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In a different universe, Rebel Wilson’s directorial debut The Deb would be getting comparisons with The Adventures Of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert and Muriel’s Wedding as it opened in cinemas this week.
A very Australian comic musical with a raunchy edge, it’s about a suspended student from an elite city private school who is sent to stay with her cousin in a drought-stricken country town just before a debutante ball.
The Deb has bright young stars, led by Charlotte MacInnes and Natalie Abbott, and catchy songs including F--- My Life. Adapted by Hannah Reilly from her 2022 stage musical – she wrote the songs with Megan Washington – the feelgood story has already worked in theatres.
With a decent promotional campaign, it would have had a fair chance of cutting through the noise of rival cinema and streaming releases – always a challenge for Australian films – and finding an appreciative audience in 225 cinemas.
That would have boosted Wilson’s profile as a director after her Hollywood success acting in Bridesmaids, the Pitch Perfect trilogy and Jojo Rabbit. She has already shot a second film, the comedy Girl Group, which has her playing a former pop diva who coaches a group of misfit teenage girls for a major audition.
But even before the world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2024, The Deb has been mired in ugly controversy that is overshadowing its release.
The producers lodged defamation lawsuits against Wilson, who filed a countersuit. MacInnes also sued Wilson for defamation.
These lawsuits have involved allegations of sexual harassment, false imprisonment, financial irregularities and the creation of a smear campaign against one of the producers.
Wilson last year told her 11 million Instagram followers in a video post that executive producer Vince Holden and producers Amanda Ghost and Gregor Cameron were trying to block the premiere. She claimed in the video this was in retaliation for her reporting what she alleged was “inappropriate behaviour towards the lead actress” and “embezzling funds from the film’s budget”.
“They’re saying, you know, it can’t come out,” Wilson said in the video. “They might not release it, they might bury it. This is the work of hundreds of people who have put their heart and soul into this. And this behaviour is absolutely vile and disgusting.”
The producers emphatically denied Wilson’s allegations, saying they were false, defamatory and disappointing.
“Her self-promotional claims are clearly intended to cause reputational harm to the individuals who have supported … a joyous movie that we’re very proud of and are looking forward to sharing with audiences,” they said. “For her to promote a false narrative to advance her own agenda undermines the film and all the people who worked on this project.”
While it has been hard to keep track of all the legal drama in both the US and Australia, the MacInnes defamation hearing is due to start in Sydney’s Federal Court on April 20.
The fate of The Deb’s cinema release will be well and truly settled before then.
Wilson, who has since been ordered by the court not to comment on the case, has been limited in how she can promote the film. Any interviews with her were subject to such strict conditions that this masthead declined.
Not only would a proposed interview be only on video, her publicist wanted written confirmation that: “The interview will be used solely as a video piece hosted online; it won’t be transcribed or reproduced in print or text form (in whole or in part); and no quotes or excerpts will be used in any separate articles or wider coverage beyond the video itself”.
As well, the publicist thought it would “helpful” to agree on the topics in advance and the interview would be monitored to ensure discussions stayed within agreed boundaries because of legal constraints around the film.
“As previously discussed, the focus would need to stay solely on The Deb, its release and Rebel’s role as director, with no discussion of the current proceedings or related matters,” the publicist said.
The question now is not just whether The Deb can be a hit but whether it even has a chance of a successful release.
Palace Cinemas chief executive Benjamin Zeccola, says the lack of robust presales suggests the movie is just attracting hardcore Wilson fans, which is “a pity because not long ago The Deb seemed to have everything going for it: a widely adored comedy star, a great premise and the potential to reach a broad audience”.
But Zeccola also says The Deb’s “mismatched tone” is a problem, as the opening song and dance number, F--- My Life, could be interpreted as making fun of the film’s young audience.
Last year, the Australian horror film Together endured controversy in the lead-up to its release, which damaged its prospects. The film stars Dave Franco and Alison Brie as a couple who have a supernatural encounter after moving to the countryside.
Written and directed by Michael Shanks, Together was snapped up in one of the richest deals in the history of the Sundance Film Festival, worth $US17 million (almost $25 million). But its prospects were damaged by a plagiarism lawsuit made by the producers of a little-seen 2023 American film, Better Half.
Despite rejecting the claim – Shanks insisted he wrote Together in 2019 – it took just $1.2 million in Australia, well below what it deserved. It still made almost $US35 million worldwide.
The 2024 romantic drama It Ends With Us was also notable for acrimonious lawsuits between director-actor Justin Baldoni and star Blake Lively, who accused Baldoni of sexual harassment. But the adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s bestselling book still took an impressive $US351 million worldwide.
Occasionally, low-profile Australian films have succeeded, including family comedies Runt, which took $6.1 million in 2024, and Kangaroo, which grossed $5.6 million last year.
But without Wilson or MacInnes promoting The Deb, the movie will need a post-Easter miracle to succeed.
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