The Musical
Verdict: The Musical is a dark, chaotic school comedy that lands its bite in moments but doesn’t fully commit to its own premise. It’s an uneven watch that will divide audiences more than unite them.
Pros:
- Will Brill’s performance is being called sharp and committed
- The premise is genuinely different from typical school comedies
- Several scenes bring big, unexpected laughs
Cons:
- The lead character’s constant nastiness wears thin for many viewers
- The film doesn’t fully deliver on the “chaos” it promises
About The Musical (2026)
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Title | The Musical |
| Directed by | Giselle Bonilla |
| Written by | Alexander Heller |
| Produced by | Rob Lowe, Greg Lauritano, Alexander Heller, Findlay Brown, Jordan Backhus |
| Cast | Will Brill, Gillian Jacobs, Rob Lowe, Nevada Jose |
| Cinematography | Tu Do |
| Music by | Mateo Nossa |
| Production Companies | Megamix, Unapologetic Projects |
| Release Date | September 18, 2026 |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Comedy, Dark Comedy |
| Censor Rating | R |
The Musical hit US theatres on September 18, 2026, after first premiering at Sundance back in January. It’s the feature directorial debut of Giselle Bonilla, and it stars Will Brill as a bitter middle school theatre teacher, alongside Gillian Jacobs and Rob Lowe.
Going in, this film had a fair amount of buzz thanks to its Sundance run and its offbeat premise. Since release, reactions online have been split fairly evenly between people who found it sharp and funny, and people who found it exhausting.
The story is simple on paper. Doug, a frustrated playwright turned middle school drama teacher, finds out his ex is now dating his rival, the school principal. Instead of moving on, Doug decides to get revenge by staging the most inappropriate school musical he possibly can, aiming to sabotage the principal’s shot at a big academic award.
What follows is a messy, spiteful comedy about ego, resentment, and a group of kids caught in the middle of it all. Audience chatter across social platforms paints a genuinely mixed picture. A good number of viewers are praising Will Brill’s performance, calling it committed and full of nervous energy, with some saying he carries the entire film.
The young cast playing the theatre students is also getting singled out as a highlight, with several posts calling the kids the most likeable part of the movie. On the flip side, the most common complaint is about the main character himself.
Many viewers say Doug is simply too unlikeable for too long, with little redemption or growth by the end, which makes the film harder to enjoy as a whole. Some comments describe it as tonally uneven, funny in bursts but dragging in between.
A few reviewers also feel the premise had more shock value in concept than it delivers on screen, calling the payoff a bit muted compared to the buildup. Overall sentiment leans “decent but divisive” rather than a clear crowd-pleaser.
If you enjoy dark, awkward comedies with unlikeable leads and don’t mind a messy structure, this one has enough sharp moments to be worth a watch. If you’re looking for something warm, feel-good, or tightly written, this probably isn’t it.
Given the mixed reactions, it’s not an urgent big screen must watch. Waiting for it to hit streaming is a reasonable call for most viewers, unless you’re already a fan of this kind of cringe comedy.
Disclaimer: This review is based on publicly available audience reactions and discussions on X at the time of writing. Individual opinions may vary.
