PARK CITY – You may not be prepared for Giselle Bonilla’s feature directorial debut, “The Musical.” As the slate of world premieres at this year’s 2026 Sundance Film Festival has consistently proven, a narrative misdirect is the hot new thing. And in this case, we’re not mad at it. Whatsoever.
The premise of the Alexander Heller-written comedy seems innocent enough. A middle school teacher, in the dumps over a breakup, has to put on the school musical while the principal keeps a close eye on him. Except it’s not that conventional, and Bonilla and Heller shock you in ways you didn’t think were possible with a class of enthusiastic and energetic 11-year-olds on screen.
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Doug Leibowitz (Will Brill, bringing sexy nerd back) is the aforementioned theater director and eventual antihero. He’s had a tough summer after his ex, the school’s art teacher, Abigail (Gillian Jacobs, a pro’s pro), has gone radio silent while putting their secret relationship on a “break.” This introductory version of Doug is adorably clumsy and naive in believing they can get back together. School is back in session, however, and he’s got a production of “West Side Story” to focus on.
Seemingly harmless at first, the sort of guy who would back down and wallow in getting dumped, deep down, Doug is a bit of a fighter and, increasingly, a man on the edge. The discovery that Abigail has absolutely moved on and is dating their boss, Principal Brady (Rob Lowe, giving corporate cringe), is the first domino to fall. A rejection from an esteemed playwriting fellowship he was counting on to pursue his Broadway dreams is the second. A minor third may be the over-eager Lara (Melanie Herrera, naturally charismatic), a student who takes matters into her own hands when Leibowitz casts a Caucasian classmate who can sing over her as Maria (When she protests, he snaps, “Are you even Puerto Rican?”).
Doug is angry and spiteful, and looking for revenge. This musical staging is his perfect means of doing so. Especially with Principal Brady’s obsession over securing a blue ribbon for their school production. Proving potential revenge can be fueled into artistic inspiration, Doug decides he’s going to blow it all up by putting on an original play. A last-minute inspiration titled “The Heroes,” a play the middle schoolers will put on, centered on…9/11.
Too soon? That’s a wee bit of what Bonilla and Heller are hoping you’d think as this absolutely hilarious calamity unfolds. Especially once the kids, who have no personal context, buy into keeping his plan a secret. Principal Doug, who stops by “West Side Story” rehearsals, has no clue what his students are really preparing for the big night.
You may imagine it’s hard to root for Doug – you’d be wrong – but the film does have heart. It comes in the form of Little Mickey Gomez (Nevada Jose, remember the name), Doug’s student assistant director, who is soaking up everything he can from his mentor. To be fair, all the students come to his aid in pulling off the secret show, but it doesn’t hurt that he’s constantly reiterated that “The art of theater is surprise” (and what a surprise). It’s a little bit of an unintentional homage (at least according to Bonilla) to “Dead Poets Society” or even “School of Rock,” but it’s still Jose’s winning turn that makes you want to cheer (and a shout-out to Aidyn Ahn, whose deadpan facial reactions are pitch perfect).
While the kids are pretty fantastic overall, it’s the collaboration between Brill and Bonilla that takes Heller’s screenplay to another level. At first, Bonilla’s direction seems pretty middle-of-the-road. What you’d expect from a conventional prestige comedy. The score is a bit sweet and peppy, and the framing is in the vein of your favorite Working Title flick. But as Doug’s plan unfolds, it subtly transforms until Mateo Nossa’s score is referencing golden age Hollywood thriller, and Doug is shot like a nefarious character in a Hitchcock flick. That only works, though, if the audience is still invested in Doug’s storyline. And Brill, in his first real feature leading role, simply nails it. Masterfully. [B+]
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Editor-at-Large Gregory Ellwood is one of the entertainment industry's most respected journalists and critics. Based in Los Angeles, he's the only current awards expert who previously worked on Oscar campaigns at a major movie studio. Over the years, he has written for the LA Times, Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, and Vox, among others. He also co-founded the entertainment news site HitFix, which spawned a legion of influential Emmy and WGA Award-winning alumni.
