Cups.
Some of the best scenes in The Deb feature the rival performers facing off as they do their schtick. From the big song-and-dance number at the petrol station courtyard, to the moment when Annabelle shows what she can do as a solo performer with an acoustic guitar.
Forget the biker guy like James Dean, it’s the spotlight that matters
The days of rivalry for the attentions of the most desirable of the opposite sex, seem long gone, like another quaint habit. If that competition still mattered, the girls’ attention would be focussed on Dusty (Costa D’Angelo), a biker with an appealing slouch like James Dean. What matters instead is TikTok and grabbing the spotlight. Body positivity is, on the other hand, an important take-away message, as is authenticity, a value that’s always contested when country meets city.
Shane Jacobson is a warm and welcome presence, though there isn’t much of the humorous Kenny persona that made him famous. As far as the comedy goes, The Deb belongs to Wilson, who is clearly comfortable working in the musical comedy genre in this directorial debut.
Wilson has one of the writer credits for additional writing, which isn’t surprising. Some of these lines are a bit off-colour, but what else can we reasonably expect in a Rebel Wilson film? Rude business aside, much is unmistakeable Wilson, reflecting her life story and career in entertainment with lines like ‘you don’t need law school, just a smartphone and 30 seconds’. Talented, sharp, smart, and no stranger to controversy, Wilson can afford to be herself. She has done a terrific job at the helm of this vibrant, fun and good-hearted experience.
Also published in the Canberra Times (10 April 2026) and on Rotten Tomatoes